What is film contrast?
Contrast is a measure of the differences in the film densities. In other words, this is a measure of whether the film is black and white, or gray all over. Image sharpness is affected by the kVp and beam filtration (high kVp or high beam filtration reduces the film contrast), processing conditions (low developer temperature, short development time, or exhausted or not properly replenished developer) or contaminated developer solution will reduce contrast. In addition, contrast varies with the type and age of film used. Low contrast will make small details difficult to see and will also make it difficult to visualize larger structures in the image which are similar in density to the surrounding tissue, e.g., a tumor in soft tissue. Contrast is the optical density difference between two areas on the x-ray film that have received known exposures. Normal on left, low contrast on right.
