Why the Shift to Higher Contrast Color Paper?

[tgtaylor]

With the recent demise of Kodak Supra which was suggested on apug as a grade 2.5 paper, it seems that the only color paper left is of a higher contrast. All of the paper currently being manufactured by Kodak and Fuji are "optimized" for digital printing although they will work for RA processing as well.

Why this shift to a higher contrast paper? Is it that digital requires a high contrast paper to look its best, a perceived shift in the publics viewing taste by the paper manufactures to a higher contrast look, or something else?

[bob carnie]

I believe the higher contrast is welcome , with the use of PS , we can curve shape to whatever contrast we desire and by starting off with a paper capable of great contrast , you can back it of for more subtle prints as well.
Best of both worlds

With the recent demise of Kodak Supra which was suggested on apug as a grade 2.5 paper, it seems that the only color paper left is of a higher contrast. All of the paper currently being manufactured by Kodak and Fuji are "optimized" for digital printing although they will work for RA processing as well.

Why this shift to a higher contrast paper? Is it that digital requires a high contrast paper to look its best, a perceived shift in the publics viewing taste by the paper manufactures to a higher contrast look, or something else?

[erie patsellis]

Bob,
I've been wondering and your or Ron Mowrey seem to be about the best to ask, but since you brought it up....Can you adjust contrast through chemical means (e.g. raising or lowering the ph of the developer, adjusting temp, etc...) for those (few) of us that want to stay in an analog process

[Drew Wiley]

I wish even higher contrast papers were available, and I print optically. That way I could employ color-correction masks with color neg film just like I do with Chromes and
Ciba. Often the built-in orange mask isn't enough, and if you add a supplementary
silver mask, you end up with too little contrast in the print. I'm skeptical that tinkering
with the RA4 chem will do anything useful, but someone else might know.

[bob carnie]

Hi Erie

Ron is definately the man, I am a practical worker, but I have found in RA4 that if you use a hot , hot dev the contrast will go up , I am not sure if this is true for lower temps the contrast will go down.
We had a processor go wacky years ago and I was printing a series of known images for Sherman Hines. This day I think the dev was super hot and by the time I noticed the change , I had already made the print . When showing the photographer he fell in love with the increased contrast. Unfortunately it the temp problem that was solved the next day by our technican and I could not repeat the lucky mistake.

Therefore I would not recommend changing temps as a way to change contrast and I do not know about changing ph.
I do know that you can make masks for Colour Negative and I think Drew W here could be a good resource for current mask making techniques. I have not made a contrast mask for colour negative in a very long time and I am not sure if the materials are available any more.

My favorite mask for Cibachrome was a contrast reducing mask with a highlight protecter that would give separation in the highlights and I am sure this would work with colour negative , but maybe you would have to think in reverse.
As time goes on there may not be a lot of options, but I have read with interest , workers here or on APUG are making inkjet masks for film to adjust local contrast.
Ralph L on APUG would be a excellent source for more information on this.


regards
Bob

Bob,
I've been wondering and your or Ron Mowrey seem to be about the best to ask, but since you brought it up....Can you adjust contrast through chemical means (e.g. raising or lowering the ph of the developer, adjusting temp, etc...) for those (few) of us that want to stay in an analog process