Warm-tone developers

The most important skill a photographer can learn is how to adjust a formula to express a particular subject. For example, fine-art photographer, Paul Caponigro, has been known to mix varying proportions of warm-tone developer with cold-tone developer to create an altogether new tone for a specific subject or body of work. In printing, more than any other area of the darkroom, the only rules are those you make for yourself. 

Choose a warm-tone developer. This will enhance any warm tones inherent in the paper. 

Notes A derivative of hydroquinone, chlorhydroquinone was once a mainstay for warm-tone prints. Unfortunately, it is becoming increasingly hard to find, not because it is not useful as a warm-tone developing agent, but because it is both expensive and dangerous to manufacture. 

ID-78 is a modern PQ warm tone developer which is very close in its formula to Ilford Neutol WA . It works extremely well with modern papers. 

NOTE 2 If a stock solution is made up with no bromide or benzotriazole it can be varied from a cold/blue black developer to a warm-tone developer with the addition of benzotriazole or bromide. 

Prints to be blue-toned should be developed in Dassonville D-3 Autotoning Developer. (Other warm-toned developers can be used, but they will probably not give as deep a blue tone. A warm-toned print will give a deeper blue than a cool-toned print D-3 will give very warm-toned results and correspondingly deep blues.)... 

Alkali (accelerator) is nearly always sodium carbonate, with potassium carbonate often substituted for warm tone results. Sodium hydroxide is occasionally used, mainly to increase contrast sodium metaborate is found in universal developers. 

Changes and variations in image tone may not always be as glaringly apparent. Often the difference is subtle, so much so that someone viewing a print might not even be aware that it is neutral, cool, or warm, unless the fact is drawn to their attention, or they see an example of each, side-by-side. The simplest test to determine whether or not a paper is cold-, warm-, or neutral-toned, is to develop it for two minutes in a neutral tone developer such as D-72 and compare it to other papers developed similarly. If a paper is warm- or cold-toned the color can be seen in the shadows. 

This information can be quite useful. For example, giving a print more than the usual exposure and developing it for less than the normal time, say 45 seconds to 1 minute, will often enhance warm tones, especially with chlorobromide papers. Using a warm-tone chlorobromide paper and developer combination will further heighten this effect. With bromide papers the results may be less than satisfactory as the color may be muddy olive depending on the paper. 

Neutral Tones Neutral-tone developers produce images with the least amount of bias toward either warm or cold tones. This does not mean that some bias may not exist, depending on the paper, only that it will be less pronounced than if a warm- or cold-tone developer is used. 

Dilute a fresh developer with up to 50% used developer. If you like warm tones in your images, keep a bottle of used developer on the shelf for this purpose. Glycin-based developers work well. 

There are three ways to achieve cold tones. The first is through direct development of bromide paper. The second is through the gold-toning of a warm-tone chlorobromide paper. The third method is immersion in a blue-toning bath (Formulas Toners, Ansco 241 Iron Blue Toner). 

The B R process converts the metallic silver in a print back into clear silver halide by combining the metallic silver with a halide, or mixture of halides. Once the silver has been reconverted to a halide, the print is redeveloped with a toner, a toning developer, or any number of solutions that will cause the transparent halide to reappear, usually exhibiting a warm tone. 

The easiest method to achieve warm tones is to choose a paper that is susceptible through direct development. These include Ilford Multigrade FB Warmtone, Kentmere Kentona, and Fotokemika Emaks. Though there used to be many more papers of this variety manufacturers have moved away from making them in favor of neutral-tone papers.2 While this is a loss to fine-art photographers, warm tones can still be achieved—and in great variety—through the use of toners. 

With the right paper and developer combination, increasing exposure and using shorter development times will enhance warm tones. 

The quality of the negative plays an important part in the creation of warm tones by direct development. The best results are obtained from negatives of good contrast and printing density. 

BB solution was a proprietary liquid restrainer marketed by DuPont, once a leader in the manufacture of film and paper. When added to a developer it will create cooler tones on enlarging paper. It was reputedly used by Edward Weston in his amidol formula. According to Dody Thompson, Edward s former assistant and Brett s second wife, Edward may have tried it at one time but did not use it as he preferred warm tone images. Brett, on the other hand, preferred cooler tones and may well have used BB while it was available. 

PAPER For warm tones on papers, use without dilution and develop for about 2 minutes at 68F/20C. For colder tones, double the quantity of balanced alkali use without dilution and develop 1 to 2 minutes. 

Use this bleach to convert all silver metal to silver bromide in a print prior to using the redevelopment method of toning (Chapter 8, Printing Methods and Techniques Redevelopment Method). After rehalogenating, any toning developer, warm or cold, can be used to give the purest tones possible. 

Redevelop the print in any warm or cold toning developer. 

Gevaert G.262 Special Warm-Tone Paper Developer 253... 

Bromide is generally used in paper developers when a warm or neutral tone is desired. The more bromide, the warmer the tone, though too much bromide will inhibit development in the shadow areas and fogging may occur. 

Increase the amount of bromide. If the tones are not warm enough, add between 30.0 and 125.0ml of a 10% bromide solution. After that, increase by 30.0 ml until the image tone is satisfactory or fogging occurs (see Bromide and Carbonate, below). This works with most, but not all, developers. 

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