@Malibucompany Thanks for the question! Although temperature is not critical when toning, I tone at my standard 68 degrees Fahrenheit. It just so happens that my darkroom is almost always 68 degrees so I don't bother to use the precise control that I would use when developing film. Thanks!
Question from a newbie, is there a different look that you can achive adding contrast this way, as apposed to using filters or toning the print? I'm new to darkroom printing and i've just recently started toning fiber, thank you, i'm going to experiment with this!
@kentuckyburbon1777 It's not so much that the look of the print is different but toning the negative increases the contrast of the negative so that it's closer to your ideal starting point for printing. However, you can also increase the contrast of the print using contrast filters when printing. Print toning is different; it can actually add color and richness to the print as well as increasing the contrast to some extent depending on the paper, toner dilution, and toning time.
@ZoneIII The primary purpose for toning a print is to achieve archival processing so the print will last longer. But selenium toning can also produce anything from subtle to profound visual differences as well. Selenium toning of negatives is not really necessary but it does give you additional control and it will presumably protect the negative as it does with print. It will make no difference in print color, though. It's really just a tool to increase negative contrast for "flat" negatives.
@kentuckyburbon1777 thanks! I think i understand your response. I was looking through an old Kodak book about "making negatives" and they talk about a rule-of-thumb of being able to read a newspaper through a negative and judging highlight density as wether you can read the bold print, supposedly in some cases you want denser highlights etc.
@kentuckyburbon1777 I have heard that old rule of thumb about being able to read a newspaper through a negative too but I have never actually tested it. But, just based on experience, I am pretty sure that an ideal negative will have denser highlight densities than that rule-of-thumb suggests. I may take an ideal negative and test it out. If I can explain things more clearly, just email me or send a message to me and I will be happy to respond. The character limit here limits things.
@kentuckyburbon1777 Just in case you haven't checked your YouTube inbox, I sent you a more detailed explanation of selenium toning. There is no character limit in the messages like there is here.
@blankets1453 I use just plain tap water for pre-soaking. In case you might have wondered if I used distilled water, the only time I use distilled water to for mix my developers (both b&w and color) for consistencyy and also for my final rinse of the ifilm - with a couple drops of Photo-Flo added.. For everything else, I just use plain tap water. Thanks!
I'm wondering if you find that negatives that are otherwise = in density, but are processed in different developers, intensify differently. For instance, I only develop in pyrogallic acid (so I have not had experience with other developers in many years)--which already has added density from the gallic acid; will a negative intensify more (all other things being =) when processed this way than, say, a negative developed in rodinol, etc???? thanks much!!
@callmeBe Although I haven't tried selenium toning with all developers, of course, I have found it to add one zone of expansion with every film/developer combination that I have tried it with. I do occasionally use PMK Pyro but I have not tried selenium toning with a staining developer like that. It would be interesting to see, though, and I'll have try it. My best guess is that it will work with staining developers but I can't say for sure until I try it.
@ZoneIII (Continued)....Among the developers that I have tried it with are HC110, Rodinol, D76, D23, Tmax, Xtol, Diafine, etc. Among the films I have used this with are Tri-X, Tmax100, HP5+, Ilford Delta 100, Ilford Delta 400, Plus-X, etc. My results have always been the same - that is, almost exactly one zone of expansion when done the way I demonstrate in the video. Thanks for asking! .
@callmeBe Greetings, thanks for your answer! I can certainly tell you that your intensification does work well on all pyro developers (I just don't know about any other developers), because I use selenium extensively, and my experience is that all pyro developers intensify about the same (PMK, ABC, Rollo) all other things being = (about 1/2 paper grade). Zone III, thanks for your post here; I think it is very well done and a great intro for those who have not used intensification before.
Question-- At what temperature are you processing at that gives you 6 minutes in selenium for a 1 zone expansion?
Malibucompany 10 months ago
@Malibucompany Thanks for the question! Although temperature is not critical when toning, I tone at my standard 68 degrees Fahrenheit. It just so happens that my darkroom is almost always 68 degrees so I don't bother to use the precise control that I would use when developing film. Thanks!
ZoneIII 10 months ago
Question from a newbie, is there a different look that you can achive adding contrast this way, as apposed to using filters or toning the print? I'm new to darkroom printing and i've just recently started toning fiber, thank you, i'm going to experiment with this!
kentuckyburbon1777 10 months ago
@kentuckyburbon1777 It's not so much that the look of the print is different but toning the negative increases the contrast of the negative so that it's closer to your ideal starting point for printing. However, you can also increase the contrast of the print using contrast filters when printing. Print toning is different; it can actually add color and richness to the print as well as increasing the contrast to some extent depending on the paper, toner dilution, and toning time.
ZoneIII 10 months ago
@ZoneIII The primary purpose for toning a print is to achieve archival processing so the print will last longer. But selenium toning can also produce anything from subtle to profound visual differences as well. Selenium toning of negatives is not really necessary but it does give you additional control and it will presumably protect the negative as it does with print. It will make no difference in print color, though. It's really just a tool to increase negative contrast for "flat" negatives.
ZoneIII 10 months ago
@kentuckyburbon1777 thanks! I think i understand your response. I was looking through an old Kodak book about "making negatives" and they talk about a rule-of-thumb of being able to read a newspaper through a negative and judging highlight density as wether you can read the bold print, supposedly in some cases you want denser highlights etc.
kentuckyburbon1777 10 months ago
@kentuckyburbon1777 I have heard that old rule of thumb about being able to read a newspaper through a negative too but I have never actually tested it. But, just based on experience, I am pretty sure that an ideal negative will have denser highlight densities than that rule-of-thumb suggests. I may take an ideal negative and test it out. If I can explain things more clearly, just email me or send a message to me and I will be happy to respond. The character limit here limits things.
ZoneIII 10 months ago
@kentuckyburbon1777 Just in case you haven't checked your YouTube inbox, I sent you a more detailed explanation of selenium toning. There is no character limit in the messages like there is here.
ZoneIII 10 months ago
What do you use for pre-soaking? thanks.
blankets1453 11 months ago
@blankets1453 I use just plain tap water for pre-soaking. In case you might have wondered if I used distilled water, the only time I use distilled water to for mix my developers (both b&w and color) for consistencyy and also for my final rinse of the ifilm - with a couple drops of Photo-Flo added.. For everything else, I just use plain tap water. Thanks!
ZoneIII 11 months ago
I'm wondering if you find that negatives that are otherwise = in density, but are processed in different developers, intensify differently. For instance, I only develop in pyrogallic acid (so I have not had experience with other developers in many years)--which already has added density from the gallic acid; will a negative intensify more (all other things being =) when processed this way than, say, a negative developed in rodinol, etc???? thanks much!!
callmeBe 11 months ago
@callmeBe Although I haven't tried selenium toning with all developers, of course, I have found it to add one zone of expansion with every film/developer combination that I have tried it with. I do occasionally use PMK Pyro but I have not tried selenium toning with a staining developer like that. It would be interesting to see, though, and I'll have try it. My best guess is that it will work with staining developers but I can't say for sure until I try it.
ZoneIII 11 months ago
@ZoneIII (Continued)....Among the developers that I have tried it with are HC110, Rodinol, D76, D23, Tmax, Xtol, Diafine, etc. Among the films I have used this with are Tri-X, Tmax100, HP5+, Ilford Delta 100, Ilford Delta 400, Plus-X, etc. My results have always been the same - that is, almost exactly one zone of expansion when done the way I demonstrate in the video. Thanks for asking! .
ZoneIII 11 months ago
@callmeBe Greetings, thanks for your answer! I can certainly tell you that your intensification does work well on all pyro developers (I just don't know about any other developers), because I use selenium extensively, and my experience is that all pyro developers intensify about the same (PMK, ABC, Rollo) all other things being = (about 1/2 paper grade). Zone III, thanks for your post here; I think it is very well done and a great intro for those who have not used intensification before.
callmeBe 11 months ago
@callmeBe------ And thank you! Now I know that it selenium does indeed intensify Pyro negatives. I wasn't sure about that. I appreciate the info.
ZoneIII 11 months ago
Again, you continue to put forth great videos which are very informative and well done. I appreciate your contributions. keep posting!
paintingwithlight 1 year ago
@paintingwithlight Thanks much! That makes my day! :-)
ZoneIII 1 year ago
great tutorial i heard about it but never saw it being done before
heratus007 1 year ago
@heratus007 Thanks! The process is incredibly easy.
ZoneIII 1 year ago