Digital BW, The Print

>>Wet darkroom printers often
>>refer to this as the "internal >>contrast" of a print; the local
>>contrast rather than the overall >>contrast. Internal contrast helps
>>separate close values and, in my >>experience, this is a major
>>contributor to that dimensional >>quality.

>I'm not sure I completely get what >you mean

Local contrast just means contrast with a particular area or areas of the 
print as opposed to the overall contrast of the print. The latter is 
measured by the range between the brightest white in the print and the 
darkest dark in the print. Local contrast just refers to the range within 
some smaller area of the prints. For example, in a landscape photograph of 
say mountains, sky, and clouds, the contast between the sky and clouds could 
be referred to as local contrast. Or the contrast within small areas of 
rocks in the mountain could be referred to as local contrast. It's just the 
contrast within some area of the print as opposed to the print as a whole. 
Photoshop makes it much easier to adjust local contrast than it ever was in 
the darkroom.

I thought Tyler was talking more about tonal values within areas of the 
print rather than contrast within those areas but perhaps both work 
together. Or perhaps I misunderstood some of the things he was saying.



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "horstenj" <j.h.j.h@...>
To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, November 22, 2006 4:13 PM
Subject: [Digital BW] Re: How to get this "3 dimensional quality"?


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, BKPhoto@...
wrote:
Hi Bill,

Thanks for your comment as well. Soem questions though:

>  I'd add to Tyler's comments that the illusive "three dimensional
quality" idea is closely related to the internal tonal structure of
an image. This has always been true, from the earliest photographic
printing processes to inkjet printing. Wet darkroom printers often
refer to this as the "internal contrast" of a print; the local
contrast rather than the overall contrast. Internal contrast helps
separate close values and, in my experience, this is a major
contributor to that dimensional quality.

I'm not sure I completely get what you mean. I'm having trouble to
visualize the length scale of "local". Are you meaning the
microstructure/texture, or over a more larger scale, let's say 5% of
the image, typically parts of key objects. or both? Could you
elaborate it bit furhter on this?


>  When you add hue, or subtle shifts in color, in a monochrome image
you get an accumulative effect. The color is perceived as part of the
internal contrast of the image.

I think I understand that one.

> Lastly, this sense of internal contrast is affected by any number
of issues: the grain structure of the image, sharpness (optical and
printing), and the size of the print.

Not sure I understand this one, but as said before: I have some
trouble understanding the concept.

Joost





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