Langford's Advanced Photography, 8th Edition

5 Tone control

This chapter discusses all the influences on the tonal quality of your final picture. Being able to produce results with a rich range of tones is vital in black and white and equally important in colour. The difference between ‘good’ and ‘outstanding’ final print quality depends on how much care you take at a number of stages, ranging from measuring subject brightness to the way you display finished results. The tone range of your film image (negative or slide) is of special importance here and the most common single cause of poor prints. This is paralleled in digital imaging by the ability of your digital sensor and converter to capture a suitably wide dynamic range. Digital camera exposure settings or scanner settings also affect ...