Favorite Toning Techniques

[blansky]

I'm wondering what everyone is using and what their tips are for interesting toning techniques.


A couple of mine:

For warm brown tone; all fiber based.

Bergger WT developed in LDP 1:6, selenuim toned 1:9 for about 5 min.

Ilford WT developed in LDP 1:6, selenuim toned 1:9 for about 6-7 min slightly purple/eggplant warm tone

Ilford WT dev in Zonal Pro Warm Tone 1:10, selenuim toned about 8 min very nice warm tone.

I prefer selenium to sepia because of the single process. My sepia seem to go a little yellowy brown for my taste, although I've gotten some interesting ones

Forte poly wt in Kodakalith for interesting slightly pinkish warmtone look.

I'm still doing a lot of experimenting with this and shoot only portraits so some of the partial toning techniques don't work too well because the face will get pretty mucked up.

Michael McBlane

 

[Ole]

I'll give anything a go...

The best warmtones I get without toning, just develop warmtone paper in Gevaert G262. Selenium toning will (usually) make it even warmer.

Plasticky paper gets a dunk in Viradon - at least as long as the weather lets me do it outdoors.

Colorvir toners are nice too - especially the Titanium Yellow. The iron blue tends to give either no response at all or immeiate bright blue - with the limited number of papers I've tried. I haven't tried the dyes for many years.

 

[Silverpixels5]

I only use to toners either alone or a combination of the two: Selenium and Sepia. I like selenium at a 1:3 dilution on Oriental Seagull and Agfa MC Classic for a very pleasing cool tone. Sepia works well for Ilford Warmtone...this paper also responds the best to dual toning.

 

[Nige]

My sepia seem to go a little yellowy brown for my taste, although I've gotten some interesting ones

Michael McBlane

Have a try of some direct toning with Viradon. You can control the level of 'brownness' by time in the toner and they (highlights) don't go yellow like sepia, more a neutral fawny colour (for want of a better description!)

I don't tone much, but then i don't produce many completed prints... I've just got lots of work prints

 

[Jeremy]

same here nige!

 

[MikeK]

I mostly get the image color I want using a warm tone paper and warm tone developer combination. I spent a couple of weeks testing a number of paper and developer combinations, the results can be found here:

Dead Link Removed

Click the link to the PDF file..its about 1.5 MB so it might take a little time to download.

Mike

 

[Aggie]

..

 

[bronicadave]

My favorite is still the discontinued Kodak Polytoner. This gives a slightly brown/purplish tint. I don't care for the true brown given by Kodak's Brown toner or Viradon. Although Viradon is my second choice depending on subject and paper.

 

[Ole]

I mostly get the image color I want using a warm tone paper and warm tone developer combination. I spent a couple of weeks testing a number of paper and developer combinations, the results can be found here:

Dead Link Removed

Click the link to the PDF file..its about 1.5 MB so it might take a little time to download.

Mike

MIke, I finally had the time (and bandwidth) to look at your test results. Great work, and really well presented. Thanks a lot!

Have you tested G262 at other dilutions than 1:2? I use it at anything up to 1:10 at various stages at exhaustion to get a "pseudo-lith" effect with developing times running up to ten minutes... The colour differences are amazing!

 

[fhovie]

Wow Mike - great work on the pdf there - it is a keeper

I am really a fan of selenium toning. I like to pull them just as the color changes - on Forte FB mostly. This gives a nice 2 tone effect -subtle and slightly understated. - If I really want brown, I selenuim tone (all 1:9) as described and then use pot feri to bleach it back. That gives me a brown brown look and really makes the highlights sparkle. It is good for prints that need a boost and if the highlights will permit it.

 

[Sean]

Hi, Mike, we'd be glad to host that file for you, as well as include a link back to your home page, etc. Just a thought. Sean

 

[MikeK]

Sean:

OK by me and a link to my site, icing on the cake

Mike

 

[Lex Jenkins]

I've recently tried Paterson Acutone selenium toner. It definitely imparts a more pinkish tone than the usually purplish Kodak Rapid Selenium Toner.

So far I've tried it on Agfa 118 and Luminos Classic Pearl Warmtone. There's more pinkishness in the highlights and midtones.

Agfa 310 and 312 RC papers also respond, tho' more subtlely, to the Paterson selenium toner.

Ilford RC papers, as usual, resist significant visible color change from either KRST or the Paterson toner.

It's good stuff, a nice change from KRST.

 

[lee]

Where in Ft Worth did you find this? At the shop in west FTW or in the camera shop in Arlington? I am on the east side of FTW. welcome

lee\c

 

[Lex Jenkins]

Lee, I ordered the Paterson Acutone from B&H. The local shop probably would have ordered it for me but I had an order through B&H anyway so I just thought I'd try the Paterson.

The local shop, on W. 7th Street, is good folks tho'. Only way I can get Diafine since B&H and other stores won't ship directly to individuals now.

 

[Jeremy]

Calumet will still ship diafine, that's how i've got mine. I just ordered two one gallon sets a while ago and that will last a LONG time.

 

[lee]

thanks for the info. Everytime I go in that store they are out of whatever it is I am looking for.


lee\c