This was the negative that PJ created in Photoshop, right in front of my eye and still I cannot tell you what he was doing. He had used the Photoshop command to turn the RGB negative into a 'black and white', which it promptly did, also bringing up a control window with half a dozen hue controls, much like a CYMK representation, with a couple others added. By using the slider on each hue control reciprocally added or decreased density in different tonal ranges. Also assigned to this 'black and white' image, was the green tone needed to hold back print time. Technically speaking, it could be said that an overall green tone on an image should retard the UV light in all areas, tonal ranges, equality. Ergo, the heuristic value of using the spectral density isn't altering the tonal range of a print, but to retard UV light, increasing the print time, which does have some affect on the finished print.
A negative with a print time of three minutes, which I have, will result in a print with a shorter tonal range, flatter, than a print with the same density range on a negative, with the color (spectral density) added, (which happens to be green). The same negative, toned green as we are applying, will add approximately 10 minutes to that print time. That added time will increase dMax drastically. It takes several minutes of print time on a hand coated silver print to come near reaching dMax. Ten minutes and it is certainly possible with our Solar Printer. But not in sunlight, unless pointed into the sun.
What the two prints showed clearly is that PJ's method works extremely well controlling the various tonal ranges for more fine tuning. After I had left yesterday after printing my new negative, he continued to work on our new system, of intuitive density assignment of tonal values by visual inspection, then an added spectral density for print timing. I am told he can now select any desired density area, using masking and layering, to control that specific area for manipulation of all sorts. This of course is deeply exciting to me. We treated print paper for salted silver printing, and my new Revere Platinum paper arrived upon returning home today. Monday is going to be another delicious day in the darkroom.
Two print images from two negatives, using two methods of preparing the negatives. The first image was my using the curves function to bend the middle tones upward adding probably... seemingly double the density of the original. Both prints were salted silver prints, on Canson White paper, un-sized and at 3% salt binder on the paper. I had misjudged the efficacy of the spectral density, accounting for the way to dense middle. That was a 30 minute print time.
Image number two is the same image, this time manipulated by PJ in Photoshop as described above, increasing the density range, seen in the middle area, from the house towards the viewer, separation that wasn't seen in the first image. This print also had the same green tone treatment. This was an
8 minute print time. The density range between the tonal value doesn't have to be as extreme as I had been making them, before finding the path to spectral density. I am also coming to realize that another way of altering print time is to back off the UV intensity. But that's another article.
Palladium toned Salted Silver ~ "Chateau Scene"
30 min print time ~ bulging the middle densities of the 'curves' function (overdone, much too dense)
Tones in front of house is mostly one tonal range, also mountains and clouds not nearly printed in.
Palladium tone Salted Silver Print ~ "Chateau Scene"
8 minute print time ~ PJ's manipulated tonal range
Tones in front of house has separated some with PJ's manipulation
Another manipulation will increase the separation between tonal densities. The final area to intensify is the sky, the bilious clouds should be the same density as the house. When the house prints to Zone 7 the clouds will be at Zone 7.
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