Digital BW, The Print

>Question: Does anyone make/sell a plug-in for Photoshop that acts like a
>"Variable Contrast" B&W enlarger head?
>
>Why doesn't someone make a plug-in that makes it easy to punch in varying
>contrasts and densities?   I am used to printing with Ilford VC heads on
>4x5 and 8x10 enlargers...

>Sorry, but it is easier for me to think and work in these
>terms.

I doubt that there is such a plug-in; but you don't need one because Photoshop "adjustment layer curves" allow easy application of varying contrast and densities, with more flexibility than in a darkroom and, with a calibrated monitor and an appropriate printer profile, you can see the result on your monitor without having to print. If you want these curve adjustment to apply to parts of your image, you make the appropriate "selection" which masks out the rest of the image. But to use this facilities in Photoshoop, I suggest that you forget about how you work with the enlarger, and learn how to work in Photoshop. But learning to use Photoshop effectively and efficiently requires a good deal of effort: no pain, no gain.

To learn Photoshop, I recommend two books: _Real_World_Photoshop_ by Blatner and Fraser and _Photoshop_Artistry_ by Haynes and Crumpler. The latter has tutorials but _Real_World_Photoshop_ is a better refernce book.