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Give your images a retro feel by mimicking cross processing, with George Cairns
The term cross-processing refers to a developing technique used in predigital chemical darkrooms. It involved deliberately developing print negatives using chemicals that were designed for use with slide film (or visa versa). The use of these incorrect chemicals resulted in a shift in colour and an increase in contrast. This darkroom technique created great stylized and eye-catching images. Cross-processed blues often took on a green hue, for example, while the shadows might feature a hint of magenta.
This editing process is still popular now, especially with fine art, fashion and stock photographers. In the days of the traditional darkroom the results could be a bit hit or miss, so you had to experiment to get the desired shifts in colour and tone. But Lightroom’s Color panel enables you to tweak and adjust individual colour channels to replicate almost any chemical combination you might desire. We’ll show you this, plus how to use the Graduated Filter to tease out more detail. This creative process elevates a standard photo to a more interesting level.