Cross processing
Encyclopedia
C-22 process
C-22 is an obsolete process for developing colour film, superseded by the C-41 process from 1972 for the launch of 110 film and 1973 for all other formats.The most common film requiring this process was Kodacolor-X.- External links :...
and E-4
E-4 process
The E-4 process is a now outdated process for developing color reversal photographic film.The process is infamous for its use of the highly toxic reversal agent Tertiary Butyl-Amine Borane . The use of the reversal agent permits processing of the film without the manual reexposure that its...
. The process is seen most often in fashion advertising and band photography, and in more recent years has become associated with the Lo-fi photography
Lo-fi photography
Lo-fi photography is a style of photography generally using poor equipment, such as toy cameras or pinhole cameras, for stylistic effect. It is often considered a reaction to the perceived ease of creating technically perfect photos in the digital age...
movement.
Cross processing usually involves one of the two following methods:
- Processing positive color reversal film in C-41C-41 processC-41 is a chromogenic color print film developing process. C-41, also known as CN-16 by Fuji, CNK-4 by Konica, and AP-70 by AGFA, is the most popular film process in use, with most photofinishing labs devoting at least one machine to this development process....
chemicals, resulting in a negative image on a colorless base - Processing negative color print filmColor print filmColor print film is the most common type of photographic film in consumer use. Print film produces a negative image when it is developed, requiring it to be reversed again when it is printed on to photographic paper....
in E-6E-6 processThe E-6 process is a chromogenic photographic process for developing Ektachrome, Fujichrome and other color reversal photographic film....
chemicals, resulting in a positive image but with the orange base of a normally processed color negativeNegative (photography)In photography, a negative may refer to three different things, although they are all related.-A negative:Film for 35 mm cameras comes in long narrow strips of chemical-coated plastic or cellulose acetate. As each image is captured by the camera onto the film strip, the film strip advances so that...
History
National Geographic Magazine
National Geographic, formerly the National Geographic Magazine, is the official journal of the National Geographic Society. It published its first issue in 1888, just nine months after the Society itself was founded...
pictures of the astronaut Alan Shepard
Alan Shepard
Alan Bartlett Shepard, Jr. was an American naval aviator, test pilot, flag officer, and NASA astronaut who in 1961 became the second person, and the first American, in space. This Mercury flight was designed to enter space, but not to achieve orbit...
were taken on HS Ektachrome and pushed in C22. They were then masked and corrected for printing in Life magazine and National Geographic.
Processes
Traditionally, cross processing color slide film in C-41 process chemicals is most common. Some commercial-level photography/darkroom merchants will perform this developing process. However, cross processing can take place in many other forms, such as negative color print film and/or positive color reversal film in a black and white developer.Other interesting effects can be obtained by bleaching color films processed in black and white chemistry using an hydrochloric acid
Hydrochloric acid
Hydrochloric acid is a solution of hydrogen chloride in water, that is a highly corrosive, strong mineral acid with many industrial uses. It is found naturally in gastric acid....
dichromate mixture or using potassium triiodide
Triiodide
In chemistry, triiodide can have several meanings. Triiodide primarily refers to the triiodide ion, I3−, a polyatomic anion composed of three iodine atoms. For some chemical compounds, triiodide indicates a salt of the named cation with the triiodide anion. Examples include sodium triiodide, ...
(KI3) solution. If these bleached films are then re-exposed to light and re-processed in their intended color chemistry, subtle, relatively low contrast, pastel
Pastel
Pastel is an art medium in the form of a stick, consisting of pure powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are the same as those used to produce all colored art media, including oil paints; the binder is of a neutral hue and low saturation....
effects are obtained.
Color cross processed photographs are often characterized by unnatural colors and high contrast. The results of cross processing differ from case to case, as the results are determined by many factors such as the make and type of the film used, the amount of light exposed onto the film and the chemical used to develop the film.
Cross processing effects can be simulated in digital photography by a number of techniques involving the manipulation of contrast/brightness, hue/saturation and curves in image editors such as Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is a graphics editing program developed and published by Adobe Systems Incorporated.Adobe's 2003 "Creative Suite" rebranding led to Adobe Photoshop 8's renaming to Adobe Photoshop CS. Thus, Adobe Photoshop CS5 is the 12th major release of Adobe Photoshop...
or GIMP
GIMP
GIMP is a free software raster graphics editor. It is primarily employed as an image retouching and editing tool and is freely available in versions tailored for most popular operating systems including Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac OS X, and Linux.In addition to detailed image retouching and...
; however, they lack the unpredictable nature of regular cross processed images. Some programs, such as online photo editor Picnik
Picnik
Picnik is an online photo editing service. It is headquartered in Downtown Seattle, Washington, United States. Currently it can import photos natively from Facebook, Myspace, Picasa Web Albums, Flickr, Yahoo Image search, Google Plus and also offers options to upload from a computer or to upload...
even have a cross process function.
Examples of cross-processing
- Tony ScottTony ScottAnthony D. L. "Tony" Scott is an English film director. His films include Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop II, The Last Boy Scout, True Romance, Crimson Tide, Enemy of the State, Spy Game, Man on Fire, Déjà Vu, The Taking of Pelham 123, and Unstoppable...
's 2005 film "Domino" was shot on color-reversal stock and cross-processed. Intentionally "blown out" and frequently shot at 6 frame/s, the film has a smeary, high-contrast look with a green-tendency. - James Eaves and Johannes Roberts' 2004 film HellbreederHellbreederHellbreeder is a 2004 horror/mystery film directed by James Eaves and Johannes Roberts and starring Lyndie Uphill.-Premise:Hellbreeder centers on a killer clown from Hell on a murderous rampage...
was shot on color reversal stock and then cross processed.