I make a test strip (TS1) with a 5 filter, develop, and the determine a time. I then make a second TS, this time exposing that sheet of X seconds *previously determined* 5 filter, then replace filters with OO and make a TS on top of that. Always works.
I've used this method on tricky negs and it save on sanity on dodging and burning. Ideally you want a properly exposed neg to begin with, but sometimes it doesn't work out that way.
It doesn't. There's often times when I need to work on contrast and highlights. I prefer to do it by hand but sometimes have to resort to the filters. It's all great fun though 😀
Thanks for this. Great video. I did a lot of printing multigrade back in the '80s and never did split grade. Now I'm getting back to printing I'm amazed at how useful it is. I do a grade 2 test then split the time in half as a starting point though. Below the lens filters make it easier but a multigrade head would be ideal (in my dreams).
I gave it a try. Have a look at the results (www.filmstillphotography.com/blog). I took the liberty of posting your video. Great work and thanks for all the help. The negative was not an easy one to deal with but the split grade printing technique really worked. You made it look easy and I spent an enjoyable day in the darkroom applying what you taught!
Roger. Easier to demonstrate than to explain, but the 'standard' method of SG printing eliminates any adjustment or guesstimations. So, using the neg in your video... after exposing your chosen 8 sec G 0 strip, try making incremental exposures OVER the same strip using the G 5 filter and only THEN process it. With this method; having already established the best exposure for the highlights, you can select the optimal shadow exposure to suit. In other words; once you've got the highlight exposure sorted - lay your grade 5 exposures down on top of it. Your next vid would be a real show stopper... Atb. 👍🏻
Cheers Russell. I've have used this method since. Usually I will work from zero and build the contrast using the 5 using test strips until I'm happy. Thanks for the heads up.
Mostly I aim for 2 stops under its widest aperture, usually F5.6 as a sweet spot. But it depends if I need more time on the print I can dial it smaller
Excellent video as usual. I have a question in regards to cropping/straightening, as I have a nice photo i took that has a slightly crooked horizon on my RZ67. Do you straighten in the film holder, before you print or just print normally and slice the print up?
Hello, many thanks for the video, very helpful. Just wanted to ask you if there is any difference in placing the filters either above or underneath the lens
This question will completely out me as an absolute noob, but give that the initial print is 6s exposure and the final print is of 12 seconds exposure - shouldn’t the image overall be much darker if the lens aperture is held at a constant as there was in absolute terms double the exposure time ?
Another great video, thanks very much! I just got myself a Durst M670 last week and I there is no glass plate in the filter drawer. Do you just insert your filter sheets into the drawer or do you use a glass plate too?
Hello. Great video! It looks like a durst 1200 enlarger behind you? I have one and could use some help in properly setting to use. Do you have any videos on this? Or can you email me and maybe we can talk ? Thank you very much. Bill
Sweet video and a nice and clear explanation. Which one do You find yourself using more - the split grade technique or the regular single exposure with a certain contrast filter? I myself own a color head enlarger and with every photo I’m torn between the two and which would yield a better result, assuming I can finetune the contrast more than with multigrade filters. Even though the split grade should be more paper efficient, I usually find myself making way more test prints than with a single exposure. On the other hand, I never really know whether my setting for the single exposure is „the one”. Cheers! :)
Paweł Kw Thanks. It depends what I'm up against. I use just the #5 mostly if I want to punch the blacks. Like hard images such as cars, sea waves, some portraits, architecture. Or if I want softer I can use #0 filter or stretched tights over the lens. I photographed this scene purposely to use a split. I think once you are in the darkroom your mood can make the decision for you. What to do with the tones and contrast. When I am printing I try not to complicate it. Keep it simple yet creative. Once I've made my mind up I'll make the final print and keep the formula for re-prints. You can waste a lot of paper trying to make the perfect print. Then you ask, what is perfect?!?
I am just getting my darkroom made up. This split grading is fantastic, is it better to do this rather than dodging and burning? Your channel and content is fantastic and your delivery is clear and concise. Thanks for doing these I really appreciate it. Cheers, Jon
Very interesting!!!! I will like to try this out later then! So normally you would use the low contrast filter to control the whites and then the high contrast for a short while to lower the blacks a tad?
Pretty much to control contrast James. If I have a contrasty negative. Without the filters I'd have okay highlights but cook the blacks. So the 0 filter builds the highlights without cooking my blacks. I use the C5 filter to then punch the blacks. I have other videos where I use them on prints in the darkroom.
@@ShootFilmLikeaBoss thanks, I'll keep this in mind. I plan on photographing some animals at the zoo so would need to control contrast as will be rating the film high
May I ask: The paper has different speeds whether (1) no filter, (2) filters 0-3.5 and (3) filters 4.0-5.0. You make no mention of this. I've seen a similar video by a different author and she made no mention of this either. Q1: Is there a reason why this is not mentioned? Q2: What is the practical effect of the differing speeds in the methodology mentioned in your video?
I make a test strip (TS1) with a 5 filter, develop, and the determine a time. I then make a second TS, this time exposing that sheet of X seconds *previously determined* 5 filter, then replace filters with OO and make a TS on top of that. Always works.
VERY HELPFUL VIDEO - THANKS FOR SHARING !
great vlog roger learning all the time. will have to order some filters
Cheers Allan. They help a lot in the darkroom.
I've used this method on tricky negs and it save on sanity on dodging and burning. Ideally you want a properly exposed neg to begin with, but sometimes it doesn't work out that way.
It doesn't. There's often times when I need to work on contrast and highlights. I prefer to do it by hand but sometimes have to resort to the filters. It's all great fun though 😀
I had no idea of this technique. Great explanation. Thanks.
See Russell's comment below.
Starting with negatives which are too contrasty gives you a hell of a lot of work in the darkroom.
Thank you for posting these videos. Your content is great!
Mark Maffioli Thanks Mark. Kind
Thanks for this. Great video. I did a lot of printing multigrade back in the '80s and never did split grade. Now I'm getting back to printing I'm amazed at how useful it is. I do a grade 2 test then split the time in half as a starting point though. Below the lens filters make it easier but a multigrade head would be ideal (in my dreams).
Yes I started with no filters if I remember. I use filters a lot to control contrast. Cheers Roger.
To be clear, filter 2 is the same as no filter, right?
Great video, I like the organic way it all came together.
Thanks Mark
Great stuff 👍👍
Another great video! I will give this a try tomorrow! Thanks.
+Patrick Galletti Thanks Patrick.
I gave it a try. Have a look at the results (www.filmstillphotography.com/blog). I took the liberty of posting your video. Great work and thanks for all the help. The negative was not an easy one to deal with but the split grade printing technique really worked. You made it look easy and I spent an enjoyable day in the darkroom applying what you taught!
+Patrick Galletti Looks great Patrick. Glad it helped. It gets easier and you'll soon know whether to split grade or not.
Roger. Easier to demonstrate than to explain, but the 'standard' method of SG printing eliminates any adjustment or guesstimations. So, using the neg in your video... after exposing your chosen 8 sec G 0 strip, try making incremental exposures OVER the same strip using the G 5 filter and only THEN process it. With this method; having already established the best exposure for the highlights, you can select the optimal shadow exposure to suit. In other words; once you've got the highlight exposure sorted - lay your grade 5 exposures down on top of it. Your next vid would be a real show stopper... Atb. 👍🏻
Cheers Russell. I've have used this method since. Usually I will work from zero and build the contrast using the 5 using test strips until I'm happy. Thanks for the heads up.
Great video! What aperture on the enlarger lens do you use for these?
Mostly I aim for 2 stops under its widest aperture, usually F5.6 as a sweet spot. But it depends if I need more time on the print I can dial it smaller
Excellent video as usual. I have a question in regards to cropping/straightening, as I have a nice photo i took that has a slightly crooked horizon on my RZ67. Do you straighten in the film holder, before you print or just print normally and slice the print up?
I place the negative in normally and straighten horizons on the easel.
Hello, many thanks for the video, very helpful. Just wanted to ask you if there is any difference in placing the filters either above or underneath the lens
Not that I have ever noticed. 👍
This question will completely out me as an absolute noob, but give that the initial print is 6s exposure and the final print is of 12 seconds exposure - shouldn’t the image overall be much darker if the lens aperture is held at a constant as there was in absolute terms double the exposure time ?
nice filtering & timing
Another great video, thanks very much! I just got myself a Durst M670 last week and I there is no glass plate in the filter drawer. Do you just insert your filter sheets into the drawer or do you use a glass plate too?
No glass plate in mine. just careful balancing 😉
I use the yellow and magenta in the colour head. Don't find it all that fidgety, really.
Great explanation thank you
Hello. Great video! It looks like a durst 1200 enlarger behind you? I have one and could use some help in properly setting to use. Do you have any videos on this? Or can you email me and maybe we can talk ? Thank you very much. Bill
Hi Bill it's a Durst m605 enlarger.
Sweet video and a nice and clear explanation. Which one do You find yourself using more - the split grade technique or the regular single exposure with a certain contrast filter? I myself own a color head enlarger and with every photo I’m torn between the two and which would yield a better result, assuming I can finetune the contrast more than with multigrade filters. Even though the split grade should be more paper efficient, I usually find myself making way more test prints than with a single exposure. On the other hand, I never really know whether my setting for the single exposure is „the one”. Cheers! :)
Paweł Kw Thanks. It depends what I'm up against. I use just the #5 mostly if I want to punch the blacks. Like hard images such as cars, sea waves, some portraits, architecture. Or if I want softer I can use #0 filter or stretched tights over the lens. I photographed this scene purposely to use a split. I think once you are in the darkroom your mood can make the decision for you. What to do with the tones and contrast. When I am printing I try not to complicate it. Keep it simple yet creative. Once I've made my mind up I'll make the final print and keep the formula for re-prints. You can waste a lot of paper trying to make the perfect print. Then you ask, what is perfect?!?
I am just getting my darkroom made up. This split grading is fantastic, is it better to do this rather than dodging and burning? Your channel and content is fantastic and your delivery is clear and concise. Thanks for doing these I really appreciate it. Cheers, Jon
Thanks John. I think it's down to personal choice and of course what you are trying to achieve. Both are just a way of achieving an end result.
Very interesting!!!! I will like to try this out later then! So normally you would use the low contrast filter to control the whites and then the high contrast for a short while to lower the blacks a tad?
Pretty much to control contrast James. If I have a contrasty negative. Without the filters I'd have okay highlights but cook the blacks. So the 0 filter builds the highlights without cooking my blacks. I use the C5 filter to then punch the blacks. I have other videos where I use them on prints in the darkroom.
@@ShootFilmLikeaBoss thanks, I'll keep this in mind. I plan on photographing some animals at the zoo so would need to control contrast as will be rating the film high
Thanks for this! Just wondering what enlarger lens aperture you would normal use?
Will Bryant I always use f8 or f11. I'm actually working on a video on the enlarger lens aperture so keep a look out for it.
May I ask: The paper has different speeds whether (1) no filter, (2) filters 0-3.5 and (3) filters 4.0-5.0. You make no mention of this. I've seen a similar video by a different author and she made no mention of this either. Q1: Is there a reason why this is not mentioned? Q2: What is the practical effect of the differing speeds in the methodology mentioned in your video?
Didn't know that about the 'no filter' speed being different ( I always have a filter in ) - you learn something every day.
thanks
I have that pentax. :-)
It's great!