This article was generated entirely by an LLM called Script-Bot Creator. For a comprehensive breakdown of how this was made, you can view the full conversation thread here. Have fun reading, and know that everything below was created by Carleton Torpin… plus a ton of AI models working together.
Ai-generated digital negatives can bridge modern technology & historical photography. Ai image generators are incredible for creating digital art, but the results usually stay trapped on a screen. Today, we are going to turn those digital files into physical cyanotype prints.
A digital tablet displaying a black and white botanical illustration next to a physical blue cyanotype print of the same image — Generated image, made with Nano Banana 2
A cyanotype is a photographic print made using a light-sensitive chemical mixture and Ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun. As covered in Cyanotypes Part 1: How To Make Cyanotype Paper, the process usually involves placing physical objects onto the cyanotype-coated paper, but you can also use a digital negative to print cyanotypes.
To start, you need a high-contrast image, so black and white, with virtually no grey. I used Poe to access Recraft V3, which proved to be highly realistic in my previous What Is The Best Ai Image Generator? comparison. My prompt asked for a bold, black-and-white botanical illustration of fern leaves.
A computer screen showing a photo editing software inverting a black and white fern illustration into a negative — Generated image, made with Nano Banana 2
Once the image is generated, it costs roughly 4000 compute points to download. The next step is turning this positive image into a negative. You can use any basic photo editing software to invert the colors. The black lines become white, and the white background becomes black.
After inverting your digital image, print it onto a sheet of transparent projector film using a standard inkjet or laser printer. This transparency is your digital negative. The dark ink will block the sun, while the clear areas will let the UV light pass through to your paper.
A person’s hands placing a clear plastic transparency sheet with a negative fern image onto a piece of yellow-green coated paper — Generated image, made with Nano Banana Pro
Next, place your printed transparency on top of a sensitized sheet of cyanotype paper. Sandwich them together inside a contact printing frame or under a heavy piece of glass. This ensures the negative is pressed tightly against the paper, which keeps the final image sharp and in focus.
Take the frame outside and expose it to direct sunlight. Depending on the time of day, this can take between 1 to 60 minutes. You’ll probably see the exposed paper change from a yellow-green color to a dull bronze-ish.
A deep blue cyanotype print of a fern leaf soaking in a tray of clear water — Generated image, made with Nano Banana Pro
Finally, bring the your exposed cyanotype paper inside and wash it in a tray of cold water. The unexposed chemicals will wash away, revealing a beautiful, deep blue print of your AI-generated, tangible artwork.
If you want to experiment further with natural processes, you can try using plant pigments instead of cyanotype chemistry, which is called Anthotype printing. . You can find more about that process in Anthotype Printing – 3 Examples after 30 Days. Have fun!