New Ilford Multigrade classic- what developer

[arnie k]

I have been developing the new Ilford MG Classic in LPD 1:1 and find the prints have a slight greenish/olive tone. Someone suggested that I use dektol to get the pure black tone that I had on the old Ilford mg IV. That is easy to try and I assume I could also try the Ilford multigrade developer. Any thoughts on these or other developers to yield a blacker or more neutral black with the new classic paper. Thanks.

 

[John Wiegerink]

I have been developing the new Ilford MG Classic in LPD 1:1 and find the prints have a slight greenish/olive tone. Someone suggested that I use dektol to get the pure black tone that I had on the old Ilford mg IV. That is easy to try and I assume I could also try the Ilford multigrade developer. Any thoughts on these or other developers to yield a blacker or more neutral black with the new classic paper. Thanks.

Do you tone your prints?

 

[arnie k]

I do not. I know that selenium will help but would like to avoid that step if I can.

 

[John Wiegerink]

I do not. I know that selenium will help but would like to avoid that step if I can.

Well, that is the advice I was going to give you since I believe you are using one of the very best paper developers made. Selenium toning isn't that scary if you're careful.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

I have been developing the new Ilford MG Classic in LPD 1:1 and find the prints have a slight greenish/olive tone. Someone suggested that I use dektol to get the pure black tone that I had on the old Ilford mg IV. That is easy to try and I assume I could also try the Ilford multigrade developer. Any thoughts on these or other developers to yield a blacker or more neutral black with the new classic paper. Thanks.

It's hard to go wrong with Dektol.

 

[charlemagne]

Ilford MG with Dektol always gave me neutral tones and deep blacks. I normally develop fb paper for 2,5 to 3 minutes at 20 degrees C.
I never could get an explicit greenish/olive tone with ilford, nice to know that LPD will do the job.

What's "new" about new ilford mg classic? Classic should mean that it is just like it used to be, right?

 

[locutus]

I shot some contact prints on new MGIV using Maco ecoprint developer and they came out neutral.

 

[pentaxuser]

I have been developing the new Ilford MG Classic in LPD 1:1 and find the prints have a slight greenish/olive tone.

There have been relatively few opinions to the contrary but neither has anyone confirmed the same experience with the possible exception of APUG19user has made a very unequivocal statement in#5. If LPD does create an olive/green hue I wonder what creates this and why isn't it the case with Dektol and Ilford MG. Is it peculiar to Ilford Classic or is the olive/green look there with all papers?

I had been considering trying to get LPD but the olive/green hue should it really exist as a definite quality of this developer puts me off

pentaxuser

 

[bdial]

I've used Moersch Neutral and Ilford Multigrade with it and get nice neutral/cool blacks.

 

[lauffray]

I've never noticed the olive tone and I never knew developers could change colours I always thought it was toners, as that's specifically what they're for, or the kind of paper you use (warmtone, cooltone etc)
I always use Ilford Multigrade with the MG FB Classic

 

[Ben 4]

I have noticed a slight greenish tint when printing on warmtone papers, but I've never seen it on Ilford's neutral papers, either MGIV fiber or MG Classic. I usually develop in Bromophen.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Ilford MG developer. That's pretty much all I've ever used. If you get a greenish tone from a developer, KRS Toner will take care of that.

 

[Hatchetman]

Never had olive tones. I use Dektol + Ilford's Multi-grade paper. Selenium does darken prints though and makes them purple if I go too long. I only use selenium if I want something to last 100 years.

 

[brian steinberger]

I can concur that LPD and MG classic does produce slightly green tinged prints. I also agree with Michael that this is just not specific to LPD. Since green and magenta (purple) are opposite colors selenium toning might lead us into believing the selenium toned print is "neutral" or lead us to believe that our untoned prints are now "green". The print needs to be viewed by itself in the lighting it will be displayed in and evaluated on its own. Everyone's eyes are different and light sources are different and that's why I think some see the green tinge and some do not.

I will add that selenium toning is good for more than just removing a slight green tinge. It also protects the prints from pollutants (if toned a decent amount) and also darkens the blacks which in my opinion looks nicer, though I find I need to print slightly less contrast when selenium toning.

If you're looking for a cooler paper try oriental. I printed an image on both oriental and classic the other day, selenium toned both in KRST 1:19 for 4 minutes and the oriental is a bit colder.

 

[jeztastic]

This also happens with Ilford Multigrade dev, particularly with the Ilford RC papers. I agree that it is not too noticable unless you compare with a toned print, and that selenium toning deals with it nicely.

 

[Michael Wesik]

There's also colour latitude within a developer. Generally speaking, if you extend your developing time - say to 5 or 7 minutes - you'll produce a much cooler image relative to a shorter developing time that will yield a warmer - more olive - image.

 

[brian steinberger]

There's also colour latitude within a developer. Generally speaking, if you extend your developing time - say to 5 or 7 minutes - you'll produce a much cooler image relative to a shorter developing time that will yield a warmer - more olive - image.

I've always wanted to try this, as I love cold tones but just don't have the patience. I did try 3 minutes instead of my usual 2 once and couldn't see any difference.

Interestingly enough, just the other day I was developing a print when I realized that I had forgot to stop the lens down. I grabbed it from the developer and threw it right into the trash. Then continued to expose and develop another print without ever turning on the lights. When I did finally turn the lights on to examine the next print I looked at the print in the trash and as it darkened before my eyes it was a beautiful cold blue color. Got me thinking about extended development times again. The print was probably in the trash 6-7 minutes soaked in developer.

 

[Michael Wesik]

I've always wanted to try this, as I love cold tones but just don't have the patience. I did try 3 minutes instead of my usual 2 once and couldn't see any difference.

Interestingly enough, just the other day I was developing a print when I realized that I had forgot to stop the lens down. I grabbed it from the developer and threw it right into the trash. Then continued to expose and develop another print without ever turning on the lights. When I did finally turn the lights on to examine the next print I looked at the print in the trash and as it darkened before my eyes it was a beautiful cold blue color. Got me thinking about extended development times again. The print was probably in the trash 6-7 minutes soaked in developer.

It's a really simple way to manipulate colour and contrast (shorter developing times often yield more contrast), particularly if you're toning. Your initial developing time sets the grain coarseness of the print which can have a pretty significant impact on toning, such as selenium. The only thing to watch out for is fogging, though I've developed a print for 20 mins - in the dark, mind you - to achieve a particular quality, post toning.

 

[kreeger]

I have been developing the new Ilford MG Classic in LPD 1:1 and find the prints have a slight greenish/olive tone. Someone suggested that I use dektol to get the pure black tone that I had on the old Ilford mg IV. That is easy to try and I assume I could also try the Ilford multigrade developer. Any thoughts on these or other developers to yield a blacker or more neutral black with the new classic paper. Thanks.

I have had good results with MGIV FB Classic achieving a neutral tone (not olive) with Ilford Multigrade Developer using 1:9 dilution. My other developer for cold and deep black results is Formulary's Weston Amidol. You can also get some Benzotriazole and add 30ml per liter to cool/neutralize it more.

 

[Keith Tapscott.]

I have been developing the new Ilford MG Classic in LPD 1:1 and find the prints have a slight greenish/olive tone. Someone suggested that I use dektol to get the pure black tone that I had on the old Ilford mg IV. That is easy to try and I assume I could also try the Ilford multigrade developer. Any thoughts on these or other developers to yield a blacker or more neutral black with the new classic paper. Thanks.

It's a character of the emulsion. No special developer will change it. Suggestions to neutralize it have already been mentioned.

 

[ChuckP]

If you like cold tones why aren't people using the new Ilford Coldtone paper? Something wrong with it compared to Classic? I like the slightly warmer untoned Classic when developed in Ilford PQ. I use 1:10 for 3min. But I can't see color differences all that well. Did very bad on an Internet test for seeing various color differences. I never liked the old Agfa MCC in selenium toner. Always looked better to me untoned when using Neutol WA.

 

[brian steinberger]

If you like cold tones why aren't people using the new Ilford Coldtone paper? Something wrong with it compared to Classic? I like the slightly warmer untoned Classic when developed in Ilford PQ. I use 1:10 for 3min. But I can't see color differences all that well. Did very bad on an Internet test for seeing various color differences. I never liked the old Agfa MCC in selenium toner. Always looked better to me untoned when using Neutol WA.

Chuck, have you tried the new cooltone paper. I have and in my
Opinion it's no cooler than Classic. Tones the same in selenium, goes plummy very quickly. The base might be a bit brighter white than classic but that's the only difference I see (not talking about curves here). I had very high hopes when I heard of the new cooltone paper and was very disappointed in it. Classic is ok, but I'm still not crazy about it yet but it is growing on me as I work with it more. I still prefer oriental for cool tones and I believe it is the coolest paper available now that MGIV is gone.

 

[horacekenneth]

I've always wanted to try this, as I love cold tones but just don't have the patience. I did try 3 minutes instead of my usual 2 once and couldn't see any difference.

Interestingly enough, just the other day I was developing a print when I realized that I had forgot to stop the lens down. I grabbed it from the developer and threw it right into the trash. Then continued to expose and develop another print without ever turning on the lights. When I did finally turn the lights on to examine the next print I looked at the print in the trash and as it darkened before my eyes it was a beautiful cold blue color. Got me thinking about extended development times again. The print was probably in the trash 6-7 minutes soaked in developer.

That beautiful cold blue color was because it was unfixed.

Hey Brian, yeah I've seen the same thing with (modern) papers before they're fixed. It would be neat if there was a way to hold onto it after fixing. Anyone?

Also, what causes it?

 

[Lachlan Young]

If you like cold tones why aren't people using the new Ilford Coldtone paper?

Chuck, have you tried the new cooltone paper. I have and in my
Opinion it's no cooler than Classic.

I've found it to get pretty chilly in PQ Universal and Multigrade developer - and noticeably so alongside MG Classic - a hit of moderate strength Ilford selenium (1+9-ish I recall) seems to take it even cooler - for a while, then it'll eventually go eggplant. What are you developing in? I suspect that the restrainer may well be an important factor in eventual image tone. For that matter I suspect that the only major difference between MG and PQU devs are the restrainer choices.

MG Classic is a great paper if you shoot HP5+ - stunningly so. Vastly better than MGIV I think.

 

[brian steinberger]

I've found it to get pretty chilly in PQ Universal and Multigrade developer - and noticeably so alongside MG Classic - a hit of moderate strength Ilford selenium (1+9-ish I recall) seems to take it even cooler - for a while, then it'll eventually go eggplant. What are you developing in? I suspect that the restrainer may well be an important factor in eventual image tone. For that matter I suspect that the only major difference between MG and PQU devs are the restrainer choices.

MG Classic is a great paper if you shoot HP5+ - stunningly so. Vastly better than MGIV I think.

I'm developing in LPD. Both of those papers, classic and cooltone have wonky curves IMO where the blacks are fat and lacking contrast especially at higher grades. This is far from a paper like MGWT where the blacks have great micro-contrast all through the grades.

Could you elaborate on the link between HP5 and classic? HP5 (120) is my main film.