Tonal value help needed.

[Your Old Dog]

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I'm shooting an M9, LR3 soup and Epson 4900 printer.

 

I can produce old fashioned looking sepia tone prints just fine but I don't really care for them. I would like to produce prints with a tone similar to many I see here on the forum but can't seem to find the magic setting for toning. IKDIGITAL seems to do a great job on his, I am shooting for a similar result. Any suggestions I can try?

 

I think part of my problem is that my eye adjust for the tone as I go and therefore I don't notice it so much if/when I find it? Hope that makes sense. (there is a latency in my vision wherein some of what I am seeing is colored by what I have just seen historically if only by a second....hope that makes sense?) When I do it I seem to get sepia or cool blue look and nothing inbetween?

 

Thanks for any suggestions, you guys are great for helping.

Ray.......

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[Jeff S]

Still haven't moved to LR 4?

 

To understand toning, one needs to print IMO. And, toward that end, there are myriad variables and approaches, including the use papers with differing tones and textures. So, too, do Epson print settings impact use of color inks, even for b/w prints. Then there are changes one experiences under different lighting and print display conditions.

 

All of this is personal, and comes from experience. But, it helps to understand how all the LR controls work, too. Again I refer you to the tutorials mentioned on the other thread. In particular you may want to explore the use of color and tone options, including the more subtle possibilities afforded by split-toning (highlights/whites versus shadows).

 

Forget about comparing screen shots; you never know what's showing up on someone else's monitor.

 

BTW, LR 4 (unlike 3) provides for local adjustments to color temp and tint.

 

Jeff

[IWC Doppel]

I personally like the warmer papers, the LuLa videos are good and experimentation is key

 

If you can calibrate your screen then try split toning with something like 50-55 for hue in the highlights, saturation say 10, 45+ for the balance and 205-210 for the shadows and around 5 or so.

 

I have also added a little cool tone to B&W on warm paper which works quite well