Split Toning

[Harrigan]

I am looking for an article that was published in Camera and Darkroom back in the mid 90's on split toning. Does anyone happen to have a copy of that? I know I saved it but I cant find it anywhere and I would be very grateful if anyone can find a copy of it.

It described a unique process of selenium/sepia split toning that I tried many years ago and was wanting to do some more work with it. I do know the basic principles of this unusual process but I just wanted to read over that piece again if anyone happens to have a copy of it?

 

[Ian Grant]

Try Unblinkingeye thereare two articles on the site:

Unblinkingeye

Ian

 

[jstraw]

I am looking for an article that was published in Camera and Darkroom back in the mid 90's on split toning. Does anyone happen to have a copy of that? I know I saved it but I cant find it anywhere and I would be very grateful if anyone can find a copy of it.

It described a unique process of selenium/sepia split toning that I tried many years ago and was wanting to do some more work with it. I do know the basic principles of this unusual process but I just wanted to read over that piece again if anyone happens to have a copy of it?

If you can find out what issue it was in, it's very possible that I have it.

 

[Harrigan]

I dont want to send you on some wild goose chase through your stacks of magazines but I would love to find this article.

Perhaps some people who do alot of split toning could elaborate on their process? The technique did not use gp-1 gold as in the blinking eye article but was a process of using a short selenium followed by sepia which would induce a heavy blue to red split in certain areas of the image. It was hard to control and required prints very dark as the bleaching would really brighten them up. I think this would probably be easier to control using brown toner instead of sepia. I would be very surprised in nobody here has done this.

I am also surprised with all the lith printing going on today that more people don't do more aggressing splitting. This technique as described above can produce vivid splits on certain papers but I dont have the specifics on the exact process, but it was published a while ago.

 

[Rich Ullsmith]

H, I have not generated blue tones from sepia/selenium splits. A blue/red split can be achieved on liths, by lightly bleaching the higher values, sepia toning, followed by gold. I've never gotten a real red, but more like a orangy-pink in the highs, and blues in the lower and mids.

With sepia and selenium on regular prints, I prefer to use the selenium first to lock in the blacks before bleaching. Others say that bleaching should be done first, because it's easier to monitor. I think this is what The Toning Book recommends. Of course, you can also throw in a cycle of bleach and fix afterward, to get another split.

 

[jstraw]

Anyone know if the reader's guide to periodical literature is online these days?

 

[kevs]

Hi Harrigan,

I've done a little sulphide / selenium split-toning, and results will depend on the paper you use.

If it's a chlorobromide like Ilford Galerie, the selenium will be much more visible - as you probably know, selenium builds up in the dark areas first. With papers like Galerie, you can watch the print change colour and decide when to pull the print. Then you wash the print, bleach and sepia tone it. Areas that were selenium toned are not affected by the bleach.

VC papers don't generally tone as well as graded papers, and most RC papers don't change colour in selenium at all. Ilford Multigrade FB changes to a subtle, cool blue-grey. In contrast, Galerie will turn a mauve-ish brown colour.

If you use Ilford Multigrade FB, i'd advise using the sepia toner first. This is because the change is so much more difficult to observe.

Use a more dilute bleach than recommended - this gives more control over the process. Bleach the print until the highlights begin to fade, pull the print and wash it for five minutes until the yellow stain is gone. Drain the print and add the sepia toner - the print will tone in light areas but not lower mid-tones and shadows. If you get blue spots with sulphide, your water is contaminated by iron. To avoid this, use a water filter.

After sepia-toning, wash the print well and you can selenium tone at will.

One more tip: make sure you fix and wash the prints properly before toning. Unfixed silver residues will accept toner.

I don't know about odourless thiocarbamide-based toners, but sodium sulphide-toned prints will change colour in the selenium. IMO, sulphide gives much nicer results anyway. It's worth putting up with the rotting egg smell. When using sulphide you must put all undeveloped silver-halide materials somewhere the smell can't reach them as it can fog films and papers.

Selenium can build up in the body and can be absorbed through skin, therefore minimise conatact, wear gloves and don't inhale the fumes.

HTH,
kevs

 

[Mark Fisher]

If you are really interested in split toning (as I am), cut to the chase and get Tim Rudman's toning book. It is by far the best resource for toning.

 

[tim rudman]

snip: but was a process of using a short selenium followed by sepia which would induce a heavy blue to red split in certain areas of the image. It was hard to control and required prints very dark as the bleaching would really brighten them up.

Blue/red splits are an unusual colour combination for selenium/sepia Kevs.
You don't mean sepia/gold do you?
Or perhaps in view of - "required prints very dark as the bleaching would really brighten them up" - it might have been the so called Chinese prints? This usually uses iodine bleaches on selenium - but no sepia.
You've made me curious ;-)
Tim

 

[Harrigan]

Thanks for the respones. I do need to get the book.

I've done extensive toning work in the past just not a lot targeted at splitting. I know that sepia before selenium will not really split. This is pretty much like the old polytoner look.

I've also gotten wicked orange colors using sepia and gp-1. wicked as in very strong and pretty horrible. Perhaps I should post some examples the color is very strong. Let me know if you want to see.

I've done a bit with powerful selenium solutions with chlorobromide papers and can recommend some simple dev/paper/selenium combos that split well without resorting to sulphide toners if you ask me. blue and red colors but not really stong colors yet they are there.

Correct me if I am wrong but Galerie is a bromide paper? Is this really a chlorobromide paper? Ilforg MG is not chlorobromide but I did get some nice splits using single weight il mg selenium followed by sepia.

Many more people split tone. Anyone have anything they would like to share?

 

[Harrigan]

Blue/red splits are an unusual colour combination for selenium/sepia Kevs.
You don't mean sepia/gold do you?
Or perhaps in view of - "required prints very dark as the bleaching would really brighten them up" - it might have been the so called Chinese prints? This usually uses iodine bleaches on selenium - but no sepia.
You've made me curious ;-)
Tim

Hi Tim, what I did in the past was a light selenium tone before bleaching and sepia. I used ilford mg single weight and it really split quite surprisingly well. I never expected it to work and each print was one of a kind and very hard to reproduce. You have to print really very dark as to split it requires considerable bleaching After the selenium. A very unusual technique and it was published somewhere in cam/dkrm. Damn I need to find that!

 

[tim rudman]

I've also gotten wicked orange colors using sepia and gp-1. wicked as in very strong and pretty horrible.

I use this a lot. The end point colour can be a bit (!) gaudy but the knack is to pull early out of the gold. It has always gone further than you think and seems to advance in the wash too. Cold light of morning can be a bit shocking but it's easy to control - or perhaps to tame might be a better choice of words.
Tim

 

[kevs]

I know that sepia before selenium will not really split.

It will if you use a dilute bleach, about half the recommended strength or less, and pull out the print when the highlights begin to erode but the blacks and mid-tones remain normal.

I've also gotten wicked orange colors using sepia and gp-1. wicked as in very strong and pretty horrible. Perhaps I should post some examples the color is very strong. Let me know if you want to see.

Yes, it would be interesting to see the effect you want to achieve. What is GP-1 - is it a toner? My split-toning experience is with Fotospeed Selenium at 1:10 and Tetenal Sulphide.

Correct me if I am wrong but Galerie is a bromide paper? Is this really a chlorobromide paper?

I'm sure it is, or at least it used to be. Bromochloride maybe? The way it reacts in selenium tells me it's not a pure bromide paper like Kentmere Bromide or the old Agfa Brovira. Maybe one of the experts could confirm this.

Cheers,
kevs

 

[Gay Larson]

This is quite interesting....thanks to all of you as I am just starting to try some of this. I have ordered Tim's book but would like to try a few things with the Lith prints I have been producing right away, anyone have a suggestion for something I should try first? thanks so much.

 

[Harrigan]

Here is what I got with sepia followed by gp-1 gold toner printed on Agfa MCC III with GAF 135 developer. This is pretty horrible color as you will see and this was done 10 years ago I didn't run further tests on it. The control print is on the right of course.

I am surprised no one else has commented here. Many more of you are split toning, how about sharing?

 

[Harrigan]

Here is a more pleasing sample of Agfa MC III developed in dektol 1:2 and selenium toned 150cc/litre 10 minutes. The control print again is on the right and is a straight print untoned agfa mc III in dektol 1:2.

This is very hard to show in a scan but the print has split pretty well with heavy selenium toning. I should mention all effects I tested in toning were highly dependent upon the paper developer used. The same toning technique using GAF 135 had a lesser split. Again keep in mind this is hard to see in scans.

Anyone else care to share their split toning techniques?

 

[jmailand]

Ive been using a process described in Tim Rudman's toning book. The process involves sepia, selenium, and a dilute paper developer. You bleach back the paper, wash, redevelop by inspection in a diluted paper developer, wash, selenium tone, wash, and then sepia tone. If you do it right the selenium can only work on the dark areas because the light areas haven't been redeveloped yet. When you go to the sepia it brings out the light areas with brown tones but areas the selenium took hold of stay a nice black. The prints becomes a nice warmtone brown/black instead of the brown you would usually get with just sepia.

James,