US1755129A - Method of making composite photographs - Google Patents

Description

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April 15, 1930.

R. J. POMEROY METHOD O F MAKING COMPOSITE PHOTOGRAPHS Filed July 14, 1926 /V WHITE NEG/17775 izq 4' afl/fz 0,050-

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Patentecl\ Apr. 1930- Y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- noY .I. PoIIEnoY, oF Los ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, AssIGNon or ONE-HALF To FAMOUS PLAYERS-LASKY CGRIORATION, OF LOS POBATION .0F NEW' VYOB-K vnIE'rIIoIJ oF MAKINGcoMI'osI'rE PIIoToGRAIIIs Application mea my 14, 192s. serial No. 122,562.

This invention has to do with methods of i making composite photographs, or with what is more commonly known -as a method 'of double exposure; the general object of such a method being to obtain upon a single photograph or film two or more images taken at different times or places. In motion picture photography such double exposure methods are used for the purpose of apparently plac-v ing an action in a scene or before a background foreign .to. the actual action.

In most, if not all, the present schemes of. double exposure, a plurality of films mustbe used,it being a more or less common practice to take the action on onefilm and the back-P ground on'another film, then print the two original films onto another on which the composite is obtained. It is one of the objects of this invention to provide a methodof obtain ing composite photographs or double exposure effects with the use of only one film or negative; and the invention also has further objects in the direction of simplicity, accuracy, ease of manipulation, etc., all as will best be understood from a consideration of the following detailed specification. v In this specification I set out the general method which is the subject matter of this application and which typifies and illustrates the invention, and also set out various modifications as to procedure and as to substances which maybe used in the method. Certain specific modifications are included in the broad subject matter here, but are the specific subject matter of a companion application filed on even date herewith, Serial Number 122,503. A i

I shall explain the method as for making a composite picture to show an action in a scene or before a background not actually associated with the action; but it will b well understood that the method can be use for obtaining composite photographs-of any desired subject. y y

Reference is had throughout the specification to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 shows the negative after exposure to the action;

Fig. 2 shows the exposed negative after developing Fig. 3 shows'the negative after bleaching; gig. 4 shows the bleached negative intensi- Fig. 5 shows the intensified negative after redeveloping Fig. 6 shows the negative after exposure to the background scene y Fig. 7 shows the negative after developing;

Fig. 8 shows the composite negative resulting after bathing in fixing solution;

Fiof. 9 shows another negative after expos sure Io action; y

V Fig. 10 shows the exposed negative after developing;

Fig. 11 shows the negative after being coated with pigmented casein;

Fig. 12 shows the negative after bleaching;

ANGEIi'Es, CALIFORNIA, A con- Fig.. 13 shows the negative with the casein 'Washedaway except the -hardened portion over the action image;

against a black or non-actinic ground so that the exposed negative will then'carry a latent image 10 of the action in a ground unaffected by light (see Fig. 1).

Next this film is developed in the usual manner but is not fixed at this time. then shows the image 11 of the action in a clear ground; but the clear ground and the unreduced silver salts in the image area are See Fig. 2, wherein shading of still actinic.

The film image does not represent color but black and" white tones.

Next, the film is bleached with a Water solution of quinones,` potassium bromide and acetic acid. A solution suitable for this puri pose will contain by weight: water 96.65 per'- l cent; quinones .55 percent; potassium bromide 2.8 percent. A slight amount of acetic acid may be used. This bleach has no effect on the `unexposed and undeveloped portions of the film, but transforms the developed parts of the lm to a reddish brown color, the

metallic silver being probably transformed to silver Oxy-bromide. See Fig. 5, Where the shading represents color.

Then the image on the film isintenslfied by treating `the film with a water solution of potassium or sodium carbonate or hydroxide. This solution again has no effect on the unexposed portions but intensifies the image to a` deep brown black (see Fig. 4) Next the film is re-developed with any non-staining develo er, such as amidol(diamidophenol hy droclhloride) or glycin (para-oxy-phenylglycine). Such developers will again metallize the silver but will not stain the film (see Fig. 5). Instead of intensifyin after bleaching the film may be treated wit a desensitizer that will act selectively on the bleached area. For instance, pheno-safranine, sodiumy bichromate,or pina-kryptol green, may be used for that purpose. These desensitizers appear to owe their selective action upon the film to the prior bleaching treatment.

Next the film with its redeveloped image vis washed and dried, ready for the secondexposure. At this stage of the procedure the lm has in it a redeveloped image. The' original exposure has :preferably been a slight over-exposure; and the intensification of the image after bleaching is sufficient when the film is re-exposed to hold back further light action throughout the area of the @first images. y It will be understood that the intensification products-are still present in the film at this stage of the procedure, surrounding the redevelopment products. The initial bleaching has transformed the develo ed metallic silver to a silver compound an is then intensified or spread by the intensification treatment.

With thelilm in this condition, the second exposure is then made, such exposure being typically to a scene or background. As will now be understood, this second exposure does not affect the previously exposed portions, but only the previously unexposed portions. The negative now carries a latent image 12 of the background scene (see Fig. 6).

Finally the film is again developed, andv then finally fixed' (Figs. 7 and 8). In thissecond development a developer is used as before, the developer having no effecton the intensification products, but bringing out the background image 13. A suitable fixer for use in the process is hypo. The fixing operation not only removes the unexposed silver salts, but also removes all the intensification product .to the point where the first image appears normal, thus leaving only the two normal images.

' In case a desensitizer is used' instead of intensifying, thev subsequent steps of the process are the same, the desensitizer being removed in the hypo.

The intensification products obtained in this method are a good mordant for certain basic dyes, and the action image can be dyed before the second exposureso that the action image will show up in color in the final And this, as will readily be understood, can be done without affecting parts of the film where no intensification products are present. Although various basic dyes may be used to obtain different colors, I may mention typically the following: fuchsine, safranine or chrysoidin.

In a variation of the method as here described, the film is first exposed to the action before the black ground and is then developed, as before described (Figs. 9` and 10). Then next the film is coated with' a thinlayer of casein or other colloid'carrying an opaque or non-actinic pigment which is neutral to the chemicals used inthe method. The pigand the casein where there is present me tallic silver. l.A quinone bleach, such as described before or a copper bromide bleach, is suitable for this purpose, but any bleach that will harden the casein locally may be used. Such a bleach transforms `the silver and hardens the gelatine and the casein by action with the chemical by-products of the silver bleaching. This hardened casein carrying its opaque or non-actinic pigment then becomes the protector of the previously exposed portions during the next exposure; and thus performs generally the function that is performed in the first described method by the intensification product. The lm then appears as in Fig. 12. y

Next the film is treated with dilute alkaline solution such as sodium or potassium hydroxide solution which washes ofi' the unaffected or unhardened parts ofthe casein; so that the previously unexposed portions of the film are then uncovered, while the previ'- ously exposed portions are left covered with the pigmented casein (see Fig. 13).

Then the film is washed and dried as before,

vand re-exposed as before (Fig. 14) and then is finally developedwith anyy suitable developer as amidol or glycin (see Fig. 15).

This final development not only re-develops Then the film is finally fixed with any suitable fixing solution las hypo; the pigmented casein is finally removed from the initial image by a stronger wash in alkaline solution (see Fig. 16). y

With proper control of the several operations involved in the methods herein de- `-scribed, the two iinal images are made to match each other very accurately, so that the action image then appears as if. it were naturally in the background imagef- Proper control for these purposes 'is not diflicult, being concerned mainly with the obtainance of the correct image intensities and the correct amount of bleaching and spread of the intensification products or of the hardening of the casein, so that the intensification products or the casein Will correspond as closely as possible with the outlines of the original action image.

I claim:

1. The herein described method of produc-l s ing composite photographs, that includes first exposing a limited portion of a fresh actinic surface to obtain thereon aofirst image, de-f veloping said first image, bleaching and in tensifying the developed image, redeveloping said image, exposing other portions of the surface, developing the whole surface with a developer thatwill not furtherl develop thev products of intensification, and Iinallyflxing.

ing composite photographs, that includes first exposinga limited portion of a fresh actinic surface to obtain thereon a rst image', de-

veloping said first ima e, the first exposure being over normal to o tain a dense image, bleaching the developed image with a quinone bleach to transform the reduced. silver, i11- tensifying the bleached image with an alkali hydrate to obtain intensifcationproducts immune to further light action, redevelopingthe image and carrying such redevelopment to the point of obtaining the normal image, leav-` ing the remainder of the intensification productsunaii'ected, exposing other portions of the surface, developin the whole surface, and finally fixing with a 'ng solution that removes the intensificationI roducts as Well as the undeveloped actiic si' ver salts.

In witness that I clain the foregoingV I' have hereunto subscribed my name this 30th day of June 1926.

' ROY J. POMEROY.

The'herein described method of produc.

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