What Is the Printing Filter Used for in Photography?

Black and White Printing Filters

• Your quest as a black and white film photographer is usually to shoot and process a perfect negative that when printed will produce deep black shadows and crisp white highlights with a full scale of grays in between. This seldom works out, but you can use photographic printing filters numbered from 0 to 5, variable contrast photographic printing paper and a process called split filter printing to adjust for the negative. Split filter printing allows you to expose differently sensitized emulsions on a single sheet of variable contrast photographic printing paper using separate filtration for highlights, shadows and the grays in between.

Color Printing Filters

• Your challenge when printing color negatives is a bit different. The three emulsion layers of color film have complimentary color layers in the emulsions of color photographic paper. You use color printing filters, incremented in percentages of the three colors, foremost to balance the color between the negative and the paper so that photographic prints reflect the true color of the image that was shot. You can also use color printing filters to shift the overall color of an image to compensate for light temperature color in the negative. For example, printing filters can help normalize the green cast of people photographed under florescent lights on daylight film when you print the negatives with the correct filtration.

Filter Each Manufacturing Lot

• So long as you shoot and process color film before its expiration date you should experience very little difference in color balance between manufacturing lots. Always write down the basic color filtration you use to print negatives. However, be aware you may experience significant color variations in photographic printing papers and it can take a significant number of wasted sheets from each lot to find the color balance. Always buy printing paper in the largest size package you can afford.

Printing Filters for Special Effects

• You may have occasion to use standard black and white and color printing filters to create special effects or you may from time to time purchase special effects filters. You may also need an ultra violet filter for your specific enlarger.