The Essentials of Illustration / A Practical Guide to the Reproduction of Drawings & Photographs for the Use of Scientists & Others

by Thomas George Hill

Plate 11

THE HALF-TONE THREE COLOUR PROCESS.—This process is much used for colour reproductions of various subjects; and, in view of the fact that the best results can only be obtained by the best photography, the object should, if possible, be sent to specialists for reproduction. In many cases, however, this is impossible, e.g., landscapes and animal and plant portraits amidst their natural surroundings, so that the scientist, if unable to make a water colour drawing, which will give by far the best result, must make his own negatives.

The first thing to do is to purchase a set of colour-filters, adapted to the colour-correct plates to be used, from firms who specialize in these matters, Messrs. Paget or Messrs. Wratten for instance, and from them the inexperienced should obtain full information regarding exposure, etc., for it is essential that the exposure of the negatives should be correlated in order that all may have the same tone-value.

The colour-screens, blue, green and orange, are made by dyeing gelatine with suitable stains; the films are stuck on to perfectly plane glass and are mounted in frames. In practice these screens are usually placed behind the lens, in which case a special camera is necessary, or they may be adapted to fit on to the front of the lens. In either case the procedure is the same; three negatives are taken one after the other through each colour filter, the exposure being modified in order that the tones in each case may be of equal value.

There are thus obtained three negatives which, of course, yield positives which look very different one from the other. These prints may be sent to the block makers, but it is better, on the whole, to send the negatives with clear indications as to the colour of each.

From each negative there is made by contact a transparency, and from these positives there are prepared a set of half-tone negatives from which are made the half-tone blocks.

The reproductions are made by superposed printing of the three blocks, yellow being printed first, then red, and finally blue (Plate 12).