Warm tone on MG IV?

luxikon · Dec 24, 2008

I am searching for a developer or formula that enables me to bring a warm tone to my MG IV. Has anybody made positive experiences?

Or is it not possible at all with this paper? In this case I would like to know what other multigrade RC paper/developer combo you can suggest.

Slixtiesix · Dec 24, 2008

Isn´t Ilford offering a warm version of MGIV? Together
with the Ilford Warmtone Paper developer it should fit your needs.
If you are searching for a really warm picture tone, try some papers
from the East-European manufacturers like Foma (Fomatone),
but you should know that this paper has somehow yellowish whites
and is not as bright as Ilford´s.
Greetz, Benjamin

luxikon · Dec 24, 2008

MG RC is a warmtone paper of Ilford as I found out.
But is it possible to get a warm tone on MG IV at all?

Slixtiesix · Dec 24, 2008

I guess it would be nearly impossible to get a really warm tone out of it.
Tone usually depents on the size of the molecules of the silvercompounds,
the smaller they are, the warmer the tone gets.

df cardwell · Dec 24, 2008

Warmtone papers and neutral tone papers are different.

While the developer you choose can affect the color of the image,
you can only shape what the natural character of the paper will be.

You MAY, however, use a toner to change the natural color of a neutral tone paper.

RUN, don't walk, to http://www.moersch-photochemie.de/

Wolfgang will have an answer for you !

Bob Carnie · Dec 24, 2008

Don is right ,
toning MG4 will warm up the paper.
I love using MG4 and split toning with bleach Sepia, Gold and other toners.
Using a cold paper is in fact the best route to go for rich blacks and subtle mid and highlight warmth.

I use Ilford Warmtone for images for selenium toning only as I find when I tone a warmtone paper it goes to vivid for my tastes.
A 1 min 1-5 selenium tone on Ilford Warmtone is my prefered method using this paper.

df cardwell said:
Warmtone papers and neutral tone papers are different.

While the developer you choose can affect the color of the image,
you can only shape what the natural character of the paper will be.

You MAY, however, use a toner to change the natural color of a neutral tone paper.

RUN, don't walk, to http://www.moersch-photochemie.de/

Wolfgang will have an answer for you !

jovo · Dec 24, 2008

Using Ilford's PQ Universal developer will give slightly warmer tonality than Ilford's Multigrade or Kodak's Dektol developers. It's subtle, but it's there. It's also a tad cheaper, btw.

I've purchased Tim Rudman's "The Photographer's Toning Book", and am going to start down that road. The non-smelly sepia toner formula ingredients (and most of the other chems) are available from Photographer's Formulary.

PVia · Dec 24, 2008

I just used a thiocarbamide toner two days ago on Ilford MG...worked great!

Jon Shiu · Dec 24, 2008

Hi, try a light sepia by using only a partial bleaching, ie cut down time in bleach, before toning. See Michael Kenna, or William Scott photographs for example.

Jon

blaze-on · Dec 24, 2008

Ilfords warmtone developer on MGIV is actually quite nice. Visual difference from say Dektol on MGIV vs. this

emeraldcity_grain · Jan 2, 2009

Ethol LPD at higher dilutions can give a warmer look. Experiment with the dilution to fit your taste. Agfa Neutol WA is also an option.

Phillip P. Dimor · Jan 2, 2009

I was never able to get it 'warm', just a rich chocolaty sort of dark-brown black with a good long selenium tone.
It sepia tones well though if you use the two-bath bleach-first one that smells bad.

Their actual warm-tone paper is so nice in kodak's polytoner. It's a shame that 1) it's not made any more and 2) i can't afford the ilford wt anyhow.

Warm tone on MG IV?

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