Library Downloads

This page is a collection of useful files, some of which are in the book 'Way Beyond Monochrome' but all provided here for your personal use. You may not alter these files in any form or use them for commercial purposes. It is not permitted to copy these files for others or to make these files available in any form including hard copies or web pages. If you would like friends to have these files, direct them to this site. This is the only way to ensure that only the latest version of each file is distributed.

Camera, Lens & Film

USAF/1951 TestPattern
USAF/1951 ResolutionChart
You can use the test pattern to check the performance of your photographic lenses. The results don't replace an MTF graph, but the test is simple to do and gives a good indication of lens performance.
Mount camera and lens onto a tripod, and use a fine-grain film to take a photograph of the test pattern from a distance equal to a known multiple of the focal length (25 - 100x). Consider the use of a cable release and flash photography to reduce camera-shake as much as possible. Inspect the negative with a loupe and find the group and element where you can still make out a line pattern. Identify the accompanying resolution of the test pattern in the resolution chart, and multiply that value by the focal-length multiplier, used above, to find the actual lens resolution in line pairs per millimeter (lp/mm).
Example: You photographed the test pattern with your 50-mm lens from a distance of 2,5 m (50x). After developing the film and evaluating it with a loupe, you can just about separate the lines in the 2nd element of group '0'. Reading the resolution of that element from the resolution chart (1.12) and multiplying that number with the distance multiplier (50) used, you can conclude a lens resolution of approximately 56 lp/mm for this 50-mm lens.

DoFocusRuler
This depth-of-focus rulers (scale and gauge) is based on a circle of confusion applicable for 4x5 view cameras (0.089 mm). They can be used with any focal length lens. Print a copy of each for your personal use. Mount the scale to your camera, identify the standard's position of near and far focus, and use the gauge to translate the distance between the two into the required aperture. Then, move the focusing standard to the optimum focusing position, which is midway between the markings for near and far focus. This way, depth of field will be achieved between the near and far focal planes.

FilmExposure
This is a table of my favorite films and their speeds for subject brightness ranges from N-3 to N+3. The corresponding development times are listed in FilmDevelopment below. Depending on your equipment and technique, these values may change. Consequently, they are only offered as a starting point for your own evaluations.

ZoneDial
With only two disks required, the Zone Dial provides a visual reference to the way subject brightness will be represented in the final print. Zone III and VII are marked to place shadow and highlight details, and the tonality extremes of Zone I•5 and VIII•5 are identified as black and white points. All scales are in standard shutter speeds, f/stops and EVs. Meter the subject values in EVs, and correlate them to the intended Zones on the dial. This will give you an overview of the subject brightness range and several exposure recommendations.

PDZD
The customized zone dial for the Pentax Digital Spotmeter is a visual reference and will simplify zone placement. Zone III and VII are marked to place shadow and highlight details. I suggest you print this scale onto a self-adhesive label, cover it with clear tape before cutting it to size, and then affix it to the Pentax Digital Spotmeter by centering it just below the EV scale.

BellowsTarget&Ruler
View camera owners, print the target and the ruler on your own printer. Laminate each piece with clear tape to make a more durable tool. For close-up photography, place the target into the scene, and measure the diameter of the circle on the view screen with the ruler. Determine subject magnification and f/stop correction to adjust exposure by opening lens aperture or extend shutter exposure.

PinHoleDial
With only two disks required, the PinHole Dial provides a visual reference to the way subject brightness will be represented in the pinhole print. Zone III and VII are marked to place shadow and highlight details, and the tonality extremes of Zone I•5 and VIII•5 are identified as black and white points. All scales are in standard shutter speeds, f/stops and EVs. Meter the subject values in EVs, and correlate them to the intended Zones on the dial. This will give you an overview of the subject brightness range and several exposure recommendations.

Reciprocity
This reciprocity compensation table provides exposure and development suggestions for tabular grain TMax films and conventional film types. The contrast changes are based on theoretical values and must be verified by individual tests. Make yourself a copy and keep it in the camera bag as a reference.

Negative, Paper & Darkroom

RegNeg&PrintDensities
This table includes standard values for relative negative transmission and absolute print reflection densities. Individual densities may vary, but this is a good starting point to compare values.

FilmDevelopment
This is a table of my favorite films and their development times for subject brightness ranges from N-3 to N+3. The corresponding film speeds are listed in FilmExposure above. Depending on your development equipment, materials and processes, these values may change. Consequently, they are only offered as a starting point for your own evaluations.

f/stopTiming
A numerical f/stop timing table is a convenient way to determine precise printing times. It also includes dodging and burning times as small as 1/6-stop increments. It can be used with any darkroom timer, but print it large to see it clearly in the dark. Determine the base print exposure time, rendering significant print highlights to your satisfaction, and find this 'base exposure' in the center column. Base exposure times are incremented in 1 stop (black), 1/3 stop (dark grey), 1/6 stop (light grey) and 1/12 stops. After adjusting overall print contrast, rendering significant print shadows as desired, find related dodging and burning times in 1/6 stop increments left and right to the base exposure to fine-tune the final print.

ClockDial
An analog f/stop dial from 8 to 64 seconds in 1/3, 1/6 and 1/12-stop increments. You may print the dial and attach it to any analog timer.

PaperGradeDial
With only two disks required, the Paper Grade Dial provides a quick method to calculate the overall paper contrast required to transfer the negative density range to the print density range. Using a densitometer or a simple darkroom timer, take a tonal shadow reading and set the negative density or the estimated exposure time on the dial. Then, take a tonal highlight reading, and next to its location on the dial, read off the required ISO paper grade to capture the entire tonal negative density range on paper. Note, the numbering system of variable contrast filers are only an approximation of ISO paper grades.

PaperContrastExpComp
Most manufacturers claim that their filters, or filtration values, allow for a constant exposure from grade 0 to 3, with a simple doubling of this exposure for grade 4 and 5. This is only true for the ISO 'speed point' (print density 0.6 above b+f), which is somewhere between Zone V and VI, and consequently, not very practical for pictorial photography. To obtain a consistent highlight exposure, when switching from one paper contrast to the next, an exposure compensation needs to be made. The individual exposure compensation depends on the paper, light source and color-filtration system used. It is easily determined through the following test and then recorded in a spread sheet (download sample above, and select 'cancel' if you are asked for a password).

For each filter setting, create a test strip showing a highlight exposure sequence in 1/12 f/stop increments. The goal is to determine which exposure time is required to generate a Zone VIII equivalent density for each filter setting. Zone VIII has a density of 0.09 above b+f, which clearly differs from paper white but still is a very light gray (see the DigitalZoneTablet to the left as a rough guide). Enter the timing results into the left column of the spread sheet, and the exposure table will be completed automatically. The value shown at the intersection of 'old' and 'new' grade shows the exposure compensation required to keep a constant highlight density for any paper contrast change in 1/12 stops.

DualFiltrationGrades
Color enlargers with dichroic filters are very useful tools for B&W printing. They are typically equipped with a dichroic filter head, containing Yellow and Magenta filtration. These filters are used to alter the contrast in VC papers, and no additional investment is required. Even minute but precise contrast changes are simple. Manufacturers of enlargers and papers often include tables with Yellow and Magenta filter recommendations to approximate the paper contrast. However, these recommendations are limited, because they are based on assumptions about the light source and papers used. A custom calibration allows precise paper grade settings in accordance with ISO standards. This calibration turns the dichroic color head into a precision VC diffusion light source, ideally suited for flexible and consistent monochrome printing. The attached large dual-filtration table includes the filtration values for several papers, when using Durst (max 130M) filtration.

The values of the dual-filtration table above are designed to minimize the exposure and keep it within 1/6 stop from grade 1 to 3. Nevertheless, to be more accurate, they too need an exposure adjustment when switching from one paper contrast to the next. Below are the individual dual-filtration and exposure compensation tables for several papers.

Paper	dual- filtration values	exposure compensation
Agfa Multicontrast RC	AgfaMCPrcFltr	AgfaMCPrcExp
Ilford Multigrade-IV FB	IlfordMGIVfbFltr	IlfordMGIVfbExp
Ilford Multigrade-IV RC	IlfordMGIVrcFltr	IlfordMGIVrcExp
Kodak Polymax II RC	KodakPMIIrcFltr	KodakPMIIrcExp

The dual-filtration tables for the individual papers (on the left) contain the same data as the large dual-filtration table above, but they are small enough to be easily attached to your enlarger. Use the exposure compensation tables (on the right) when an exposure for a particular grade has been determined already, but a new paper contrast is required. Two tables, one for Zone VII and one for Zone VIII highlights are included.

EnlargerHeightComp
Any adjustment to the enlarger height requires a change to the print exposure. This chart provides the means to determine the exposure compensation required without the need for calculations.
Measure the easel-to-lens distances before and after the adjustment to the enlarger. Then, find the upper 'easel-to-lens distance' on the vertical axis and the lower 'easel-to-lens distance' on the horizontal axis of the chart. The intersection of the two will indicate the exposure compensation. A previously verified exposure will have to be increased by the compensation if the enlarger was raised and decreased if it was lowered.
The compensation can be applied either to the aperture of the enlarger lens or to the exposure time. The use of a separate f/stop timing table may be advantageous if a modification of the exposure time is preferred. It is recommended, and more practical, to make small modifications by changing the exposure time. Larger changes, of 1 or 2 stops, are easier made by modifying the aperture of the enlarger lens. This will also keep exposure times at manageable levels.
Note that this chart does not compensate for any reciprocity failure. However, paper reciprocity failure is often estimated as being approximately 1/12 stop (5%) for each stop of exposure-time alteration.

LightTightDrawer
This is a plan to build a light-tight darkroom drawer, providing room for up to 16x20 inch paper. It should keep your favorite papers accessible and safe. I received this drawing in April of 1999, while attending John Sexton's Expressive Black and White Print Workshop in California. The file is posted here with his permission to download for your use, but not for further distribution. Please also, visit his excellent site at www.johnsexton.com to see more of his fantastic work.

Hybrid Technology, 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 (AdobePhotoshop) 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 (see paragraphs below). Now, apply the appropriate transfer functions (see table below) to the entire image. To do so, the menu sequence in PhotoShop's current version 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.

print media	inkjet printer	imagesetter
FB paper (a)	-	MGIV-FB-3600-225a.acv
FB paper (c)	-	MGIV-FB-3600-225c.acv
oil print (a)	OilPrint-Inkjet-a.acv	-

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.

ProcessChecker
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.

DigitalStepTablet
The transfer functions above are optimized for the typical monitor gamma of 2.2. The imagesetter functions are optimized for Agfa imagesetters and Ilford MG-IV FB paper. 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. Unfortunately, it requires a densitometer to read negative and print densities, but for a fee, customized transfer functions can be supplied upon request. Regrettably, to produce them is extremely labor intensive, and consequently, not cheap.

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.

CalvinHollywood v1
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.

Way Beyond Monochrome

TemplatesLib
The Templates chapter in the book is a collection of charts and overlays to do your own testing. In the book, we suggest to copy whatever you need for your personal use without scaling the pages in the process. According to some customer reports, this will result in low quality facsimiles and, if done repeatedly, isn't be doing the book much good either. This file has all test-related files on a paper format, which I like to call USA4, meaning that it will print without scaling on either US letter or the European A4 format.

WBM Edition 1  Errata
This document highlights corrections made to Way Beyond Monochrome since the original publication of the book. The purpose of this document is to correct errors that are severe enough to cause misunderstanding or confusion. However, it does not correct simple typographical errors, which will be rectified in a later printing of the book, nor does it cover additions or revisions, which will be subject of the next edition.