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Cross processing (sometimes abbreviated to Xpro) is the deliberate processing of photographic film in a chemical solution intended for a different type of film. The effect was discovered independently by many different photographers often by mistake in the days of C-22 and E-4. Color cross processed photographs are often characterized by unnatural colors and high contrast. The results of cross processing differ from case to case, as the results are determined by many factors such as the make and type of the film used, the amount of light exposed onto the film and the chemical used to develop the film. Cross processing has been used in a variety of photographic and cinematographic practices, most notably rising in popularity during the 1990s. Similar effects can also be achieved with digital filter effects.


Processes


Analogue

Cross processing usually involves one of the two following methods. * Processing positive color
reversal film In photography, reversal film or slide film is a type of photographic film that produces a positive image on a transparent base. Instead of negatives and prints, reversal film is processed to produce transparencies or diapositives (abbrevia ...
in C-41 chemicals, resulting in a negative image on a colorless base. * Processing negative color print film in E-6 chemicals, resulting in a positive image but with the orange base of a normally processed color negative. However, cross processing can take other forms, such as negative color print film or positive color reversal film in
black and white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white to produce a range of achromatic brightnesses of grey. It is also known as greyscale in technical settings. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, ...
developer. After the K-14 process was discontinued in 2010, cross processing in black and white is the only way to develop
Kodachrome Kodachrome is the brand name for a color reversal film introduced by Eastman Kodak in 1935. It was one of the first successful color materials and was used for both cinematography and still photography. For many years, Kodachrome was widely used ...
. Another form of cross-processing involves processing ECN-2 motion picture film in C-41 still picture chemistry, although doing so requires removal of the remjet layer before processing. This results in a higher contrast than normal, but without any effect on the colors. The results of cross processing differ from case to case, as the results are determined by many factors such as the make and type of the film used, the amount of light exposed onto the film and the chemical used to develop the film.


Digital

Cross processing effects can be simulated in digital photography by a number of techniques involving the manipulation of contrast/brightness, hue/saturation and curves. However, these digital tools lack the unpredictable nature of regular cross processed images. These digital techniques are most often executed in photo editing programs such as
Photoshop Adobe Photoshop is a raster graphics editor developed and published by Adobe for Windows and macOS. It was created in 1987 by Thomas and John Knoll. It is the most used tool for professional digital art, especially in raster graphics editin ...
, but can also be reproduced through filters in apps such as
Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
or VSCO.


Cross processing in artistic practice

Cross processing was most prominently used in fashion photography in the 1990s. Some notable pioneers of the fashion photography craze include Nick Knight and
Anton Corbijn Anton Johannes Gerrit Corbijn van Willenswaard (; born 20 May 1955) is a Dutch photographer, film director, and music video director. He is the creative director behind the visual output of Depeche Mode and U2,Pitman, Joanna"The silent partner" ...
. Cross processing has been used as a cinematography technique in various movies beginning in the 1990s. Some of these movies include '' Clockers'', ''
U-Turn A U-turn in driving refers to performing a 180° rotation to reverse the direction of travel. It is called a "U-turn" because the maneuver looks like the U, letter U. In some areas, the maneuver is illegal, while in others, it is treated as ...
,'' and ''
Get on the Bus ''Get on the Bus'' is a 1996 American drama film about a group of African-American men who are taking a cross-country bus trip in order to participate in the Million Man March. The film was directed by Spike Lee and premiered on the first annive ...
.'' Newton Thomas Sigel, who used the technique for the "Demon-Vision" sequences in '' Fallen,'' noted in a 1999 interview that "working with cross-processed film is a tricky thing", and that it is more difficult than working with still photographs.


Popular reception

It is overall unclear when cross processing became a prominent technique, with some believing that it began to rise in popularity in the early 1970s. By 1995, the technique was best known for its use in fashion photography. The rise in popularity is occasionally attributed to being an act of rebellion against the rise of
digital photography Digital photography uses cameras containing arrays of electronic photodetectors interfaced to an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) to produce images focused by a lens, as opposed to an exposure on photographic film. The digitized image is ...
, as cross processing was a very manual process that left much to chance. When cross-processing became more commonly used in the 1990s, development labs that offered the service for film were sparse due to film companies considering it to be a conflict of interest to process film using a competitor's technique. However, a major consequence of the rise of digital photography was that custom film labs that provided analogue cross processing began to shut down, and by the end of the 1990s cross processing fell out of popularity.


Gallery

File:Supermodels.jpg, Agfa CT Precisa 100 film, shot at EI 80 then cross processed with C-41 chemistry File:Seats and tables at Wikimedia Foundation office, cross processed.JPG, 200 ISO Lomography Slide/Xpro film, processed with C-41 chemistry File:Young man in bar, cross processed.JPG, 200 ISO Lomography Slide/Xpro film, processed with C-41 chemistry File:Ice Cream Dreams, by Chris Marchant.jpg, Kodak Color Plus negative film shot with a Holga, processed with E-6 chemistry


See also

* Redscale *
Photographic processes A list of photographic processing techniques. Color * Agfacolor ** Ap-41 process (pre-1978 Agfa color slides; 1978-1983 was a transition period when Agfa slowly changed their color slide films from AP-41 to E6) * Anthotype * Autochrome Lumière, ...


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cross Processing Photographic film processes Photographic techniques