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Digital Negatives: Using Photoshop to Create Digital Negatives for Silver and Alternative Process Printing

Digital Negatives: Using Photoshop to Create Digital Negatives for Silver and Alternative Process Printing

by Ron Reeder, Brad Hinkel
Publisher: Focal Press
Release Date: November 2006
ISBN: 9780240808543
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Book Description

Digital Negatives: Using Photoshop to Create Digital Negatives for Silver and Alternative
Process Printing bridges the world of traditional photographic printing with digital technology. A digital negative, prepared in Photoshop, allows you to skip the dark room time developing the negatives-getting straight to a variety of printing processes including silver, platinum, and a host of other "alternative” processes. You will see this as an opportunity to mix technology with traditional photo processes resulting in more time for your art! In the recent past, photographers that wanted digital negatives had to take their business to labs. Now all of you Photoshop users can incorporate this practice into your workflow of choice.

Table of Contents

  1. Cover
  2. Half Title
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright
  5. Contents
  6. Acknowledgements
  7. 1. Introduction
  8. 2. Basics of Digital Negatives
    1. Photographic Processes are Nonlinear
    2. Correction Curves
    3. Each Photographic Process is Different
    4. Many Different Photographic Processes
    5. Digital Negatives are Contact Printed
    6. The Workflow
  9. 3. Capturing the Optimal Image
    1. 16-bit Mode
    2. Capturing an Optimal Image with a Digital Camera
      1. Processing Camera RAW Image Files
    3. Converting a Color Image to Black and White
    4. Capturing an Optimal Image on Film for Subsequent Scanning
      1. Scanning a Black-and-White Negative
    5. Basic Edits in Photoshop
      1. Black and White Point Adjustment
      2. Brightness Adjustment
      3. Contrast Adjustment
  10. 4. A Basic Workflow for Silver Printing
    1. Preparing the Image
    2. Printing the Negative on the Epson 2200
      1. Printer Setup Checklist
    3. Printing the Silver Image in the Darkroom
      1. Exposing the Photo Paper
      2. Processing the Print
      3. Things to Know about Processing Silver/Gelatin Prints
      4. Variations
  11. 5. Making a Palladium Print from a Digital Negative
    1. Preparing the Image
    2. Printing a Negative on the Epson 2200
    3. Coating the Paper
    4. Exposing the Print
    5. Developing the Exposed Print
    6. Variations and Fine-Tuning
  12. 6. Exposure
    1. Light Sources
      1. Visible Light Sources
      2. UV Light Sources
    2. Exposure
      1. Steps for Determining the Base Exposure
    3. A Tool for Consistent Visible Light Exposures
  13. 7. Making Correction Curves for Digital Negatives
    1. A Good Step Tablet Print
    2. Making a Good Scan
    3. Adjust the Scanned Image to Full Contrast
    4. Read the Values from the Scanned Image
    5. Creating the Correction Curve
    6. Tweaking the Curve
    7. Testing Correction Curves
  14. 8. Monitor Soft Proofing
    1. Basic Color Management
    2. Soft Proofing
    3. Creating the Soft Proof Adjustment Layer
    4. Using the Soft Proof
  15. 9. About Printers
    1. Our Recommendations
    2. Printer Inks
    3. About Media
  16. 10. Using the QuadTone RIP
    1. A Brief Introduction to Printer Drivers
    2. Will You See a Difference in Print Quality if You Use QTR?
    3. Downloading and Installing QTR (Mac)
    4. Printing a Digital Negative with QTR (Mac)
    5. QTR Dialog Window Set for UC Pictorico
    6. Testing and Fine-Tuning a QTR Profile
    7. How to Create and Modify your own QTR Profiles
    8. Step 1: Open and Rename a Pre-existing QTR Profile
    9. Step 2: Alter the Pre-existing Profile According to ‘Best Guesses’
    10. Step 3: Determine the Default Ink Limit
    11. Step 4: Roughly Linearize the Midtones Using Gray Highlight, Gray Shadow, and Gray Gamma
    12. Step 5: Complete Linearization with Gray Curve
    13. Step 6: Test the New QTR Profile and Fine-Tune if Needed
    14. QTR Profiles for Printers Using Different Inksets
    15. Some Things that Can Go Wrong
    16. Acknowledgments
    17. PC Settings
    18. Downloading and Installing QTR (PC)
    19. Printing a Digital Negative with QTR (PC)
    20. Editing a QTR Profile (PC)
  17. 11. Manipulatory Miseries
    1. Problems with the Image File
    2. Printer Drivers
      1. Printing Negatives in Colors Other Than Black and White
      2. Sharpness
      3. Printer Banding
    3. Graininess
  18. 12. Adding Color to a Platinum/Palladium Print
    1. Colorizing a Black-and-White Image
    2. Making a Color Separation
    3. Printing the Color Separation
    4. Making a Full-Size Contact Negative
  19. Resources for Alternative Process
  20. Index