Please access detailed information on over 250 individual film color processes via the classification system on this page, display the Timeline of Historical Film Colors in chronological order, search via the tag cloud at the end of this page or directly on the search page, or see the contributing archives’ collections through the header slides (click > on the header slide’s right hand side).
This database was created in 2012 and has been developed and curated by Barbara Flueckiger, professor at the Department of Film Studies, University of Zurich to provide comprehensive information about historical film color processes invented since the end 19th century including specific still photography color technologies that were their conceptual predecessors.
Timeline of Historical Film Colors is started with Barbara Flueckiger’s research at Harvard University in the framework of her project Film History Re-mastered, funded by Swiss National Science Foundation, 2011-2013.
In 2013 the University of Zurich and Swiss National Science Foundation awarded additional funding for the elaboration of this web resource. 80 financial contributors sponsored the crowdfunding campaign Database of Historical Film Colors with more than USD 11.100 in 2012. In addition, the Institute for the Performing Arts and Film, Zurich University of the Arts provided a major contribution to the development of the database. Many further persons and institutions have supported the project, see acknowledgements.
Since February 2016 the database has been redeveloped in the framework of the research project Film Colors. Technologies, Cultures, Institutions funded by a grant from Swiss National Science Foundation, see project details on SNSF grant database.
Follow the links “Access detailed information ›” to access the currently available detail pages for individual processes. These pages contain an image gallery, a short description, a bibliography of original papers and secondary sources connected to extended quotes from these sources, downloads of seminal papers and links. We are updating these detail pages on a regular basis.
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Audibert
Year
1911
Principle
Additive 3 color: Prism
Invented by
Rodolphe Berthon and Maurice Audibert
Description
“R. Berthon and M. Audibert patented a method of obtaining a virtual image by means of an anterior lens and prisms or mirrors. This idea was further improved upon in E.P. 17,023, 1913. In F.P. 458,040 Audibert proposed to use a negative front lens forming a virtual image and three positive lenses in rear to form coplanar images. T. Thorier stated that this arrangement considerably reduced parallax because the virtual image taken up by the positive lenses has but little depth of field.“
(Klein, Adrian Bernhard = Cornwell-Clyne (1940): Colour Cinematography. Boston: American Photographic Pub. Co.. 2nd revised edition, p. 304.)
Credit: Cinémathèque française, conservatoire des techniques, Paris.
Dr. N. (1937): Linsenraster. In: Film-Kurier, 183, 2.8.1937, Serie “Farb-Film-Fibel”. (in German)
View Quote
Klein, Adrian Bernhard = Cornwell-Clyne (1940): Colour Cinematography. Boston: American Photographic Pub. Co.. 2nd revised edition, p. 304-305. View Quote
“R. Berthon and M. Audibert [4] patented a method of obtaining a virtual image by means of an anterior lens and prisms or mirrors. This idea was further improved upon in E.P. 17,023, 1913. In F.P. 458,040 Audibert proposed to use a negative front lens forming a virtual image and three positive lenses in rear to form coplanar images. T. Thorier [5] stated that this arrangement considerably reduced parallax because the virtual image taken up by the positive lenses has but little depth of field. If f is the focal length of the divergent lens all the field included between a distance d and infinity is compressed into a space practically equal to f 2/ d. And calling F the foci of the posterior lenses, R the ratio of the final image to the aerial image, the distance D of the nearest point which can be satisfactorily taken is found from f / F (2 + R + 1 ⁄ R). The ratio system of the complete system is 1 / n (R + 1), in which 1 / n represents the ratio aperture of the posterior lenses. It is easy by making R < 1 to increase the luminosity of the lenses.
In E.P. 355,835 this principle was further modified (Fig. 126). C, D, is a divergent objective. O1, O2, O3, are lenses producing three images on the sensitive surface M. The divergent objective has its nodal points N1, N2, in advance of the lenses, so that the aperture of the objectives O1, O2, O3, can be increased or the total length of the apparatus reduced. The focal lengths of lenses C and D are respectively 250 and — 90 mm., and these lenses are mounted so as to be almost in contact.
The Audibert optical system may have certain minor defects from an academic point of view, but these would probably turn out to be less than the errors encountered in three-colour superposition printing. There would probably still be found to be a small amount of parallax, even taking into consideration the shallow depth of field of the virtual image. Other defects, such as coma, might also be present.
REFERENCES
(4) BERTHON, R., and AUDIBERT, M., E.P. 24,809 (1911).
(5) THORIER, T., Phot. Rev., 32, (1920), 49.”
(Klein, Adrian Bernhard = Cornwell-Clyne (1940): Colour Cinematography. Boston: American Photographic Pub. Co.. 2nd revised edition, p. 304-305.)
“LINSENRASTER
Das Linsenraster als optisches Raster bewirkt die Zerlegung des im Objektiv erscheinenden Bildes in kleinste photographische Bildelemente. In Verbindung mit Farbfiltern im Objektiv bewirkt das Linsenraster die Zerlegung in kleinste Farbauszug-Bildelemente.
Als Linsenraster-Verfahren zur Aufnahme und (add.) Wiedergabe von Farbfilmen ist jedes Verfahren zu bezeichnen, bei dem eine Vielzahl von Prismen (Linsen), in bestimmter Anordnung als Prägemuster auf dem Schichtträger liegend, im Verein mit Farbfiltern im Objektiv dazu dient, Teilaufnahmen von jedem einzelnen Punkt des Aufnahmegegenstands zu machen und dadurch Farbauszüge in einer lichtempfindlichen Schicht als ineinander geschachtelte Rasterbilder zu gewinnen. Als Farbfilter wirkt dabei ein dreifarbiges Streifenfilter in der Blende des Objektivs. Im umgekehrten Strahlensang und bei genau gleichen Verhältnissen zwischen Raster, Filter und Blendenöffnung ergibt die zum Diapositiv entwickelte Aufnahme (oder die Kopie auf Linsenraster-Positiv) im durchscheinenden Licht einer weißen Projektionslampe das naturfarbige Abbild des Aufnahmegegenstandes.
Seit l882 Verwendung von Loch- und Strichrastern in der Fotografie zur Herstellung von Autotypien, von Stereo- und Umspringbildern in einer Schicht; 1895 Spaltraster mit Filtern zur Herstellung von Farbauszugbildern beschrieben von R. E. Liesegang. 1908 verwenden R. Berthon und M. Audibert (1910) ein Ringprismenobjektiv als Raster. 1918 Keller-Dorian (Waffellinsenprägung auf der Blankseite des Schichtträgers, später Zylinderlinsen in Längs- oder Querriffelung). Praktische Verwertung in Frankreich durch Idochrome u. a., in England durch Moviecolour, in USA. durch Kodacolor (bis 1934), in Deutschland durch Agfacolor (opt.: bis 1936). Seit 1930 Schweizer Opticolor A.G. als Holding-Gesellschaft für Berthon-Patente; in Deutschland als Berthon-Siemens-Verfahren wesentlich weiter entwickelt und 1936 veröffentlicht.
Durch die Verwendung des Linsenrasters bei der Aufnahme wird der Belichtungsspielraum sehr eingeengt, ebenso erfordert die Vorführung von Linsenrasterfilmen wesentlich erhöhte Lichtstärken und besondere Projektionsoptik.”
(Dr. N. (1937): Linsenraster. In: Film-Kurier, No. 183, 2.8.1937, Serie “Farb-Film-Fibel”.) (in German)
