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Film, Darkroom & Historic Processes

Solarisation

A partial tonal reversal produced by briefly exposing a print or negative to light part-way through development.

Measured in seconds

In depth

Strictly this is the Sabattier effect rather than true solarisation, which is a different phenomenon of gross overexposure. The re-exposure fogs the undeveloped areas while developed silver shields what is beneath it, producing reversed midtones and a characteristic bright line — the Mackie line — along tonal boundaries. Results are notoriously hard to repeat.

Examples in practice

A portrait solarised part-way through development shows a glowing outline traced around the profile.