How to print colour photos in a darkroom 

Thank you!

agreed!

Agreed.

I really appreciate how you went through it and have all the suggestions from beginner to pro tools.

In this world, nothing natural is perfect. That´s why film looks better to the human eye than digital pictures. Same goes with every other kind of handicraft. Best food is not cooked by robots measuring the exact amount of seasoning, but by a chef doing it all by heart.

There are several aspects that cause digital photos to look robotic and boring: 1. More often then not digital photos are not processed. 2. Most digital photos are shot on phones resulting in very compressed images with poor color compared to film photos. 3. Digital photos from phones up to high end mirrorless focus too much on resolution, neutrality, and lack of grain resulting in a very pedestrian monotone look. 4. Digital lacks the human element. Imperfections, slight color casts, some grain, and lower resolution are a lot more interesting than a flat digital image. 5. Lastly the biggest problem is that since digital photography has become cheap and affordable to everyone; the result is in it becoming a throwaway medium where photos have little to no value anymore. Digital photos are worth pennies after you including the camera cost, media cost, and the cost of your time. Analog photos have a minimum value which equates the basic cost to shoot and develop the film. So at least $1 for each medium format shot.

Oh mate you beauty! Let me know if you have any questions while building it and I can try help!

@@wiplab4319 Definitely will. Got an ATL 3 on the way, I'm excited!

Yes he was using a machine for processing, but as he showed you, you can just use a plastic tube for processing. When I did color printing I started doing it in my home darkroom. I used trays in a water bath. I had a black-and-white enlarger so I put color compensating gelatin filters under the lens, you could add about three at a time. All in magenta and yellow density increments. You can also use acetate filters in a filter drawer if you do not have a color enlarger. In photography school we had the most sophisticated equipment, more so than what he shared. We used in the 1070s a color analyzer to meter with a probe on the easel the color balance and exposure. The analyzer had to be programed before use. We also had a large Kreonite printer that could take 20 inch paper, and the print came out dry. But that set up was a lot more expensive than what this You Tuber was using. I printed a lot of 16x20 inch prints and I knew of one student who printed a 20x24 inch print. Color printing can be as simple as using trays in a water bath, he used an aquarium heater witch I thought was impressive. It will take you a lot of time these days to make a successful darkroom color print; besides exposure you have to learn how to judge the color balance. You can buy these color printing filters in increments of .05, .10 up to about .50 in density of each color which would be magenta and yellow. The number system is based on logarithms like neutral density filters. I'm sure they no longer make color analyzers, so you will have to be your own analyzer--plus during the 1970s they carried a price tag on the average of $2,000 or more. You won't be successful right away but stick with it and you will have success with very little equipment. You can pretty much use the same equipment that you use in your black-and-white darkroom including a black-and-white enlarger, but then you must buy the acetate filters in the various magenta and yellow densities. You also need color print paper which I think only Fuji still makes. You need a color chemical kit for print color negatives. The temperature of the chemicals must be a lot warmer than with black-and-white. Try it. I like color. I hope you have success!

Cheers Will!

Thanks James

Cheers Steve 👍

Too kind Ben ☺️

Thanks Matt ☺️

My pleasure mate!

Did you ever find this out? I've got the same and need to modify

I mean they can be found, just difficult. I found one in the UK for £150 that's being shipped to me here in Sydney.

@@Notimportant1995 You're a lucky one. Most processors are expensive, and if can get used to the dark, trays are a possible option. Tetanal makes an RA-4 kit available in Europe, not sure about Australia though. Kodak RA-4 chemicals are available worldwide, just in large amounts (10 liters).

Check Tetenal RA4 kit chemicals, that's what you need

Personal preference