Building the Highlight Mask

With the positive and shadow mask together in a contact printing frame, exposure is made with the opal glass or plastic sheet covering the printing frame under the enlarger with original negative removed and even illumination covering all of the contact printer.

TEST:  [Note: This is done in tandem with the negative test]

•    Make a guess at the exposure time and development concentration and time.
•    Expose a small piece of 2556 film cut from a piece of film from the same box as will be used.

        Choose the same part of the image that was selected for the negative.
•    Develop at concentration for time
•    stop
•    fix
•    rinse
•    evaluate on light table

Repeat above TEST steps until the highlight mask looks right when registered with the negative.
Enter date, image size, f-stop, exposure time, developer concentration and time into notebook
 

MAKING THE HIGHLIGHT MASK:

•    Expose a sheet of 2556 film for the exposure time
•    Develop at the concentration and time
•    Stop  20 sec.
•    Fix  1 - 2 min.
•    Rinse  1 min.
•    Hypo clear 1 min.
•    Wash  10 min.
•    Wet  30 sec.
•    Dry

After rinsing the negative and highlight mask may be viewed in registration to check if fine adjustments are needed such as increasing or decreasing densities locally.
 

 
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