From the course: Black-and-White Darkroom: Printing Techniques

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Split-filter test print

Split-filter test print

From the course: Black-and-White Darkroom: Printing Techniques

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Split-filter test print

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- I know it seems like we're doing more tests than the average third grader, but I think this one you'll find quite worthwhile. We're gonna do what's called a split filter test. This is a technique that was taught to me by a former assistant, Graham Morrison. I grew up on the single filter method that I just showed you, and I've abandoned it almost completely in favor of this testing method. What we're gonna do is we're gonna make two tests, one of them using the double zero filter, the lowest contrast filter, and the other one using the number five filter, the highest contrast filter. What makes this work, the basic kind of conceit if you were, is if you expose the highlights properly, the double zero filter, and the shadows properly, the number five filter, combine those two exposures, the midtones fall exactly where they should. Since black and white printing is really about the midtones much more than the blacks and whites, I found this method to be a very quick way to get the…

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