Copying prints

I have a 35mm color negative, and 4x6 minilab print that I really like. I want to print it but I can't print color. I would be ok making a B&W print from it, but I only know how to do that with slides (I make a LF interneg on pan film).

I don't think printing the negative right onto paper would give good results (I could try). I was thinking that I could take a picture of the print, using B&W 35mm, 6x6, or 4x5 film, and then print from that. I'm only going to make a 5x7. I was thinking that I could also contact-print the print itself onto LF film. Anyone done any of these techniques? Which would you try?

Good Afternoon, Better Sense,

Printing directly onto VC paper, probably with a higher than "normal" filter may produce acceptable results; it won't take much time or money to try it. Better would be printing onto the discontinued Panalure paper, IF you can find any which is still good. Copying with B & W pan film should work also, as long as you recognize that every "generation" normally reduces overall quality a bit. Since your original is 35mm and the print is just a 4 x 6, a 35mm copy will probably serve about as well as one on larger-format film. Here's hoping that you have a glossy or smooth-surface print; otherwise any texture will show up in the copy negative. A copy negative may need to be processed for slightly higher than normal contrast, since prints tend to have a limited contrast range, but that will depend on the original print.

Konical

Have you considered bringing it back to the minilab? That's your best bet until you learn color unless you are really bent on doing it yourself.

Minilabs can't make silver B&W prints, at least not that I know of. I could scan the film, desaturate the image, and get a lightjet done onto real B&W paper, I suppose.

I'll try printing the negative onto paper. It's a reddish/tungsten print, so if I'm thinking correctly the light from the negative will be tinted toward cyan, which should effect the photo paper.

I know this is blasphemy but....

You may want to scan it - then turn it into a black and white negative for a contact print on whatever paper you want - even platinum. Seriously you will get like 500% better results - you can interpret the color to B/W in a film kind of way and then generate a negative with the exact CI you need on a piece of transparency film.

I have made alt-process prints this way from just about everything - b/w MF negs - color neg - color slides - even the awful "D" word from my Nikon "Not Film"3.

RB

Making a B&W negative with a camera copy set up then a print would work anywhere from pretty good to excellent depending on your equipment and set up.

There is still some old Kodak Panalure on eBay, don't know how good it is anymore. According to Kodak, you can print on reg. paper, although I always thought that it didn't product good results.

I printed some color negs onto MG a few months ago for a local historical society. Color negs were what they had, and silver B&W prints were what they needed.

The prints looked fine, and they were very pleased.
I had misgivings at first, but the result won me over.

Try it first, and if the results aren't what you'd like, move on to a more complicated method.

BetterSense said:

I would be ok making a B&W print from it, but I only know how to do that with slides (I make a LF interneg on pan film).

Click to expand...

Ever try the Efke reversal paper? Hard to work with but nice.