(Unicolor C-41 kit) Are my negatives coming out right?

Photo Engineer · Aug 6, 2016

Crossover can take place with any 2 or all 3 curves being involved. Blue shadows is a sign of underdevelopment giving low contrast. All of these are process problems.

PE

MattKing · Aug 6, 2016

Complicating the matter is the fact that in many outdoor, sunlit situations, the shadows (being illuminated indirectly by open sky) actually are more blue than the highlights which are illuminated by the sun.

You will know you have a crossover problem when you see colour differences between the highlights and the shadows even when the illumination is even and from a single source.

Diapositivo · Aug 6, 2016

sfaber17 said:
I guess that is equivalent to what I was saying. Is the magenta-green a "classic" problem, or just an example? In my limited experience even when the development is correct, it seems hard to avoid dark shadows being bluish, or night shots being dark blue. Not sure if that is normal.

Shades being bluish when sunlit areas are tonally correct is normal when the sky is blue, as it will light the scene in the scene with a bluish light.
By the same token, it is possible to have a greenish tint under a tree shade.

The magenta tint is normally due to some problem, unless the picture is taken in the vicinity of a magenta painted wall, that is.

sfaber17 · Aug 6, 2016

Diapositivo said:
Shades being bluish when sunlit areas are tonally correct is normal when the sky is blue, as it will light the scene in the scene with a bluish light.

Thanks, I think I can attribute some of that to the sky color. I'll need to print more RA4 again though to verify the process, since I was concentrating on the negatives and scanning for a while.

Photo Engineer · Aug 6, 2016

You might want to use a UV filter over the lens if the blue shadows come from exposure and not process.

PE

Diapositivo · Aug 7, 2016

Photo Engineer said:
You might want to use a UV filter over the lens if the blue shadows come from exposure and not process.

PE

Absolutely yes, or even a so-called "skylight filter", a filter with a very, very subtle warming effect. Some people leave this filter constantly screwed on the lens, partly to protect the front lens, and partly because it is better to err on the side of warm - yellowing tones than on the side of cold - bluish tones. So if you put a skylight filter on the lens the idea is you stop worrying about the tint in shade with clear blue sky.
Some other people, including myself, forgot the existence of those filters because recent innovations in imaging make the same effect possible with other means, but if you actually project your slides on a screen, a "skylight" filter can be very handy to have in your bag.

sfaber17 · Aug 7, 2016

Thanks, I do have some cameras with UV filters, but didn't know they were good for "skylight".

MMXVI · Nov 2, 2016

This is an old thread, but some of the posters here, may have insight.

I'm curious about how capacity issues of developers might affect cross over while still giving proper density in development. Frequently we hear of people getting many more rolls developed out of their chemistry than indicated by the manufacturer/supplier. How does this potentially affect the quality of the color (cross over, etc.)?

I know the Kodak and Fuji chemistry is preferred over the aftermarket (Rollei, Unicolor, Arista), but it's also less accessible to most of us either via quantity or price.

Anyone with experience pushing the limits of their chemistry capacity with regard to color quality - especially if you are optically printing (RA4)?
(If the response is poor, I may create a new thread).

Thank you!

Photo Engineer · Nov 2, 2016

Overusing developer tends to lower contrast and dmax. It can also lower speed. The 3 layers are often not affected the same way leading to crossover. Overused bleach leads to silver retention and degraded color saturation. There can also be an increase in grain. Overuse of fix can lead to stain and yellowing.

PE

MMXVI · Nov 3, 2016

Thank you for your input PE. It seems all hose characteristics you describe would easily be interpreted as a lack of capacity of the chemistry, and would be easily seen in the end product. Do you believe we'd see crossover before these other affects? Dmax and lower contrast are easy to see even before printing or scanning. What causes grain increase? Is apparent grain increase due to silver retention?

Photo Engineer · Nov 3, 2016

It will cause an overall gradual effect.

PE

(Unicolor C-41 kit) Are my negatives coming out right?

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