Can you say what it is about his exposures that indicates his negative was very low contrast? It might help the rest of us in terms of a learning process if you indicate which of his final portraits you believe to be the best and why .
it is important to understand that there is no gradation split-grade printing can achieve that couldn't be achieved with a single color-filtered exposure.
This should make clear what the problem with that test strip is when translated into equivalent grades. A simple but correctable set of errors.
View attachment 256145
The negative may not necessarily have been incorrectly processed but may in fact be close to 'correct' for G2 on a condenser enlarger (depending on the contrast range of the subject, flare level of lenses etc) - which means with a diffusion enlarger, a +1 to +2 development time is not going to be a bad idea (depending on if you prefer G2 or G3 as your median point)
I have had a look at your ringed best pic and would tend to agree that while tastes differ it come close to a very small range of pics I think most would choose but what is it that makes you suggest the negative is under-exposed?View attachment 256128
IMO the other columns at right lack contrast, and in that colum it has the most acceptable exposure.
What on earth are you on about?
Good pickup, with my two filters, my light source, and Ilford MG, the same middle gray density required about twice the Green exposure compared to Blue.This is an excellent visual demonstration of the clear f-stop relationship between the different grades too.
I have had a look at your ringed best pic and would tend to agree that while tastes differ it come close to a very small range of pics I think most would choose but what is it that makes you suggest the negative is under-exposed?
JimEA gave us two versions of a digital picture of his neg. The two do look very different and I have no idea which one represents the correct neg. He has said what he did in each case and expressed his own reservations about how well each represents the "true" neg as each of us would be able to see in person
Is there anything you can suggest that he does when taking the digital pic of the neg that might make it possible to get as close as is possible to the actual neg?
It then becomes easier to decide if for the sake of JImEA's future split grade prints what we can suggest he does. I thought he had done well in producing this complete range of split grades for the benefit of others in terms of showing what happens in the range of split grade printing but if our aim is to help him improve on this in terms of the completed print then any practical help we can give is useful. To improve members' ability to do anything associated with film and paper prints has got to be our collective aim, hasn't it ?
Your first sentence is correct;your second is confusing.the only benefit of spli-grade printing is that you can dodge or burn the hard or soft exposure alone.+1
Printing with single filter is just "multigrade" printing. If you use two filters on whole exposure it is not "split grade" because it is essentially the same as one filter.
I believe split grade printing is that one uses multiple filters for different times on different parts of the paper.
the only benefit of spli-grade printing is that you can dodge or burn the hard or soft exposure alone.
+1In my experience, it's also easier/quicker/less wasteful to arrive at exactly the right contrast level, independent of dodging or burning.
There is only 1 unknown: time.
Ok, but forgetting about gradation makes printing life a lot easier.In split grade you also have 2 unknowns: Time for the green (or yellow) and time for the blue (or magenta). You have to also adjust 2 parameters.
.
Maybe you should try it. Or not
Ok, but forgetting about gradation makes printing life a lot easier.
Maybe I put it wrongly. Of course we end up in a certain grade. But this grade is the result of finding two times. One for grade 0 and one for grade 5. We don’t have to go looking for that grade.Frank, I'm an split printer !!! I use that way more than the regular way.
With split grade printing we cannot forget gradation, by balancing the G vs B exposures we adjust gradation. Our G vs B balance is what adjust contrast grade, and we end in a particular grade anyway.[/
Good pickup, with my two filters, my light source, and Ilford MG, the same middle gray density required about twice the Green exposure compared to Blue.
Maybe I put it wrongly. Of course we end up in a certain grade. But this grade is the result of finding two times. One for grade 0 and one for grade 5. We don’t have to go looking for that grade.
Regards,
Frank
Without split grade, printing is like an equation with 2 unknowns. Time and grade. You can only solve it by trial and error. split grade lets you forget about grade. There is only 1 unknown: time.
- Then find correct multigrade filter to get blacks correct
In fact in the first strip you adjust the Green exposure, and when you increase grade you mainly increase Blue exposure...
There are only two test strips needed for split-grade. In fact, you can make a single checkerboard test sheet (you need a wider piece of paper than a simple strip if that is what you are using). For your method, you are swapping out a few filters in order to make that second, contrast test strip. Do you compensate for the fact that 4&5 filters require more exposure? Another calculation to be made. One of the nice things about having the second (#5 over #0)) test strip in split-grade printing is the ability to gauge how much burning or dodging with the #5 filter will affect certain areas. An example would be to see how much more #5 exposure to darken the sky to my liking.So how many exposures you need to achieve good grading?
I have used boths and I find single filter technique much easier. My method:
- First find correct exposure time to get whites have hint of tone, usually using grade 2 or 3 filter. Don't mind about the blacks at this point.
- Then find correct multigrade filter to get blacks correct
Both steps need one test strip only. I like to use the "moving paper" test strip system.
And you are basically done usually. The rest one can adjust while dodging & burning later on, like adding or decreasing exposure time.
With multi filter technique you have multiple steps on finding the grades and after that one needs to make two exposures each time you make a print.
I'm using both techniques but I think there is more than one unknown time in multi-filter printing
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