Dye Transfer

The dye transfer process is a color process used to make copies of high quality from transparencies. In the dye transfer process, the colors of the photographic image are divided by means of optical filters into three components, each one registered in a separated gelatin negative. The three negatives become positives of relief in which the depth of the gelatin is related to the intensity of the color component. Each image is saturated with a dye of complementary color - the red one with cyan, the green one with magenta and the blue one with yellow so that the positives absorb the color respectivly. Once completed, the positives can be reused since they are only used to transfer the colors and not the gelatin. The dye transfer process is known for its great quality and fidelity in the reproduction of color, as well as by its matchless range of tones and shades and their durability. In spite of the perfect copies that this process produces, the process is losing popularity due to its laborious process and high cost.