Is a digital calibration good from process to process?

Hi

Since I dont have really any competency in the analog darkroom I was wondering -

If you are making contact prints from an in camera negative - once you have the negative can you use that in carbon or platinum or ...?

If yes - does the same idea transfer to digital negatives?

Just curious as I have a well calibrated palladium process and I am getting back into carbon. But my previous carbon work was on a 2200 and my palladium was on a 3800 - I want to move everything to the 3800

Thanks for any insights
Sean

seans said:

Hi

Since I dont have really any competency in the analog darkroom I was wondering -

If you are making contact prints from an in camera negative - once you have the negative can you use that in carbon or platinum or ...?

If yes - does the same idea transfer to digital negatives?

Just curious as I have a well calibrated palladium process and I am getting back into carbon. But my previous carbon work was on a 2200 and my palladium was on a 3800 - I want to move everything to the 3800

Thanks for any insights
Sean

Click to expand...

First, with regard to in-camera negatives, within limits you can adjust the contrast of both the carbon process and pt/pd to print an in-camera negative. However, carbon and pt/pd have different curve types and each will interact differently with the curve of an in-camera negative so that there will be a slightly different look to each type of print.

The same is true of digital negatives. If you have calibrated for pt/pd it should be possible to print in carbon with the same negative, but because of process curve type a digital negative that is linearized for pt/pd will not print entirely linear in carbon, so the tonal values will not be the same in both prints.

Sandy King

Then again, you really won't know for sure unless you try a test or two.

I'm afraid not. Each process has their own contrast curve. I would be nice if that's the case.

I use the same curve for pt pd and gum bichromate... I assume that over time I have adjusted my gum process to the contrast of the negative. As well I always apply a gum coating over palladium to increase my Dmax so I think it depends.

With my Lambda Durst imaging setup the film is calibrated to a 21 step linerarized position before I start exposing files to film. This allows me to concentrate on what process I am aiming for , so in effect I take into consideration that I want a less contrast negative for Silver Contact Print, If my goal is to make a Pt Pd print I will make a higher curve adjustment than normal and that film will print well... It definitely mimics what we would do in the past with In Camera negatives.