Category: labnotes

Lost Highlights

Posted on Posted in alt photo, dye transfer, labnotes, morning wood, pipeline, the fora

highlights can be washed away or crushed in assembly — huh? Okay, they can, but not if you are making dye transfers correctly.

Dye transfer was used by commercial photographers doing flatware, silk goods, diamonds, crystal — it seemed good enough for those highlight intensive products photos used for point of purchase along with sample books.

Dye transfer was used by portrait photographers selling upscale bridal portraits for their wedding — the 20×24 for the family to remember the bride in her white wedding gown. Another highlight intensive requirement.

Further examples seem unnecessary. The large-format dye transfer expert isn’t experienced. Sadly, those involved in that conversation don’t know enough to know — maybe they just don’t care, since they’ve nothing else to do. It is after all, only chat among the idle — an endgame move of resignation.

Why do so many believe the persistent posters?

The difference between a carbon print and a dye transfer is extreme. That they are assembly processes using gelatin as the image carrier, and that the image is a result of differential hardening of gelatin is what they share. Exposure method is a major factor in how highlights are maintained or lost.

In pigment processes exposure is from the top of the emulsion/coating. In dye transfer (imbibition ) exposure is through the base; this means the gelatin is hardened from the support upward. The highlight is thin but it is close to the support. In carbon the highlight tends to wash off, since it is being dissolved away. The pigment will actually collapse. The dye transfer mat has a relief image but it is durable. In imbibition printing the final image is assembled in thin layers; in gum/carbon it is stacked up in thicker reliefs. This can, likely will, result in some undercut of fine color details which occur alongside larger detail areas. In an effort to reduce this problem, screened negatives are being used by some carbon printers.

Dye transfer has additional controls to manage highlights which provide even more advantage over carbon printing. Carbon’s advantage is the tissue is easier to make than matrix film. Carbon rules because it can; it’s’ disadvantages have been made a part of the aesthetic feature: lots of “dimensional” texture.

Learning Dye Transfer

Posted on Posted in exs notebook, labnotes, overnight notes

Maybe. Actually, not. Kodak Dye Transfer ran its course — it was a commercial darling, but a market failure.

One difficulty with learning the process was in getting the relevant information together. Too often the beginner was stalled with too little information; more often they were showered with too much information. Like most first steps those first choices of: ‘how much is enough’, and ‘where to get it’ stalled most learners. Like this bit of information:

A Table of Contents:

  • Making color separations
  • Separations from masked transparencies
  • Evaluation of separation negatives
  • Post treatment of separations
  • Masking
  • Fake color and other alterations
  • Controls beyond
  • Materials and tools for separations

AND where is it now? You of this post-Kodak world learn from the survivor — the loud survivor. Many of whom are known more today than they were then. They didn’t participate in the labworld, instead they lived on the edge by writing about the process — word by word. Dollar by dollar. Until in this electronic forum they are the only voice. What do they say? Mostly tales of their purchases and notice of their sales — everything is on layaway.

Off site links illustrating the world view of those that did not, as they talked with one newcome who did — She became the spine of OIC, the only group who rolled new prints with a new matrix film (F18).