Film Tinting

Film tinting is the process of adding color to black and white motion picture film, typically by soaking the film in dye so the emulsion is stained and the light shining through the print is filtered into a single overall color, unlike film toning, a related process that replaces the silver particles in the darkest areas of the image with colored silver salts while leaving the lighter areas largely unaffected. Tinting was extremely popular during the silent film era, and by 1920 it was used in roughly 80 to 90 percent of all films made.