Toning Prints

Once you have printed an image, you can post process if you feel the image would benefit from some extra work. One post processing technique which is widely used is toning.

Toners such as sepia will lighten an image while blue toner will intensify it. This should be anticipated when making the original print i.e. you may want to underdevelop the print slightly if using sepia, as the end result will be lighter.

Colour will vary in your results depending on the paper type or brand.

Use toning to improve tonal richness and increase permanence with sepia or add a coolness to the image with blue toning.

Blue Toning

• Use A and B chemicals in equal parts at any temperature. Pour the blue tone solution into a tray. You need just enough solution to cover a print


• Slide the print into the tray in one smooth motion


• Wear gloves so as not to contaminate the print (your finger prints will leave marks)


• When you are happy with the toning of the print, remove and wash under a tap thouroughly


• Blue tone generally darkens the print and will not be as permanent as the original
  
  The 2 images below show the original print, and then the blue toned print as scanned in from my workbook from college. they are not particularly great images! I just used them to experiment with the toning technique. You can clearly see that the blue tone really darkens ths image.

Original Print


Blue Toned Print



Sepia Toning

• You will need two trays


• In the first mix 1 part bleach to 5 parts water


• In the second mix Sepia A and B equally and then add 17 parts water


• Slide the print into the bleach tray. The longer the print stays in the bleach, the more pronounced the sepia tone will be


• Move the print into the sepia tray and watch the yellow form on the print


• wash the toner off afterwards until the yellow hue around the edge of the print has gone


• Sepia toned prints are as permanent as the original print

Sepia Toned Print