Mechanism of the Interimage-Effect in Color Reversal System and Its Application to Improve Color Reproduction

Home , Masking (art), Reversal film

Sadanobu Shuto, Shigeru Kuwashima, Shinsuke Bando and Shunji Takada Ashigara Research Laboratories, Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. Nakanuma, Minami-Ashigara, Kanagawa, Japan

Thus, the purposes of the present research publication Introduction are, (1) reviewing the up-to-date information about the mechanism of the interimage-effect in color reversal system, Interimage-effect is a development effect which is generated (2) showing visually and understandably the relation be- by the mutual development inhibition among emulsion tween the interimage-effect and the color reproduction by use layers with different color sensitivities, and one of the of the computer-simulation images, and (3) presenting an important factors to influence the color reproduc-tion of actual example of color reversal film design where inter- color films together with spectral sensitivity and spectral image-effect is utilized to improve the color reproduction. characteristics of dyes. By taking advantage of interimage-effect, one can pre- Experimental vent the degradation of color quality due to the unwanted absorption of dyes or spectral mixing and improve the color Experiments to clarify the mechanism of interimage-effect of reproduction. In case of color reversal films, an orig-inal color reversal system were performed by use of model multi- photographic image is directly used for appreciation, and the layer films besides actual multi-layer color reversal films. masking technique by colored couplers which is generally The model multi-layer film was prepared by coating on a used to compensate for the unwanted absorption in case of base, a red sensitive emulsion layer which forms a cyan dye color negative films, may not be utilized. Thus, the use of image as a causing layer of the interimage-effect, a green interimage-effect is a particularly important means to sensitive layer which forms a magenta dye image as a improve the color reproduction of color reversal films. receiving layer of the interimage-effect, and also a protective In case of color negative films, DIR (Development- layer on these emulsion layers. The sensitometric method Inhibitor-Releasing) couplers are generally used to generate proposed by Hanson and Horton3 was applied to investigate the interimage-effect. In such case, during the color the interimage-effect of these samples. Thus a comparison development of multi-layer color films, the development was made between the sensitometric data for the case where inhibitor is released from the emulsion layer where the DIR the film was singly exposed to light through one of a red, coupler is included, and it diffuses to other emulsion layers green or blue filter respectively and those for the case where to inhibit development of silver halide grains within those it was exposed to white light. The samples were developed layers, which results in the interimage-effect. by the conventional color reversal processing, E-6 On the other hand, in case of color reversal films, processing, and D-logE curves were obtained by measuring during the first development (black and white development) the cyan, magenta and yellow dye image densities. of color reversal processing, iodide ions released by develop- The interimage effect was also measured by another ment of silver halide grains in a certain emulsion layer play method besides the one above. Namely, after the film was the part of an inhibitor, and diffuse to other emulsion layers singly exposed wedgewisely to light through one of a red, to inhibit development of silver halide grains within those green or blue filter, and then it was singly exposed layers, which generates the interimage-effect. uniformly to light through an another filter. The exposed As for the mechanism of the interimage-effect of color films were developed by the color reversal processing, and reversal films, there is a paper by Groet1 , but after this, no the cyan, magenta and yellow dye image densities thus detailed paper including the new findings has been published. obtained were measured to get D-logE curves. Furthermore, there is almost none that describes visually and On the other hand, in order to apply the interimage- understandably the examples of improving the color effect for the color reproduction improvement technique to reproduction of color reversal films by use of the interimage- the actual color reversal film design, experiments were effect. performed by a computer to simulate visually the relation

between the gradation, interimage-effect and color the receiving layer are the smaller in the size, the more is reproduction of color reversal films. the interimage-effect. (5) The interimage-effect of color reversal system is Results and Discussion enhanced by use of the development inhibitors, for examples, as described in Sniadoch4 and Deguchi5,6 patents. Mechanism of the Interimage-Effect of Color (6) The interimage-effect of color reversal system is Reversal System enhanced imagewisely according to the amount of the In order to clarify the mechanism of the interimage- developed silver by the use of DIR (Development-Inhibitor- 7,8 effect, samples with varying factors of photographic Releasing)-HQ (Hydroquinone) . materials were prepared to measure the interimage-effect The mechanism of enhancing the interimage-effect by mentioned above, and the following results were obtained in the DIR-HQ is shown in Figure 1. regard to the mechanism of the interimage-effect. The exposed silver halide grains are reduced by the black (1) The interimage-effect is generated in the case where and white developer to yield developed silver, and at the samples are processed in the first developer (black and white same time, the oxidized products of the developer are formed. development) which includes silver halide solvents such as Then the oxidized products of the developer oxidize DIR-HQ potassium thiocyanate or sodium sulfite. to release the development inhibitors. These development (2) The interimage-effect is generated in the case where inhibitors diffuse to inhibit the development of undeveloped the silver halide emulsion of the causing layer includes silver halide grains, which results in enhancing the inter- silver iodide. image-effect. The results (1) and (2) above support the mechanism of Application of the Interimage-Effect to the the interimage-effect proposed by Groet1 that the interimage- Improvement of the Color Reproduction of effect of color reversal films is generated when the black and Color Reversal Films white developer includes a silver halide solvent, and also if From the experimental results on the computer to show the silver halide emulsion in the causing layer includes visually the relation of the gradation, interimage-effect and silver iodide, iodide ions are released to diffuse to the color reproduction of color reversal films as the simulated receiving layer and inhibit the solution physical images, there has been shown a possibility that a color development of the emulsion grains in this layer to cause reversal film characteristic of color reproduction may be the interimage-effect. materialized by controlling the gradation and the interimage- (3) The interimage-effect of color reversal system is effect properly. As actual application examples of color increased by adding a fogged emulsion as described in Groet reversal film products, Table 1 shows the line-up of color patent2, to the receiving layer. reversal films, Fujichrome, with ISO speed from 50 to 100, (4) Since the activity of solution physical development and their characteristics of color reproduction. of the silver-halide emulsion depends on the solubility of silver-halide grains, for example, if silver-halide grains in

o De ve l op ed Ag AgX S i l ve r

AgX AgX B l ack&Wh i t e Ox i d i zed Deve l ope r De v e l ope r

I nh i b i t o r D R Ox i da t ion e Mi g ra t i on n Cont ro l s w t h I D IR -HQ t y G I nh i b i t o r DI R-HQ

l ogE

Figure 1 The mechanism of enhancing the interimage-effect by the DIR-HQ

Table 1. Line-up of Fujichrome films and each film, the characteristics of the color reproduction their characteristics shown in Table 1 have been attained. As an example Film Name Characteristics of Color Reproduction illustrating the relation between the gradation and the Velvia 50 Ultra-high chroma and deep color interimage-effect, Figure 2 shows the D-log curves of red reproduction. sensitive emulsion layers of ASTIA 100 and PROVIA 100 PROVIA100 High chroma and general-purpose color by exposing them to white light and light through a red reproduction. filter. Figure 2 indicates that when exposed to white light, ASTIA 100 High chroma and faithful color reproduction, the highlight gradation of ASTIA 100 is softer than that of and smooth and beautiful reproduction of skin PROVIA 100, but that when exposed to light through a red color. filter, there is almost no difference in the gradation between PROVIA 100 and ASTIA 100. This shows that the The films shown in Table 1 have individual interimage-effect of the red sensitive emulsion layer of characteristics of color reproduction, and all features of high ASTIA 100 is great on the highlight part, and that ASTIA croma. To all of these films DIR-HQ is introduced, and the 100 has not only a rich tone reproduction with the soft increasing action of the interimage-effect by DIR-HQ as highlight gradation, but also maintains a high chroma described above is one of the important factors in realizing because of the great interimage-effect on the highlight part. the color reproduction with high chroma. Also, by controlling the gradation and interimage-effect properly for

3.0 AST I A1 00 PROVI A10 0

D e 2.0 n s I t Red y Wh i t e L i gh t 1.0 F i l t e r

0.0 -3.0 -2.0 -1.0 0. 0 1.0 l ogE

Figure 2 D-logE curves of red sensitive emulsion layers of ASTIA 100 and PROVIA 100 (white-light exposure and exposure to light through a red filter) 5. N. Deguchi, T. Kojima, H. Miyazaki, S. Ohno, and K. References Nakamura, Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd., U.S. Patent No. 4,740,454. 1. D. Neuberger, and N. H. Groet, S.P.S.E. 30th Conference, 6. N. Deguchi, T. Kojima, H. Miyazaki, S. Ohno, and K. 35-36 (1977). Nakamura, Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd., U.S. Patent No. 2. N. H. Groet, Eastman Kodak Co., Inc., U.S. Patent No. 4,788,132. 4,082,553. 7. S. Ishimaru, H. Ikeda, K. Sakanoue, K. Miyazaki, S. 3. W. T. Hanson,Jr. and C. A. Horton, J. Opt. Soc. Am., 42, Hirano, and J. Tamano, FUJIFILM RESEARCH & 663-669 (1952). DEVELOPMENT, 37,1 (1992). 4. H. J. Sniadoch, Eastman Kodak Co., Inc., U.S. Patent No. 8. Y. Shibahara, K. Yamada, and S. Ishimaru, FUJIFILM 5,041,367. RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT, 40,1 (1995).

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