Enlarging

Enlarger, lens, contrast filters — turn a 35 mm frame into a wall.

From frame to wall

The enlarger projects your negative through a lens onto multigrade paper. A contrast filter decides how punchy the print gets.

The controls

contrast   grade 0 (flat) → 5 (hard)
exposure   seconds, via a timer
size       head height + lens
focus      grain-focuser, sharpest point

The grade

Print a flat scene at grade 4, a contrasty one at grade 1. The filter is how you rescue a negative that the film underexposed.