Paper flahshing in Photoshop

[domenico Foschi]

What is a good equivalent to paper flashing in Photoshop 7?

[John_4185]

Curves, or levels if you are new to the concept.

[domenico Foschi]

JJ, I was more thinking to add a layer of very light tonality to the all image.
No need to be sarcastic, thank you anyway.

[domenico Foschi]

Yes, Matthew, that is exactly what I am trying to do.
I would hate to use the magnetic lasso to flash the areas I need to darken.

[paulr]

Generally when you flash paper, you are attempting to move the whole image up along the curve, to get the highlights out of the toe of the paper. In photoshop you can simply change the shape of the curve to suit your needs.

I've dealt with some images, though, that had virtually no discernable information in the brightest highlights. Changing the shape of the curve of nothing doesn't help much. In these cases, I've used a layer filled with a light color, and placed it behind (or in front of) the image layer. If it was a color image, I would choose a color from the highlights of the image, and adjust its intensity.

Then it's a matter of finding a combination of blend mode and opacity that gives a nice result. Sometimes a slightly counterintuitive blend mode would do the trick. The idea is to put some substance into those blank highlights. I'd say the effect is somewhere between flashing and tea toning (but with more options than you get from a tea bag). I've only had to do it a couple of times, but in those cases it's helped.

[robc]

"you are attempting to move the whole image up along the curve"

I disagree with the above statement. A paper preflash only affects the highlights to midtones and has no discernable effect on the shadows.

but to get back to the question, I agree with jj. Curves are probably a little more intuitive if you are used to H&D curves. Levels can be used to shift the tonal distribution up and down the curve whilst leaving end points untouched and/or can adjust the white and black points of the image, but you can play with those as well. Remember that you can undo anything you do so experimentation costs nothing but time.

"to add a layer of very light tonality to the all image" create a new layer at top of layer stack. Fill layer with any colour of choice then adjust opacity% or fill% or blending mode to suit.

If you want to add tone to a B+W image then a curves adjustment layer is a good option but your image must be in RGB mode for it too work. I think Paul Butzi has a mini tutorial on this at his web site.

[domenico Foschi]

Yes, yes, yes !
I got the info I was looking for.
Matt, I will try your option first, seems closer to what I want.
Thank you, Matt, Paul, Rob and JJ.

[John_4185]

JJ, I was more thinking to add a layer of very light tonality to the all image. No need to be sarcastic, thank you anyway.

You think that was sarcasm? I was trying to help. By your post, how could I tell anyhing about your experience? Screw you.

[John_4185]

with all due respect jj,

That expression usually precedes disrespectful intent.

there really was no need for your last response. I myself found your original post could be taken as a little blunt.

I truly did not mean to trample any sensitive feelings, but keep in mind that you and you alone are responsible for your feelings. Not me, nor anyone else. If the original respondent found it sarcastic, he might look to his own predisposition.

Lets try and keep this forum a place where we are happy to communicate without the fear of reprisals.

What is your post if not reprisal? I think you are trying trolling for votes for Net Conscience. In my experience, persons who jump into the role of manners-cop are often the same who would enforce medicrity because it is 'nice'.

Get some skin.

[paulr]

"I disagree with the above statement. A paper preflash only affects the highlights to midtones and has no discernable effect on the shadows."

I think you're right; it has more to do with getting values above the exposure threshold of the paper than it does with the curve.

In general, though, the images that call for this seem to respond better to manipulations of layers than to curve ajustments, in my experience.

[John_4185]

In general, though, the images that call for this seem to respond better to manipulations of layers than to curve ajustments, in my experience.

Apply curve adjustments to layer(s).

Hope that's not too blunt.

[paulr]

Not blunt, but also not what I was talking about.

I'm getting at something more along the lines of what Matthew Georgeson brought up, but using blend modes and not just opacity. Think of it as different ways of changing the color of the paper base, and then of ajusting the opacity characteristics of the image that sits on top of it.

These techniques work when you've eeked everything you can out of curves adjustments, but find the highlights still lack substance.

[Michael Gordon]

I'm still not clear what Domenico is attempting to accomplish, but based on "I was more thinking to add a layer of very light tonality to the all image", you might try duplicating your background layer, change the blending mode to SCREEN, and then adjust the opacity of this screened layer to suit.

[John_4185]

"A layer of light tonality"

In other words, fog. :)

Michael's tip works, but you might have to bend the curve (or in THIS case, you can use levels) to moderate only the highlights.

BTW, 'flashing' is a bit confusing since William Frazier's book, "Printing by Flash" was published in 1967. Things were a mess (in my opinion) for awhile after that. He printed everything on Agfa #6, which was super high-contrast, and flashed to change apparent tonalities. Dunno if this reference is on the net, but his book seems to be library lint - you can't get it off the shelf.

[Nigel Smith]

IMO to simulate 'flashing paper' you'd need to rescan. Adding a base tone is not what flashing paper does, not unless you overdo it.

[stevebobs]

I think the effect Domenico is trying to achieve can be one of the loveliest effects in the wet darkroom. It is not "fogging" as several people have mislabeled it. They clearly have never realized that they are seeing this technique when they are, because it can be so subtle. The effect, (often achieved with a cigarette lighter , hence "flashing") is done so with an expired cigarette lighter and holding it over the desired area and flicking the lighter. The effect knocks the highlights down ever so slightly when it is nearly or impossible to do so with filters, and/or burning in. Also, this might prove extremely difficult to pull off with an enlarger over the whole sheet of photo paper and might not be needed. The effect adds a very delicate tone just under the white-white in the scale and can be done so without any effect on the contrast in the remainder of the curve, or if desired, can be used to pull contrast locally in the mid-tones and toe.
To get a similar effect in photoshop with a solid layer (even with less opacity) will bring up the rest of the curve and have the effect of making the image flatter in contrast (which by the way does look a little like fog). I think this effect needs to be done by applying it to the shoulder as a layer and burning in with a mask layer.

Photographers like Albert Watson and others use this technique in the darkroom with stunning skill and I've seen examples that would appear to be bleaching but were in fact flashing.

I must say, too, many of the people commenting in this forum seem to have rather closed minds for a field that can offer so much to a creative person.