Old Technique

Back in the film days, I had a Kodak book which talked about taking a series of three pictures through different color filters (RGB if my deficient memory is still working). Whatever was stationary for all three of the exposures was rendered correctly, while anything that moved was rendered in either R, G or B (or combinations thereof).

Does anyone remember the name of that technique? The filters involved (although I might be able to google that if I know the process name)?

I can remember examples of trees and water ripples in the book.

Thanks in advance.

Exactly why I am trying to rediscover the process!  And to experiment both ways (never did it way back when).

Tom Axford wrote:

Interesting technique. I have never come across it before, but it should work with R, G and B colour separation filters.

It would be interesting to see an example of it done with a digital camera. Rather than use multi-exposure, it should be possible to take three separate images and combine them later in pp.

uncleskull wrote:

Back in the film days, I had a Kodak book which talked about taking a series of three pictures through different color filters (RGB if my deficient memory is still working). Whatever was stationary for all three of the exposures was rendered correctly, while anything that moved was rendered in either R, G or B (or combinations thereof).

Does anyone remember the name of that technique? The filters involved (although I might be able to google that if I know the process name)?

I can remember examples of trees and water ripples in the book.

Thanks in advance.

If you take a photo with a digital camera your sensor will gather the colour nformation from 3 sensor types seperatelly: each pixel has at least on red sensor, one blue and one green sensor. At least if you have a Bayer sensor.

https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/camera-sensors.htm

With many viewer or post-processing programms you can split up the information of each colour channel. The simplest program I know is Irfan View.

I don't see an advantage over the technique you describe - escept you have a camera that follows a strange colour management concept:

https://petapixel.com/2017/03/03/x-trans-vs-bayer-sensors-fantastic-claims-test/

For these cameras your technique may help to get clear information patterns for each colour seperately without the shortcomings of the sensor type.

Best regards

Holger

It was called the tricolor technique. I tried it, worked a treat! I used Gelatin filters by Wratten, they were designated for tri-color separations (i.e. the dye transfer printing process) I used #25 red, #47 blue and #58 green. Below is a link describing the process;

https://www.adorama.com/alc/0008199/article/The-Tricolor-Effect

As Tom mentioned, you can probably achieve this without filters using a digital camera.

Figured it would be a 25 Red Filter (great for B/W skies).  As others have said, taking the individual R, G and B channels of three separate pictures should work.  Will experiment with that.

This is akin to three additive darkroom exposures to make color prints.  Never did that; stuck with the subtractive YMC process.

Thanks everyone for your input!

That's the name I was looking for!  Thank you.  Until others suggested, never thought of combining individual RGB channels from from three exposures to achieve the effect.  That's my trouble, I still think "film."

A quick google revealed a lot of info on the subject.  Haven't had time to play (and out of town now), but will do some reading and try to experiment this week.

Thanks again!

artichokes wrote:

Are you maybe thinking of the "Harris shutter effect"?

I was playing with these photos today. Pretty easy process in Photoshop: put three images in three layers, and set the layer channel properties to one color each.

Thanks!

Mark Scott Abeln wrote:

I was playing with these photos today. Pretty easy process in Photoshop: put three images in three layers, and set the layer channel properties to one color each.

Harris Shutter is correct. I made one in the 1970's, and still have it. I don't recollect the filter numbers I used. The 3 filters are mounted in a strip, which slides into a sleeve mounted to the camera. Both ends of the strip are black. You lift the strip so the bottom black is blocking the lens. Set camera on bulb. Drop the strip, it acts as the shutter.

I only have this example accessible to me right now:

I use the devise on my Sony DSC-r1.

Dan

Thanks for the follow-up!  Love that prismatic effect in the flowing water.

Still haven't played with this yet.  Think I will start by trying combining RGB channels from different exposures.  Would love to come up the effect you have in your photo.

Flowing water might have to wait until spring in my neck of the woods (Green Bay, WI).

Be well.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Dannno wrote:

Harris Shutter is correct. I made one in the 1970's, and still have it. I don't recollect the filter numbers I used. The 3 filters are mounted in a strip, which slides into a sleeve mounted to the camera. Both ends of the strip are black. You lift the strip so the bottom black is blocking the lens. Set camera on bulb. Drop the strip, it acts as the shutter.

I only have this example accessible to me right now:

I use the devise on my Sony DSC-r1.

Dan

Just for fun, google 'three color strip technicolor'. How to make a color movie with three B&W film strips.

Never heard of that one.  Will look into that on Friday.

Happy Thanksgiving!

ChuckB wrote:

Just for fun, google 'three color strip technicolor'. How to make a color movie with three B&W film strips.

Here's my Harris Shutter:

Exactly how I envisioned it!  Thanks for posting.

Have a happy Thanksgiving.

Dannno wrote:

Here's my Harris Shutter:

I remember doing that myself in the late 60's, I think I read about it in one of the many photo magazines I got at the time. Unfortunately  I don't remember the name of it but it produced some interesting photos. I found that photographing fast moving streams produced the best results.

Jim,

I got into photography in about 1973. I think I made the Harris Shutter around 1975-76. I think I saw an article in Popular Photography about it.

My experience was also that best results were with water shots.

Dan