Because of scanners and nice printers, it's easy to make digital reproductions of any photograph. Even old family photos can be copied without altering or destroying the original, when a digital (dry) process has been used. But it's a little trickier to make a real, wet-process copy, in black and white, on real photo paper (that's the kind with silver in it, kids).
Step 1
Scan your precious family photo.
Step 2
Move the file to the computer you'll be working at.
Step 3
Open the image file with the photo editing program. Crop it and do whatever else you want to make it look nice and the way it does in real life.
Step 4
Make sure the "color setting" or "mode" is set to grayscale (in Photoshop, it's under Mode).
Step 5
Use whatever feature your program has to "invert" the light and dark spots of the image. In Photoshop, there's an Invert option.
Step 6
Size the image to the size you want. Even if the original real photo was 4x6, you can make this an 8x10. The only upward size limit is the size of the transparency you'll be printing on, which for most of us is 8.5x11.
Step 7
Save your file. This is really important, so I'll say it again.
Step 8
SAVE YOUR FILE.
Step 9
Read the instructions on the transparency sheets. They have to be loaded into your printer a certain way, so that the ink prints on the rough side and not the slippery side, in which case you will have a huge mess.
Step 10
Load the transparency into your printer.
Step 11
Print your image. If your dialog box that comes up before you print has an option for what sort of paper you are printing on, choose "transparency."
Step 12
When the printer is done, very carefully and gingerly remove the print from the printer. You will need to not touch the printer area, and you will need to store the print in an undisturbed place, sticky/rough/inky side up for a few minutes to let everything dry. Even after everything is dry, be very careful not to get the print wet. This will cause the print to run, and you'll have to start over.
Step 13
Hoorah! You have now created a giant "negative" that you can use to make a contact print, just like you do with your sheet of cut-up developed negatives. Go to the darkroom with all your materials and set up as if you were making a regular contact print. A sheet of glass (clean and unscratched) is helpful for keeping the print-negative flat against the paper you want the new image to show up on. Remember, this is a contact print, so you don't have to lay the computer-printed image backwards.
Step 14
Now expose! You will almost certainly have to adjust the exposure to get a print with the same darkness and tones as the original photograph, but you can do it. I would suggest trying a very low light exposure and working your way to a higher light or longer exposure.
Step 15
Develop! Do your developing thing. If it turns out rubbish, try again. The rest you already know if you're a photographer.
Tips
- When you are "creating" the image in your image editing program, be sure to black out any areas such as borders which you will want to show up white in the final product.
- This method is a great way of making old photographs look older and grungier. Through image editing, you can create scratches, blotches and other signs of wear and tear that aren't in your original photograph. You can also theoretically block out unwanted family members, naked people, and so on as if they were never their.
Warnings
- You should probably ask the owner of the original photograph if they mind you reproducing it, especially if you are going to alter the image and make it look like a bona fide photo printed on real photo paper. However, most people will be delighted that their memories will be preserved.
- Don't swallow the photo chemicals or put them in your eye!
Things You'll Need
- Most importantly, you will need to already know how to use a darkroom to make photos. You'll also need the photo you wish to copy (and white cotton handling gloves if you want to be extra careful with it), a scanner, a photo-editing program, and some print-on transparencies. These are available at most office supply stores. You'll also need a printer with black ink in it. Aside from this, you'll need your photo paper and all your regular darkroom supplies (except, of course, for the negative).
