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My boss retired the lab is gone. How do you used the old eyeballs.

James in GA

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35mm
The toys gone. Meters & compters made me a brat. Judging negs for paper grades. With no way plot film.
I need the old step by step guide to put the eyes to work.
 
I'm not quite understanding what the question is....

What are you looking for?
 
I suspect english is not your first language but unless you start giving a more coherent question, no one is going to be able to help you there buddy....
 
It seems to me that James is asking how to make judgments by eye about printing negatives, now that he no longer has access to equipment to help him with that. I think he's referring to B+W, going on the mention of paper grades.
 
I believe the OP is used to using a densitometer/plotter and/or something like a Heiland splitgrade, I think the OP is therefore asking how to print when you dont have tools to hone in?
 
I think his boss closed the photo lab and he no longer has access to the crutches he used to determine how to print his negatives...and now he has to think and learn how to judge negatives visually. And possibly how to expose and develop negatives for optimal results.

My suggestion -- start making prints. Keep notes. Learn from your mistakes and successes.
 
If I'm printing regular negatives on normal tone paper, I just start with grade 2 filter. If I'm printing with warm tone paper, I'd start with grade 2 1/2. If I don't like the result, I go up or down by 1/2 at a time.... As far as exposure time is concerned, I use Kodak's projection print scale to give me a ballpark. Then do some test prints to hone in. Do a full size print, then dodge and burn to taste.

Is that's the kind of answer you are looking for?
 
This is how I would do it if all the tools were taken away.

1. Buy a Stouffer 21-step transmission grayscale, less than twenty bucks and last a lifetime.
2. Contact this grayscale with your negative on your paper
3. Look at the grayscale that you printed. Look at the picture that you got.
4. Count the steps between what you got and what you want. Two steps equals one stop.
5. Adjust accordingly and print again.
-The more you use a grayscale when you print, the more you have a benchmark of what you want and how many stops it is from what you got.
 
James in GA said:
The toys gone. Meters & compters made me a brat. Judging negs for paper grades. With no way plot film.
I need the old step by step guide to put the eyes to work.
Click to expand...

1) Judge negatives on a light table. If the shadows have faint density they should print fine.
2) Print with multigrade paper. If the prints lack contrast, increase contrast grade, etc. Use trial-and-error to zero in.
 
James in GA said:
The toys gone. Meters & compters made me a brat. Judging negs for paper grades. With no way plot film.
I need the old step by step guide to put the eyes to work.
Click to expand...

hi james in GA

how about just printing your film ...
i am sure once you make a few prints you won't have any
trouble judging without your olde boss' toys ...
 
Hi James in GA,

It's ok if you are better with pictures than words... I assume you have lab experience, so I gave you tips that might work for that...

Do you want to work the way you used to, or kick out the tech and do it by feel? We can take it that direction too and it can be fun...
 
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