Need help: paper "inversion"?

Marsopa

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May 11, 2007
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Hi:

Difficult to explain what I need as my english is very limitated. I'm trying to make a pinhole camera using photographic paper (not film), when developped I'll obtain a negative image, is there any way to "invert" this negative image using something like a toner?

Thanks
 
The easiest way is to treat the photograph as a negative; lay it face-down on another sheet of photo paper and expose it in an enlarger. It takes a lot of light to penetrate the fibers of the paper but you'll get a reversed image.
 
You are looking for a 'direct reversal' chemical kit for paper. These were uncommmon, and were made years ago for certain types of paper. In theory, almost any photopaper can be treated in them, but the averge photo bromide would likely fog or stain when processed in them.

If you are not an analogue purist and would not mind stepping into digital, a better way to handle paper negatives is to scan them. Then reverse the scanned image to a positive in Photoshop or any image editing software capable of doing so.

Scanning + reversing also produces 'clean' positives- since no light enters through the paper's base, no fibre structure gets to be printed along with the image. Grain-free positive results. Or maybe not if you are after the paper's grain as well to become part of the final picture.

Jay
 
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