Help & Tutorials

General Toning Tips

I speak with many photographers, some very experienced, who have great trouble achieving good, repeatable results by toning, to the point that many have given up on the idea of toning entirely, which is a shame, becuase toning can add so much to a print - opening up the tones, brightening the print, adding mood etc.
Toning is easy, but perhaps more than any other process for wet prints it is unforgiving of poor, sloppy workmanship and bad technique. Get your technique right and the results will follow.
These guidelines should be adhered to whether you intend to tone or not; poor workmanship may not show in your prints immediately, but it will eventually, and producing your work in a proper, professional way can only help you in your photography.
First, always use fresh chemicals. This point cannot be over-emphasized. Over-used and exhausted chemicals will leave your print blotchy and streaked.
Always develop for the full time; over-exposed and underdeveloped prints, and prints which have been over-developed will not give good results. (With the exception of lith prints, in which 'snatching' is a pre-requisite.)
Your prints should be properly fixed in fresh fixer, for no more than the recommended time. In fixing, more definately isn't better. Old over-worked fixer will still fix, but the previously SOLUBLE argento-thiocyanites become INSOLUBLE argento-thiocyanites, adhere to the fibres of the paper, and won't wash out, with the result of subsequent staining.
Washing must be to completion, and any recommended washing regime will be ok. The fix must be removed, though. Any residual fixer left in the emulsion will react with a potassium ferrycyanide bleach to form Farmer's Reducer - a bleach that is irreversible - a sure fire way to lose highlight detail.
Don't prod, poke or otherwise molest the image area of the print at any time - damage to the emuslion will occur, and whilst perhaps not readily visible in a straight silver print, this damage will come back to haunt you in any subsequent toning.
Usually, the bleaches as supplied and mixed will be far too strong; dilute these even further to achieve a reasonable complete bleaching time of around five minutes. A print that is bleached too rapidly will have bleached unevenly, and will also show up blotchy and streaky.
Wash your prints well between different toning/bleaching baths, but don't over-wash. Over-washing during toning can degrade the highlights.
Prepare your prints like this and you should have no trouble toning!