Advice or direction on making digital Negs

[doogie]

Hello all!

I have a few questions with regard to Digital negatives for beginners(that would be me.)

Since they do not teach Pt/Pd at the college I'm at I'm having to get a bit creative with regard to the negative item. With that regard I had decided to go with digital negatives since I do not own anything larger than a 4x5 (wonderful little Linhof) and I'm just getting into the chemistry aspect of Pt/Pd.

With regard to making 4x5's I tend to meter then shift my shadows down into Zone III (only been using the zone system since spring quarter several months ago at school). I find it interesting, but tough at the same time. I am using HP5 for the film and D76 for the developer. This works great for the dark room, however, A friend of mine in passing told me that I should consider making digital negatives so I can contact print into larger sizes for my grad show (Still quite a ways off).

With that regard i'm trying to figure out the correct way to make digital negatives on the Pictorico (after figuring out the type of printer (omg at the price) I'm going to have to purchase a printer for home since the school doesn't have one that takes 16x20 sheets) and make them viable for Pt/Pd printing. I know that it can be done, but I'm hoping it isn't another extremely complicated Photoshop item at the same time. (photoshop has been my bane in all of my digital classes)

In anycase. Thank you very much for any advice on this matter.

V/r,
Doogie

[angusparker]

Buy this book, follow the step by step directions (it does require photoshop but it's quite easy) and you will get great Pt prints: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0964963809/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[koraks]

This tutorial got me up and running for cyanotypes and carbon printing: http://www.freestylephoto.biz/alternative-process/making-digital-negatives
I use an Epson 3880 that I got at a reasonable price second hand. I use it with the Jon Cone pigment colour inks, but it can also be used with piezography inks.

[Will S]

ChartThrob might be helpful if you have PS. http://www.botzilla.com/blog/archives/000544.html

[doogie]

TY TY very much to everyone!!!!

[Michael Rosenberg]

First, I would recommend placing your shadows on Zone IV. That will give your negatives more snap in the shadows. Second, go to Ron Reeders web site and look at his information on making digital negatives (he published an excellent book years ago).

www.ronreeder.com

Mike

[doogie]

I went to Ron's page and looked around. Ended up sending him an email. Keeping my fingers crossed that he will respond in kind. :) Thank you for the lead! :)

[sanking]

I went to Ron's page and looked around. Ended up sending him an email. Keeping my fingers crossed that he will respond in kind. :) Thank you for the lead! :)

Clay Harmon had a nice tutorial on making digital negatives with QTR on his web site some years ago. It does not appear to be on his present site, but is cached if you do a search. In case you can not find it with a search you can go to the carbon forum where you can find the article, qtr.pdf, in the Files section.

There is also quite a bit of information about making digital negatives with QTR on the carbon forum, including a number of profiles for QTR in the Files section.

Sandy