ABSTRACT
Most photographers have, at one time or another, created masterpieces of over- or under-exposure, over- or underdevelopment, and sometimes both. Negative reducers are used to subtract density from completely processed film that has been overexposed or overdeveloped. Reduction is not a controlled process and requires experience to achieve the correct negative densities. Cutting and proportional reducers are the most common types used. While there are about a dozen or so formulas available, the most widely used is Howard Farmer’s formula, which dates to 1883. Super-proportional reducers have the property of reducing the denser parts of the negative in preference to the middle tones and shadows. Print reduction is perhaps the best all-around after treatment and is a technique that should be known to all photographers. Prints that have been selenium-toned should only be reduced by the overall method, as the color of the print will change in the area that is bleached.
