Return to Glossary Index Color & Early Processes
Tinting & Toning
Core Term Definition
Early mechanical methods of applying color to black-and-white film stocks using chemical dyes or metal baths.
Technical Analysis & Context
In the silent era, film color was applied physically. Tinting involved bathing processed film in dye, coloring the transparent highlight areas. Toning replaced the metallic silver in the emulsion with a colored metal salt, leaving the highlight areas clear while coloring the dark, silver-heavy shadow areas.