ChrisN
Striving
I looked to see if this has already been mentioned, but could not see any.
Mike Johnston at The Online Photographer has organised a special offer for people wishing to acquire some examples of dye transfer colour prints. I'd never heard of the process, nor am I collector, but this certainly sounds interesting. See http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2008/10/ctein-dye-trans.html
Mike Johnston at The Online Photographer has organised a special offer for people wishing to acquire some examples of dye transfer colour prints. I'd never heard of the process, nor am I collector, but this certainly sounds interesting. See http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2008/10/ctein-dye-trans.html
35mmdelux
Veni, vidi, vici
dye transfer is a highly labor intensive process somewhat like cibachrome. these are the most elite color printing..dye transfer is to color what fibre prints are to BW, only far more rare...
tks.
tks.
David Goldfarb
Well-known
Dye transfer is a good deal more labor intensive than Ilfochrome. You've got separation negs, three layers to manage potentially with masking for each layer, registration of everything, and the physical process of rolling the matrices to the receiver sheets to master.
It's the printing equivalent of Kodachrome, sorta.
sepiareverb
genius and moron
Three and/or four color carbon prints are the only color print process I want to learn. Very complicated, but incredibly beautiful- truly like a Kodachrome on paper- for there is a real three dimensionality to the final print, much like the emulsion side of a kodachrome.
Saw these in Santa Fe years ago, and have never forgotten the quality of the color.
Saw these in Santa Fe years ago, and have never forgotten the quality of the color.
In the old magazine publishing days, you'd get a dye transfer made of a shot, retouch it by hand, and then send the whole thing for color separations.
Al Kaplan
Veteran
It uses very stable dyes. The original transparencie is copied three times through three "color seperation filters" resulting in three negatives the size of the finished print. These in turn are contact printed onto a special film which has a rather thick emulsion designed to soak up dye. Every step has to be done with a pin registration board to insure that the three colors print in register with one another. Each of the three positives
is soaked with dye and which is then transferred to the paper.
The process gives you a lot of room to play with the image or really screw up since you can seperately burn and dodge each of the three negatives or change their contrast a bit in the developer.
Years ago they used to make big unwieldly cameras which would simultaniously expose three sheets of film in standard sheet film holders. The interior of the camera had several partially silvered mirrors along with the three filters to send the light to the three sheets of film.
Early Technicolor motion picture cameras worked the same way, with three magazines each with its own roll of film, and the final print is made by transferring dyes from the negatives. Since the color in the print is so stable it's still a favored way of making release prints, but the seperations are made from the original color negative.
Kodachrome is made by adding each dye seperately during the processing while other color films have the dye already in the emulsion, and it couples with the silver image during processing. At one time Kodak would make you Kodachrome prints from your slides using the same stable dyes.
is soaked with dye and which is then transferred to the paper.
The process gives you a lot of room to play with the image or really screw up since you can seperately burn and dodge each of the three negatives or change their contrast a bit in the developer.
Years ago they used to make big unwieldly cameras which would simultaniously expose three sheets of film in standard sheet film holders. The interior of the camera had several partially silvered mirrors along with the three filters to send the light to the three sheets of film.
Early Technicolor motion picture cameras worked the same way, with three magazines each with its own roll of film, and the final print is made by transferring dyes from the negatives. Since the color in the print is so stable it's still a favored way of making release prints, but the seperations are made from the original color negative.
Kodachrome is made by adding each dye seperately during the processing while other color films have the dye already in the emulsion, and it couples with the silver image during processing. At one time Kodak would make you Kodachrome prints from your slides using the same stable dyes.
AshenLight
Established
I just ordered both small prints. They'll be a great addition to our gallery wall.
snip
Established
I will order the Competing ferns picture, I don't like the other one enough to spend another $80
Chris, thanks for the link! Very interesting... I am familiar with the dye transfer process and find its decline sad.
35mmdelux
Veni, vidi, vici
i just got cleared to order the set. tks for the connection.
cary
Well-known
I did dye transfer thirty years ago in my color class at Brooks Institute of Photography. The class was required.
FrankS
Registered User
Back in the day, dye transfer was the only colour photographic print medium accepted by traditional galleries and museums due to longevity issues with the other colour processes. Then Cibachromes became accepted. Now, anything goes.
aizan
Veteran
is it just me, or is TOP not loading?