ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the fine print can be produced either from a digital or from a film original and considers the advantages and disadvantages of both conventional wet darkroom work and computer image editing for black and white. The image, however, is still locked in the medium and needs to be realised through either conventional darkroom work or through digital image-editing software and printing. Most digital image capture requires a mild contrast increase and this can be achieved through the curve control in whatever raw converter or image-editing software you use, as it gives a good visual indication of the degree of contrast applied. Dodging and burning is a very physical activity enjoyed by many darkroom workers as it gives a real feeling of interacting with the image-forming light. The major advantage of using digital negatives is the ability to retouch detail and easily change image contrast to suit different printing papers.
