Gelatin Dry Plate Surface View
Surface Sheen
The emulsion side and the glass or support side of the plate will have different surface sheens. The glass side will be very reflective while the emulsion side will appear more matte. It is important to determine the emulsion side of negatives as placing a plate emulsion side down on a table or light box may cause damage to the emulsion. It is also helpful to determine which way the image is right-reading.
Silver mirroring can be best seen using reflected light. Silver mirroring is caused by silver oxidation in which the silver image particles reduce to colorless silver ions, migrate to the surface of the gelatin binder and reduce back to smaller silver particles near the surface of the binder.
The emulsion side and the glass or support side of the plate will have different surface sheens. The glass side will be very reflective while the emulsion side will appear more matte. It is important to determine the emulsion side of negatives as placing a plate emulsion side down on a table or light box may cause damage to the emulsion. It is also helpful to determine which way the image is right-reading.
Silver mirroring can be best seen using reflected light. Silver mirroring is caused by silver oxidation in which the silver image particles reduce to colorless silver ions, migrate to the surface of the gelatin binder and reduce back to smaller silver particles near the surface of the binder.
What to look for: The emulsion side has a matte surface while the glass slide has a high gloss surface; for transparencies the matte emulsion side will be seen through the cover glass. Silver mirroring, a bluish metallic sheen in reflected light.
The emulsion side is more matte than the glass side, which will have a high gloss surface.
This is the emulsion side and varnish has been selectively applied for retouching.
Silver mirroring is best seen with reflected light.
Silver mirroring may also be present on transparencies.
Surface Texture
Gelatin dry plate negatives may have slight relief on emulsion side where the gelatin is thicker in the dark shadows where the most amount of silver is present. It is most visible where a shadow meets a highlight.
Gelatin dry plate negatives may have slight relief on emulsion side where the gelatin is thicker in the dark shadows where the most amount of silver is present. It is most visible where a shadow meets a highlight.
What to look for: Slight relief where a dark shadow meets a highlight.
Using specular light the gelatin appears thicker in the dark foliage of the tree.