An Exhausting Guide To Making Autochromes

An Exhaustive and Exhausting Guide

to the Autochrome Lumière Process

I started experimenting with making autochromes as far back as 2013, and they became my full time hobby in 2017. After three years and thousands of hours of experimentation, I think I'm finally at a point that I can publish the findings I've made thus far into a comprehensive guide. I believe in complete and total transparency, and it's my sincerest hopes that others can learn from what I've done and make their own autochromes too. The Lumiere Autochrome is a beautiful process, and deserves better than to be left behind merely as a distant colorful memory.

Part 1 - Manufacturing The Screen Plate

Part 2 - Making The Autochrome Emulsion

Part 3 - Exposure and Processing

The full autochrome gallery can be found here.

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Many thanks to the authors of "The Lumière Autochrome: History, Technology, and Preservation", Jean-Paul Gandolfo and Bertrand Lavédrine. Their research was immeasurably valuable, and I owe much to them.

Many additional thanks to Frédéric Mocellin, whose experimental work in autochromes heavily inspired my own. Thanks to Gavin McGuire, Nick Brandreth, Denise Ross, Jason Lane and Ron Mowrey. Their help over the years has been indispensable. Thanks to Katherine Greenleaf for coming up with a way more clever name for the guide.