What is split filtering is sounds interesting and not too hard?

-- stephie Driver (stephie9000@hotmail.com), August 19, 2001

Answers

Stephie,

Here's a useful link I found that has information on split filtering. http://www.xeromag.com/fvresrc.html#split It's not difficult. I feel it's a technique that any good printer should be aware of and able to apply when they feel it is needed.

-- Jim (jimzpace@yahoo.com), August 19, 2001.

Each variable-contrast filter produces a certain contrast. If one filter makes your print too soft, and the next harder filter makes your print too contrasty, then giving the print half of full exposure with each of the two filters in succession will place the contrast halfway between the two filters. And you can employ different ratios to place the contrast elsewhere between the two filters.

-- Keith Nichols (knichols1@mindspring.com), August 19, 2001.

The real advantage is the ability to selectively dodge and/or burn-in with either a hard or soft filter. This makes possible effects just not possible using a single filter. njb

-- Nacio Brown (Nacio@MyBerkeleyHome.com), August 20, 2001.

It's using two or more filters for separate exposures on the same sheet of paper. Usually using different dodging & burning-in for each filter.

It's also used to refer to using two separate exposures, one with the highest contrast filter & the other with the lowest contrast filter & creating middle grades by varying the exposure time of each.

-- Charlie Strack (charlie_strack@sti.com), August 20, 2001.

the split filtering system that i am using is a blue and green filtration. you first use a blue to find your maxium black. do a test strip on the edge of your picture, where there is clear film. after you develope your test strip to find maxium black, record your time for the blue filter. make a full size print using the time recorded with the blue filter. then put in the green filter, the green filter controls the mid tones. do another test acrost the paper, but leave a section covered so it only has blue filtration. then proces the picture, and select the green time desired. then for the finnal print do the blue exposure, carefully switch to green and expose a second time.

this filtration technique has work excelent for me, it works great for burning and dodgeing without losing your rich blacks

-- Nicholas J. Homrich (phoxxphire@aol.com), August 29, 2001.