Hybrid Technology

This page is a collection of useful files, all concerned with combining the flexibility of digital imaging with the beauty of traditional photography. A more in-depth description of most techniques can be found in the first and second edition of 'Way Beyond Monochrome'.
Digital Negative & Analog Print It is possible to transfer digital images to real photographic paper through a digital negative. This hybrid technology combines the flexibility of electronic image manipulation (Adobe Photoshop) with the beauty and archival quality of photographic paper. Digital negatives can be made in a variety of ways, but using inkjet printers or professional imagesetters are the most common approaches. The result is a full-size negative, which is contact-printed and wet-processed in a standard darkroom. To produce a digital negative, begin by manipulating the positive digital image on your calibrated monitor to your liking. Resize the image to the same size as you want the final photograph to be, and make sure that it has the proper resolution for inkjet or imagesetter output. Now, apply the appropriate transfer functions (see list below) to the entire image. To do so, the menu sequence in the current version of Photoshop is Image> Adjustments> Curves> Load. The positive image will most likely look too light and too soft, but ignore that, because this is just a meaningless monitor representation of an inverted digital image. Continue by inverting the entire image to produce the negative image. Save the negative image to a file, and print it as your full-size digital negative. Finally, contact print the digital negative onto your emulsion of choice and wet-process the print as you would any other analog print. To produce a digital negative from an inkjet printer, make sure that the digital image has a resolution of 300 dpi or better. Save the negative image to a file, and print it on your printer onto transparency material with the emulsion side down. To produce a digital negative from an imagesetter, make sure that the digital image has a resolution of 450 dpi (feel free to extrapolate your data, if you have to). Save the negative image to a file, and get it to a service bureau. Ask them to print it with a 225 line screen at 3,600 dpi with the emulsion side up. When you get the film, contact print it onto regular photographic paper at grade 2.
Imagesetter Transfer Functions
Ilford Multigrade IV-FB 3600-225-a
Ilford Multigrade IV-FB 3600-225-c
Inkjet Transfer Function
Oil-Print Inkjet-a Transfer functions suffixed 'a' are designed for normal processing with normal shadow detail, and where possible, followed by moderate archival toning. Transfer functions suffixed 'c' compensate for extended and dense selenium toning or provide emphasized shadow detail. Process Checker In addition, you might want to include some process control. This allows to verify the quality of the digital negative and also aids in finding the right exposure for the contact print. Before applying the transfer function, enlarge the canvas to include the process checker twice. Select one of them, and then inverse this selection to apply the transfer functions to the entire canvas, except for this one process checker. Afterwards, deselect everything and invert the entire image to produce the negative. Continue as outlined above. Digital Step Tablet The transfer functions above are optimized for a monitor gamma of 2.2, which is typical for Windows PCs and highly recommended for Apple Macintosh computers. The imagesetter functions are optimized for Agfa imagesetters and Ilford Multigrade IV-FB paper, but work equally well with similar papers. The inkjet function to create oil prints is optimized for Epson and Canon printers, using white, semitransparent inkjet film. All transfer functions have been tested and produce good inkjet or halftone negatives, while also working well with many other silver-gelatin papers. However, different equipment and materials will require different transfer functions for optimum results. The development of a customized transfer function is complex and laborious. Some, covering popular processes, will be added in the near future. If you require something special, like transfer functions to produce contact negatives for historic photographic processes, you will have to make your own. The process starts with printing the digital step wedge above and contact-printing it onto your material. A detailed description is given in ‘Way Beyond Monochrome’. Creating a Transfer Function
In Way Beyond Monochrome Ed2 on page 497, the chapter ‘Make Your Own Transfer Function’ provides a simple method to manually create the data for a transfer function. This transfer function can be used in Adobe Photoshop or other imaging programs to support digital and hybrid processes. The attached spreadsheet (supplied in .xls and .xlsx format) automates this effort and makes use of built-in curve-fits to create perfectly smooth tonal transitions. Three rendering intents are supported to customize transfer functions for normal and extra shadow detail on glossy, pearl, or matte papers. Digital Tools & Photoshop Actions This is a useful collection of digital tools and Photoshop actions. All require the use of a computer and the Adobe Photoshop software to be installed. You should have a good understanding how to operate your computer and know your way around Photoshop. You don't need to be an expert, but you must be familiar with adjustment layers and masks, and how to manipulate them, and you need to be able to load and save actions. CalvinHollywood1 This is a basic set of actions, which are helpful for almost all images. Their workflow was presented by Calvin Hollywood, and I converted the steps into Photoshop actions. For further details see Calvin's home page or his educational video presentations on FotoTV.

The 'Dodge&Burn' action enables you to lighten or darken specific image areas with precise control. After applying the action, set the foreground color to white to lighten an area and set it to black to darken it. Then, paint inside of the gray layer with the brush tool. Set the brush opacity to 6, 12 or 25% for a minute, modest or significant effect, respectively. Continue until the image tones support the rendering intent and draw attention to more important image content.
The 'FindGray' action is extremely useful for removing a color tint in images without a clear neutral gray reference. Apply the action, double-click on the threshold-layer thumbnail and move the slider to the left finding the first appearance of neutral gray. Mark the area with the Color Sampler Tool and turn all added layers off. Back in the image layer, adjust the image curve by using the marked reference location to set the sample gray point. Fine-tune the color with Color Balance if necessary. Removing a color tint is obviously an improvement for color images, but it also makes for more realistic B&W conversions of color images.
The 'MakeUp' action does wonders to minor skin imperfections without losing the natural appearance of the underlying skin structure. Apply the action to your background layer, or better yet, to a copy of the background layer, and carefully paint with a white brush in the MakeUp-layer mask. Start with a brush opacity of 12-25%, but be careful, because the effect is easily overdone and the model's face quickly starts to look more like wax than natural skin.