Help With Color Retouching?

[JOHNNYTREMPs]

I've been trying for weeks, wasting countless test prints trying to nail down spot removal on color prints, and I screw it up every time. Strangely enough, I can retouch black and white prints with relative ease. Can anyone here offer advice on the differences between b+w and color spot retouching, if any? Also, I have been searching online for video or written tutorials just to get a grasp on how it's done, but can't find anything except black and white instructions. Can anyone recommend a good place or book for further reading? Sometimes it's so tempting to use photoshop, but I love the darkroom too much! Any help is appreciated!

 

[Ian Grant]

I can clearly remember the first time I retouched colour prints, they weren't my own but the photographer/printer had issues doing it himself, it would have been1886/7

Like B&W retouching it's a case of careful knifing, rebuilding (I used gum from envelopes) then slowly building up density with colour dyes. With all retouching the initial key is not trying to make perfect just try to make it un-noticeable, then build slowly from there. I probably found it easier because at the time I did a lot of hand toning and colouring of B&W prints,

Retouching really is a case of "slowly, slowly, catchee monkey".

Ian

 

[JOHNNYTREMPs]

I can clearly remember the first time I retouched colour prints, they weren't my own but the photographer/printer had issues doing it himself, it would have been1886/7

Like B&W retouching it's a case of careful knifing, rebuilding (I used gum from envelopes) then slowly building up density with colour dyes. With all retouching the initial key is not trying to make perfect just try to make it un-noticeable, then build slowly from there. I probably found it easier because at the time I did a lot of hand toning and colouring of B&W prints,

Retouching really is a case of "slowly, slowly, catchee monkey".

Ian

Wow! 1887?! You must really be an old timer. But seriously, what is knifing and rebuilding? I know with b+w you can scrape to remove density but everything I've read says not to do that with color prints.

 

[DREW WILEY]

It's really difficult to hide etching, especially on a glossy print, unless you recoat the entire print. I don't recommend it for displayed prints. White spots due to dust on color neg film or paper during enlargement can just be filled in with appropriately colored dye. If it has too much build-up and leaves an annoying matte spot on a glossy print, let it dry overnight and briefly rewash the print, squeegee and let dry. Matte prints can be retouched with similar sheen acrylic artist paint or by adding retouch dyes to water-based acrylic glazes intended for that. Or at least all this is a starting point. Bleaching out black spots is also an option, but in that case, the cure can sometimes be worse than the disease; it's tricky.

 

[Ian Grant]

Wow! 1887?! You must really be an old timer. But seriously, what is knifing and rebuilding? I know with b+w you can scrape to remove density but everything I've read says not to do that with color prints.

Typo but some of my cameras and lenses are from that era or older

Well if you have to retouch colour prints don't go for glossy until you're experienced. Knifing/scraping is the same B&W or Colour, the secret is returning the areato match the original surface, techniques like steaming helps.

Ian