Hi Dave, great video. I'm setting up a darkroom again after many years of not having one. I am keen to get going on the split grade printing technique.Do you only ever use two grades, is there any need to maybe burn in areas with a different grade or does the two cover it? Also I was planning on printing with fibre based paper, I'm wondering if these days that just creates more work, is there a difference in tonal range or gradation that can be seen between the two? My alternative of course is to go for graded paper like Galerie (I use to use galerie many years ago). It would be great to hear your views on the different papers, pro's con's etc.
Sorry for delay in replying. I only use 2 grades for the basic exposures. This is often all that is needed with my negatives. However, if I need to burn something in I would use whatever grade is appropriate but usually the lowest grade that gives the desired effect as it's much easier and quicker to burn with low contrast than high. Fibre papers do give better print quality in terms of tonal range, mainly because the maximum density is higher than that of RC paper. Fibre papers are a pig to use so unless you know what you're doing I would expect you to get better prints from RC to start with. Dave
One question: does it matter that the high contrast has a 2stop factor? Do you need to increase the high contrast time? Or is the time for the high contrast enough to grab all the blacks.
+George Sampson Hi George, No it doesn't matter about the 2 stop filter factor. It's just a guide to get you in the right ballpark for the 2 exposures and it works. It's close enough that you can then finesse the grade 5 exposure to suit the print from whatever negative you're using. The test strip is also just over a small part of the print, usually. I know I used a full sheet of paper in the video but that's not normal! The tests gives you an idea of the starting exposure times and grades, then you make a print and make adjustments by reviewing the whole print until you get the final print. For information, my enlarger (a DeVere 504 with MG500 head) doesn't have a 2 stop filter factor and the ones I use for darkroom workshops (Durst M670's) use under lens Multigrade filters and do have the 2 stop factor. Both systems work! Hope that helps. Dave
I use the 500CPM keypad with 9 memories. This is much easier to use than the 500C which doesn't have any memories but the 500C is still a lot easier to use than a colour head! Dave
@@DarkroomDave thanks. To bad there isn't a way to program the 500c. I'm still glad I don't use a color head or have to swap filters. Your videos have been a big help on my darkroom journey, by the way. Thank you!
Dave, is there a generally accepted exposure percentages attributed to both extreme filters (#0 and #5) when comparing to a single exposure of one of the filters in between #zero and #5? By this, I mean... (caution readers: I've created the below % out of thin air!) #1.5 filter print exposure = 85% of #0 PLUS 15% of #5 #2.5 filter print exposure = 50% of #0 PLUS 50% of #5 #3.0 filter print exposure = 40% of #0 PLUS 60% of #5 #3.5 filter print exposure = 25% of #0 PLUS 75% of #5 #4.0 filter print exposure = 15% of #0 PLUS 85% of #5 It would seem to make sense if the concept of the above is true.
Yes, that would be helpful but I fear it isn't that simple. It will depend on the paper and sensitometric curve is a different shape in the foot compared to the shoulder. I suspect an empirical approach will always be quicker. Dave
I could be wrong but I believe you start with something like a grade 2 or 2 1/2 filter for the test print. Can't wait to get my first enlarger and start playing about with all this stuff
I use grade 2.5 for the first test strip just to put me in the right ball park for overall exposure time. Take this time, divide by 2 and do another test with half time at grade 0, half at grade 5. Tweak grades and exposures until reasonable then use for 1st print.
You don't need a filter if you're only printing at grade 2.5 as that's what the unfiltered paper gives you, roughly. However, as soon as you want to change the contrast grade you're back to square one working out the exposure time. Using a Multigrade filter means that you can change the filter and keep the same exposure time. With split grade you need a filter for all grades because the filter changes the exposure time so much.
@@DarkroomDave So the the workflow you suggest is: 1. Make test strip using a 2 1/2 filter. 2. Check strip for the time of exposure and; 3. Split the time x/2 being first half for filter 0 and second half for filter 5. Then, in case you want to change the contrast make adjustments increasing the lower filter and keeping the filter 5 for a percentage less time of exposure? Thank you so much Dave.
Hello Dave great video, i got excellent results using this technique.However I'm using a colour head to adjust the grades my grade 4 went from a exposure of f8 at 16seconds (halved time using my test strip) to a whopping 76 seconds , the grade 1 i managed to keep pretty much at the 16 seconds.I got there by using lots of strips that i cut of my 10x8 paper as i'm using 6x6 negs and printing 6x6 inches . Is there a way of getting into the right ball park much quicker using a colour head ??? but also explained in way that a newbie will understand ? again great video, many thanks Nick
Sorry Nick I missed this one when you posted. Colour heads are a bit of a headache to use for split grade printing. The easiest way is to use the filter factors on the sheet of paper in every box of Ilford paper. Look at the tables at the bottom of the sheet. One table gives filter values where the exposure time changes as you change the filtration. The other table uses a combination of the yellow and magenta filters to keep the exposure constant. Try these. If the exposure goes much beyond 40 seconds you really should open the lens by 1 stop as you are chasing the reciprocity failure of the paper. I don't know what the numbers are exactly but you may go from 40 to 60 seconds but in fact the paper sensitivity falls off so much at these long exposures that you are actually using the equivalent of 48 seconds not 60. Hope that makes sense to you. Dave
This may indeed be the 'Ilford Way' but the logic of dividing equally the original exposure between soft and high grade split exposures is questionable. Better and more accurate to make the first test strip on grade 0 only, and then select the optimum exposure for the highlights. Make a second test using said optimum exposure and overlay this with segmental grade 5 exposures. One of these segments will generally be very close to an overall optimum and will eliminate further, your final 'guesstimations'.
Maybe you need to open your mind to using alternative methods. The technique I describe works and is fast and easy to use. If you prefer a different technique that's fine but don't rubbish a technique that clearly works and has helped thousands of darkroom printers make better prints more easily. Dave
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Best explanation of split grade printing ever! I can work with this, thank you so much for doing this video!!
Thank you Dave for your tutorials, I'll put that into practise next time I'm printing!
Great work!! Well presented on all fronts. Many thanks Dave.
Great work! Many thanks for putting out a presentation Dave
thank you so much for this video. I learned something new to use it for my next printing work.
Great information, thank you.
Very easy - thanks.
Great Videos, Dave Thanks.
Hi Dave, great video. I'm setting up a darkroom again after many years of not having one. I am keen to get going on the split grade printing technique.Do you only ever use two grades, is there any need to maybe burn in areas with a different grade or does the two cover it?
Also I was planning on printing with fibre based paper, I'm wondering if these days that just creates more work, is there a difference in tonal range or gradation that can be seen between the two? My alternative of course is to go for graded paper like Galerie (I use to use galerie many years ago). It would be great to hear your views on the different papers, pro's con's etc.
Sorry for delay in replying. I only use 2 grades for the basic exposures. This is often all that is needed with my negatives. However, if I need to burn something in I would use whatever grade is appropriate but usually the lowest grade that gives the desired effect as it's much easier and quicker to burn with low contrast than high. Fibre papers do give better print quality in terms of tonal range, mainly because the maximum density is higher than that of RC paper. Fibre papers are a pig to use so unless you know what you're doing I would expect you to get better prints from RC to start with. Dave
One question: does it matter that the high contrast has a 2stop factor? Do you need to increase the high contrast time? Or is the time for the
high contrast enough to grab all the blacks.
+George Sampson Hi George, No it doesn't matter about the 2 stop filter factor. It's just a guide to get you in the right ballpark for the 2 exposures and it works. It's close enough that you can then finesse the grade 5 exposure to suit the print from whatever negative you're using. The test strip is also just over a small part of the print, usually. I know I used a full sheet of paper in the video but that's not normal! The tests gives you an idea of the starting exposure times and grades, then you make a print and make adjustments by reviewing the whole print until you get the final print. For information, my enlarger (a DeVere 504 with MG500 head) doesn't have a 2 stop filter factor and the ones I use for darkroom workshops (Durst M670's) use under lens Multigrade filters and do have the 2 stop factor. Both systems work! Hope that helps. Dave
+Darkroom Dave Thank you for the great information Dave. I really appreciate your response. I'll be trying it out this weekend!
+George Sampson Good luck!
Hi Dave. Are you using the 500c control unit? (Are there any others?) If so, how do you program the time/contrast settings?
I use the 500CPM keypad with 9 memories. This is much easier to use than the 500C which doesn't have any memories but the 500C is still a lot easier to use than a colour head! Dave
@@DarkroomDave thanks. To bad there isn't a way to program the 500c. I'm still glad I don't use a color head or have to swap filters.
Your videos have been a big help on my darkroom journey, by the way. Thank you!
Dave, is there a generally accepted exposure percentages attributed to both extreme filters (#0 and #5) when comparing to a single exposure of one of the filters in between #zero and #5?
By this, I mean... (caution readers: I've created the below % out of thin air!)
#1.5 filter print exposure = 85% of #0 PLUS 15% of #5
#2.5 filter print exposure = 50% of #0 PLUS 50% of #5
#3.0 filter print exposure = 40% of #0 PLUS 60% of #5
#3.5 filter print exposure = 25% of #0 PLUS 75% of #5
#4.0 filter print exposure = 15% of #0 PLUS 85% of #5
It would seem to make sense if the concept of the above is true.
Yes, that would be helpful but I fear it isn't that simple. It will depend on the paper and sensitometric curve is a different shape in the foot compared to the shoulder. I suspect an empirical approach will always be quicker. Dave
Do you use a filter when making the first test print?
I could be wrong but I believe you start with something like a grade 2 or 2 1/2 filter for the test print. Can't wait to get my first enlarger and start playing about with all this stuff
I use grade 2.5 for the first test strip just to put me in the right ball park for overall exposure time. Take this time, divide by 2 and do another test with half time at grade 0, half at grade 5. Tweak grades and exposures until reasonable then use for 1st print.
You don't need a filter if you're only printing at grade 2.5 as that's what the unfiltered paper gives you, roughly. However, as soon as you want to change the contrast grade you're back to square one working out the exposure time. Using a Multigrade filter means that you can change the filter and keep the same exposure time. With split grade you need a filter for all grades because the filter changes the exposure time so much.
@@DarkroomDave So the the workflow you suggest is:
1. Make test strip using a 2 1/2 filter.
2. Check strip for the time of exposure and;
3. Split the time x/2 being first half for filter 0 and second half for filter 5.
Then, in case you want to change the contrast make adjustments increasing the lower filter and keeping the filter 5 for a percentage less time of exposure?
Thank you so much Dave.
In general what does more exposure time do with, say a filter 0.5, to a photo?? And what does a filter 1 do with the same exposure time to a photo
Hello Dave great video, i got excellent results using this technique.However I'm using a colour head to adjust the grades my grade 4 went from a exposure of f8 at 16seconds (halved time using my test strip) to a whopping 76 seconds , the grade 1 i managed to keep pretty much at the 16 seconds.I got there by using lots of strips that i cut of my 10x8 paper as i'm using 6x6 negs and printing 6x6 inches . Is there a way of getting into the right ball park much quicker using a colour head ??? but also explained in way that a newbie will understand ? again great video, many thanks Nick
Sorry Nick I missed this one when you posted. Colour heads are a bit of a headache to use for split grade printing. The easiest way is to use the filter factors on the sheet of paper in every box of Ilford paper. Look at the tables at the bottom of the sheet. One table gives filter values where the exposure time changes as you change the filtration. The other table uses a combination of the yellow and magenta filters to keep the exposure constant. Try these. If the exposure goes much beyond 40 seconds you really should open the lens by 1 stop as you are chasing the reciprocity failure of the paper. I don't know what the numbers are exactly but you may go from 40 to 60 seconds but in fact the paper sensitivity falls off so much at these long exposures that you are actually using the equivalent of 48 seconds not 60. Hope that makes sense to you. Dave
This may indeed be the 'Ilford Way' but the logic of dividing equally the original exposure between soft and high grade split exposures is questionable. Better and more accurate to make the first test strip on grade 0 only, and then select the optimum exposure for the highlights. Make a second test using said optimum exposure and overlay this with segmental grade 5 exposures. One of these segments will generally be very close to an overall optimum and will eliminate further, your final 'guesstimations'.
Maybe you need to open your mind to using alternative methods. The technique I describe works and is fast and easy to use. If you prefer a different technique that's fine but don't rubbish a technique that clearly works and has helped thousands of darkroom printers make better prints more easily. Dave