Photographic element having layer for increasing image sharpness

Abstract: A photographic element is disclosed that comprises a support having thereon spectrally-­ sensitized light-sensitive silver halide, a color dye-forming coupler, a non-diffusible DIR compound capable of inhibiting development of the silver halide, and, between the silver halide layer and the source of the image exposure, a layer comprising a non-diffusible filter dye that absorbs light in the region of the spectrum to which the silver halide is sensitized.

Description: This invention relates in general to photography and specifically to photographic elements having layers for increasing image sharpness. When light enters a photographic element and strikes a light-sensitive emulsion layer, a portion of that light is reflected back toward the surface of the element. This effect is known as "back-scatter". When the back-scattered light reaches the surface of the element (i.e., the element/air interface), this light can then be reflected back into the element. This effect is known as halation". The back-reflected light can then expose portions of light-sensitive layers at large lateral distances from the initial point at which the light entered the element, thus leading to losses in sharpness of the image formed in the element. Similar losses in sharpness can also occur when back-scattered light is reflected back into a photographic element by overlying scattering materials such as silver halides. It is known, as disclosed in U.S. Patent 4,312,941, to incorporate in an number layer of a photographic element, a filter dye in order to absorb back-scattered light to reduce the amount of light that is back-reflected into the element. It has also been known to use development inhibitor releasing (DIR) compounds in photographic elements for a variety of purposes. A primary reason for using such compounds is to improve the sharpness of the image formed in the photographic element. By inhibiting development (and consequently, image formation) at the center of an area of exposure, the DIR compounds enhance the edge of the image area, thus improving sharpness. This improvement, however, is unrelated to the amount of back-reflection of light in the element. European Patent Application Publication No. 208,502 discloses color photographic elements having a DIR compound that releases a diffusible development inhibitor or precursor thereof [hereinafter referred to as a diffusible DIR] in combination with a set of red and green non-diffusible filter dyes in order to improve the edge effect of the photographic image produced by the element. There is no teaching, however, that any improvement could be obtained with a non-diffusible DIR compound. Diffusible DIR compounds, however, are known to exhibit interimage effect. Interimage effect occurs when the development inhibitor moiety released in one layer diffuses to another layer, causing unwanted inhibition (e.g., development inhibitor released imagewise according to the green record diffuses to the red-sensitive layer and inhibits development). This can be a significant disadvantage to certain color photographic materials, such as motion picture intermediate films. Also, the interimage effect of diffusible DIR's can be a limiting factor on the amount and type of DIR that can be incorporated, limiting the degree of sharpness improvement that can be obtained. Therefore, it is known in the art to use DIR's that release non-diffusible development inhibitors or precursors thereof [hereinafter referred to as non-diffusible DIR's]. Such non-diffusible DIR's are described, for example, in U.S. Patents 3,148,062, 3,227,554, 3,733,201, 3,617,291, 3,703,375, 3,617,291, 3,265,506, 3,620,745, 3,632,345, and 3,869,291. These non-diffusible DIR's, while they improve the sharpness of images in photographic elements in which they are used, still sometimes do not provide the degree of sharpness improvement desired. It has now been found that by incorporating in a photographic element both a non-diffusible DIR compound and a non-diffusible filter dye, surprisingly large improvements in image sharpness can be obtained. The non-diffusible DIR compound is preferably located in a layer of the photographic element comprising spectrally-sensitized light-sensitive silver halide and a color dye-forming coupler, but can also be in a different layer as long as it can inhibit the development of the above-mentioned silver halide. The non-diffusible filter dye is a dye that absorbs light in the region of the spectrum to which the above-mentioned silver halide is sensitized, and is located in a layer between the silver halide layer and the source of the image exposure. The non-diffusible DIR compound used in the invention can be any non-diffusible DIR that is useful to improve image sharpness in photographic elements. Such DIR's are well-known in the art and are generally of the formula: COUP-INHIB where COUP represents a coupler group that cleaves from INHIB upon reaction with oxidized developer and INHIB represents an development inhibitor group. Hydrazide based releasers, as in Harder U. S. 4,684,604, hydroquinone releasers as in U.S. 3,379,529 and U.S. 3,639,417 and heatable releasers as in U.S. 4,678,739, are other examples of inhibitor releaser suitable for use in this invention. The inhibitor group may include a so-called 'switch' or timing group functionality, causing it to be activated or deactivated by certain chemical reaction sequences, such as intramolecular elimination reactions or intramolecular or intermolecular nucleophilic displacement reactions after a certain time period has passed from the coupling-off reaction. Useful DIR's also include non-diffusible DIR compounds where the inhibitor group is linked to the coupler group through a timing group as described in Lau U.S. Patent 4,248,962, quinone-methide switch compounds of U.S Patent 4,409,323, formaldehyde switches as in Harder U.S. Patent 4,684,604, redox switches as in U.S. 4,678,743 and U.S. 4,618,571, and multiple switches as in U.S. 4,698,297, DIR's that release self-deactivating inhibitors of U.S. Patent 4,477,563, oxime switch releasers of German OLS 3,319,428, mixtures of DIR compounds as described in U.S. Patent 4,015,988, EP 88,563, Japanese Kokai 59/59962 and 59/149354, East German 238281, and German OLS 3,506,805, as well as mixtures of DIR compounds and development accelerators as described in U.S. Patents 4,153,460, 4,484,731, 4,618,571, and Japanese Kokai 60/153039 and 61/121842. Many of the above references describe both diffusible and non-diffusible DIR's. One skilled in the art can easily determine which of the specific DIR's disclosed would be non-diffusible and useful in the practice of the present invention. By non-diffusible DIR, it is meant that the DIR's are to be considered outside the scope of the above-referenced EP 208,502. Non-diffusible DIR's useful in the present invention include those having a degree of diffusion of less than 0.34 on reacting with an oxidation product of a development agent during development, as defined and described in European Patent Application Publ. No. 114,675. According to that publication, the degree of diffusion is defined by the following method: A multilayer color light-sensitive material is prepared by providing the layers as described below. This material is designated as sample H. First Layer: Red-Sensitive Layer A silver iodobromide emulsion (silver iodide: 5 mol%, mean size 0.4 µ) is provided with sensitivity by adding a sensitizing dye, anhydro-5,5′-dichloro-3,3′-di(γ-sulfopropyl)-9-ethyl-thiacarbocyanine hydroxide pyridinium salt, in an amount of 6x10⁻⁵ mol per mol of silver. A gelatin coating solution containing this emulsion and a coupler having the formula: in an amount of 0.0015 mol per mole of silver is coated so that the silver coverage is 1.8 g/m² (film thickness: 2 µ). Second Layer: Gelatin Layer This gelatin layer contains polymethyl methacrylate particles (diameter: about 1.5 µ) and the non-spectrally sensitized silver iodobromide emulsion used in the first layer (silver coverage: 2 g/m², film thickness: 1.5 µ). Each layer contains a gelatin hardener and a surfactant as well as the above-described ingredients. A color light-sensitive material is prepared that is identical to sample H except that the second layer does not contain silver iodobromide. This material is designated as sample G. Samples G and H are each exposed to light through a wedge and processed in the same manner as described in Example 1 of EP 114,675 except that the developing time is changed to 130 seconds. A development inhibitor is added to the developer until the density of sample G drops to 1/2 of the original value. The degree of reduction in the density of sample H at this time is the measure of diffusibility of the development inhibitor. Non-diffusible DIR'S are described, for example, in U.S. Patents 3,148,062, 3,227,554, 3,733,201, 3,617,291, 3,703,375, 3,617,291, 3,265,506, 3,620,745, 3,632,345, and 3,869,291. Methods for making DIR's useful in the invention are well-known in the art, and are described in the above-mentioned DIR Patents. The amount of non-diffusible DIR present in the element of the invention can be any amount known to be useful, as described in any of the above-mentioned references, and is generally between 10⁻¹ and 10⁻⁴ moles of DIR per mole of silver halide. The light-sensitive silver halide useful in the practice of the invention can be any of the known types, including conventional silver halide emulsions as described in Research Disclosure , Item 17643, December, 1978 [hereinafter referred to as Research Disclosure I ] and tabular grain silver halide emulsions as described in Research Disclosure , Item 22534, January, 1983. The amount of silver halide can be any amount known to be useful in photographic elements, and will generally be from 0.5 to 21.5 g/m². The silver halide is spectrally-sensitized with any of a number of known sensitizing dyes, as described in Research Disclosure I . These dyes include cyanines, merocyanines, complex cyanines and merocyanines (e.g., tri-, tetra-, and poly-nuclear cyanines and merocyanines), oxonols, hemioxonols, styryls, merostyryls, and streptocyanines. The cyanine spectral sensitizing dyes include, joined by a methine linkage, two basic heterocyclic nuclei, such as those derived from quinolinium, pyridinium, isoquinolinium, 3H-indolium, benz[e]indolium, oxazolium, thiazolium, selenazolinium, imidazolium, benzoxazolinium, benzothiazolium, benzoselenazolium, benzimidazolium, naphthoxazolium, naphthothiazolium, naphthoselenazolium, thiazolinium, dihydronaphthothiazolium, pyrylium, and imidazopyrazinium quaternary salts. The merocyanine spectral sensitizing dyes include, joined by a methine linkage, a basic heterocyclic nucleus of the cyanine dye type and an acidic nucleus, such as can be derived from barbituric acid, 2-thiohydantoin, 4-thiohydantoin, 2-pyrazolin-5-one, 2-isoxazolin-5-one, indan-1,3-dione, cyclohexane-1,3-dione, 1,3-dioxane-4,6-dione, pyrazolin-3,5-dione, pentane-2,4-dione, alkylsulfonylacetonitrile, malonitrile, isoquinolin-4-one, and chroman-2,4-dione. Oxonols, hemioxonols, styryls, merostyryls, and streptocyanines are known in the art and are disclosed in, for example, Hamer, The Cyanine Dyes and Related Compounds , 1964 and James, The Theory of the Photographic Process 4th , 1977. The amount of sensitizing dye can be any amount known in the art to be useful for spectral sensitization of silver halide. Optimum dye concentration levels can be chosen by procedures taught by Mees, The Theory of the Photographic Process , 1942. The sharpness improvement provided by the present invention is most strongly observed in red-sensitive and green-sensitive silver halide emulsions. Thus, sensitizing dyes that sensitize silver halide in the red or green portions of the spectrum are preferred. One or more spectral sensitizing dyes may be used to achieve a desired spectral sensitization of the silver halide as well as to achieve results such as supersensitization, as discussed by Gilman in Photographic Science and Engineering , Vol. 18, 1974, pp. 418-30. Examples of supersensitizing dye combinations include those disclosed in McFall et al U.S. Patent 2,933,390, Jones et al U.S. Patent 2,937,089, Motter U.S. Patent 3,506,443, and Schwan et al U.S. Patent 3,672,898. The color-forming coupler can be any of a number of well-known color-forming couplers, as described in Research Disclosure I . The coupler preferably forms a non-diffusible dye that is generally complementary to the color for which the silver halide is sensitized. For example, if the silver halide is sensitized to red, the coupler would form a cyan dye, a magenta dye for green-sensitive silver halide, and a yellow dye for blue-sensitive silver halide. Useful color couplers are disclosed in Salminen et al U.S. Patents 2,423,730, 2,772,162, 2,895,826, 2,710,803, 2,407,207, 3,737,316, and 2,367,531, Weissberger et al U.S. Patents 2,474,293,2,407,210, 3,062,653, 3,265,506, and 3,384,657, Bailey et al U.S. Patent 3,725,067, Lau U.S. Patent 3,779,763, Lestina U.S. Patent 3,519,429 and Whitmore et al U.S. Patent 3,227,550. Numerous additional color dye-forming coupler patents are disclosed in Research Disclosure I . The non-diffusible filter dye may be any of a number of known non-diffusible filter dyes or antihalation dyes. By non-diffusible, it is meant that little or none of the dye will migrate out of the layer in which it is coated before the element is exposed. The filter dye may be retained in its entirety in the photographic element after processing or may be such that less of the dye is retained after processing. Also, the color of the dye may change during processing. During photographic development (generally in high pH, e.g., 9 or above, sulfite-containing processing solutions), bleaching, or fixing, the dye is preferably decolorized and/or removed from the element. Decolorization and/or removal is preferable since the resulting image is easier to print or view directly. The non-diffusible filter dye absorbs light in the region of the spectrum to which the silver halide layer of the element of the invention is sensitized. While the dye will generally absorb light primarily only in that region, dyes that absorb light in other regions of the spectrum as well as the region to which the silver halide is sensitized are also useful in the practice of the invention. A simple test as to whether the non-diffusible filter dye is useful in the practice of the invention is if the speed of the silver halide layer of the element of the invention is less when the filter dye is present than when it is not present, the filter dye is useful in the practice of the invention. The filter dye may be a diffusible acidic dye that is rendered non-diffusible by incorporating a base group-containing polymeric mordant for the dye in the dye-containing layer. Such dyes preferably have a sulfo or carboxy group. Red- or green-absorbing dyes are preferred, corresponding to the above-described preferred red- or green-sensitive silver halide emulsions. Useful dyes are generally acidic dyes of the azo type, the triphenylmethane type, the anthraquinone type, the styryl type, the arylidene type, the merocyanine type, the oxonol type, and others known in the art. Polymer mordants are well-known in the art and are described, for example, in U.S. Patents 2,548,564, 2,675,316, 2,882,156, and 3,706,563. In a preferred embodiment, the filter dye is a solid particle dispersion of a dye that is insoluble at coating pH's, but soluble at processing pH'S, as described in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 07/073,257 and in the PCT Application Publication No. WO 88/04794. Additionally, the filter dye may be a colored image dye-forming coupler as disclosed in Research Disclosure I . The color of such a filter dye may be changed during processing. The filter dye may be a pre formed image coupler dye, which would generally remain in the film after processing. The filter dye may also be a spectral sensitizing dye immobilized by adsorption to chemically unsensitized silver halide. Such a dye would generally be removed from the element during fixing. Examples of useful dyes include those shown below: Examples of polymer mordants useful in combination with diffusible acidic dyes in elements of the present invention include the following: The layers of the element of the invention generally include a vehicle so they can be coated as layers. Useful vehicles include both naturally occurring substances such as proteins, protein derivatives, cellulose derivatives (e.g., cellulose esters), gelatin (e.g., alkali-treated gelatin such as cattle bone or hide gelatin, or acid-treated gelatin such as pigskin gelatin), gelatin derivatives (e.g., acetylated gelatin, phthalated gelatin, and the like), polysaccharides (e.g., dextran, gum arabic, casein, pectin, and the like), and others, as described in Research Disclosure I . Also useful as vehicles or vehicle extenders are hydrophilic water-permeable colloids. These include synthetic polymeric peptizers, carriers, and/or binders such as poly(vinyl alcohol), poly(vinyl lactams), acrylamide polymers, polvinyl acetals, polymers of alkyl and sulfoalkyl acrylates and methacrylates, hydrolyzed polyvinyl acetates, polyamides, polyvinyl pyridine, methacrylamide copolymers, and the like, as described in Research Disclosure I . The photographic element of the invention will generally contain three silver halide layers or sets of layers: a blue-sensitive layer or set of layers having a yellow color coupler associated therewith, a green-sensitive layer or set of layers having a magenta color coupler associated therewith, and a red-sensitive layer or set of layers having a cyan color coupler associated therewith. The silver halide-containing layers of the element of the invention can also include any of the addenda known to be useful in light-sensitive photographic layers. These include chemical sensitizers, such as active gelatin, sulfur, selenium, tellurium, gold, platinum, palladium, iridium, osmium, rhenium, phosphorous, or combinations thereof, as described in Research Disclosure I . The element of the invention can include, in any of the silver halide layers, in the non-diffusible filter dye layer, or in any of the other various layers known to be used in photographic elements, various addenda as are known in the art and described in Research Disclosure I . these include brighteners, antifoggants, stabilizers, various diffusible and other non-diffusible filter dyes, light absorbing or reflecting pigments, vehicle hardeners such as gelatin hardeners, coating aids, various other dye-forming couplers, and development modifiers such as various other development inhibitor releasing couplers and bleach accelerators, oxidized developer scavengers, antistatic agents, subbing layers, interlayers, overcoat layers, and the like. The support of the photographic element can be any of the known support materials, as described in Research Disclosure I . Examples of supports include cellulose acetate and poly(ethyleneterephthalate). The layers of the photographic element of the invention can be coated onto the support using techniques well-known in the art. These techniques include immersion or dip coating, roller coating, reverse roll coating, air knife coating, doctor blade coating, stretch-flow coating, and curtain coating. The coated layers may be chill-set or dried, or both. Drying may be accelerated by known techniques such as conduction, convection, radiation heating, or a combination thereof. The invention is further described in the following Examples. Non-diffusible DIR's used in the Examples are identified as follows: These non-diffusible DIR's and how they are made are well-known in the art. Couplers and other compounds used in the Examples are identified as follows: These compounds and methods for making them are also well-known in the art. For example, C-1 and C-2 are disclosed in U.S. Patent 4,333,999, C-3 is disclosed in U.S. Patent 3,476,563, and C-4 is disclosed in U.S. Patent 3,933,501. Examples 1-6 Color photographic elements in both 35 mm and Disc® format were prepared according to the following format with coating coverages in parentheses (g/m² unless specified otherwise): Overcoat: Gelatin (2.8), bis(vinylsulfonylmethyl) ether hardener (1.75% by weight based on dry gelatin), filter dye as specified in Table I (0.022), surfactants and coating aids Interlayer: gelatin (2.8), surfactants and coating aids Interlayer: gelatin (2.8), surfactants and coating aids Photographic Layer: green-sensitive AgI 6.4% Br 93.6% with 0.52 µ average equivalent circular diameter (1.6) (sensitized with sensitizing dyes as disclosed below, gelatin (3.2), 4-hydroxy-6 methyl-1,3,3a, 7-tetraazaindene sodium salt 0.026), 2-(2-octadecyl)-5-sulfohydroquinone sodium salt (0.032), coupler C-1 (0.73) dispersed in half its weight di-n-butylphthalate, non-diffusible DIR as indicated in Table I dispersed in twice its weight diethyl lauramide Film Support cellulose acetate with antihalation backing layer of gelatin (4.9) and carbon black The coverages for DIR 1 was 0.13 g/m². Dyes SOL and D-1 were coated as soluble salts (SOL is a diffusible water-soluble dye and D-1 is a ballasted non-diffusible dye) and dyes D-2 and D-3 were coated as solid particle dispersions. The silver halide was sensitized with a mixture of anhydro-5-chloro-9-ethyl-5′-phenyl-3′-(3-sulfobutyl)-3-(3-sulfopropyl)oxacarbocyanine hydroxide, sodium salt and anhydro-5,5′6,6′-tetrachloro-1,1′3-triethyl-3′-(3-sulfobutyl)-benzimidazolocarbocyanine hydroxide. The chemical structure of SOL is: The elements were evaluated for use in a 35mm format (low magnification emphasizing low spatial frequencies) and in a Disc® format (high magnification emphasizing high spatial frequencies). Image sharpness was evaluated by measuring MTF percent response as a function of spatial frequency and calculating AMT acutance values. Larger values of AMT acutance indicate greater sharpness. This technique is described by R.G. Gendron, "An Improved Objective Method for Rating picture Sharpness: CMT Acutance," Journal of the SMPTE , 82 , 1009-12 (1973). Exposures were made through a Wratten 99 green filter with a 35% input modulation. The elements were processed at 37.8°C as follows: color developer composition: The AMT acutance values for the exposed and processed elements are presented in Table I. The values for the Disc® evaluation are shown in parentheses and the values for the 35 mm evaluation are not. Comparative examples outside the scope of the invention are denoted by the letter 'C' followed by the comparative example number. As is seen in Table I, the combination of non-diffusible DIR's and non-diffusible filter dyes in photographic elements produces an unexpectedly greater increase in image sharpness than would be expected from the increases in sharpness obtainable from the non-diffusible DIR's and filter dyes individually. Also, the non-diffusible filter dyes tend to yield greater increases in image sharpness than the diffusible filter dye. Examples 7-12 Sample photographic elements similar to those employed in photographic Example 1 were prepared in 35 mm, Disc®and Super 8 formats. These samples are schematically outlined below with coverages in g/m². Overcoat: gelatin (2.9), bis(vinylsulfonylmethyl) ether hardener (1.75% by weight to total incorporated gelatin), with or without dye D-4 (0.10) as indicated in Table II, surfactants and coating aids Interlayer: gelatin (2.9), surfactants and coating aids Interlayer: gelatin (2.9), surfactants and coating aids Photographic Layer 1 fast red-sensitive AgIBr (1.1), image dye forming coupler C-2 (0.075), magenta colored cyan dye-forming color correcting coupler C-3 (0.027), with or without mixture of non-diffusible DIR compound DIR 1 (0.023) apd DIR-2 (0.027) as indicated in Table II Photographic Layer 2: mixture of mid-speed red-sensitive AgIBr (1.3) and slow red-sensitive AgIBr (0.43), image dye forming coupler C-2 (0.62), magenta colored cyan dye-forming color correcting coupler C-3 (0.016), and with or without diffusible DIR compound DIR-1 (0.048) as indicated in Table II Film support with antihalation carbon black, gelatin (0.49) The image dye forming couplers and non-diffusible DIR compounds were dispersed as in Example 1. The magenta cyan dye-forming color correcting coupler was employed as its soluble salt. Dye D-4 was dispersed in the same manner as the image dye-forming couplers. Sharpness was evaluated as described in Example 1 except that a Wratten 29 (red) filter was employed, a 60% input modulation was used, acutance was measured in both the upper and lower sensitometric scale, and acutance was also evaluated for use in Super 8 format film (very high magnification, emphasizing very high spatial frequencies in the film plane). The materials were processed as in Example 1. Acutance results are presented in Table II. At the upper sensitometric scale, the unexpected advantage of Examples 7-9 compared to the expected sharpness improvement from the individual dye and non-diffusible DIR was: +0.2(+0.8)[+0.4]. The unexpected advantage of Examples 10-12 compared to the expected sharpness improvement from the individual dye and non-diffusible DIR was: +1-2(+2,4)[+0.4]. Examples 13-14 Color photographic materials were prepared according to the following schematic layer structure (numerical values denote coating coverages in g/m²). Overcoat: Gelatin (2.8), bis(vinylsulfonylmethyl) ether (1.75% by weight to total incorporated gelatin), with or without dyes SOL, D-1, or D-3 (0.022) according to Table III, surfactants and coating aids Photographic Layer 1: blue-sensitive AgIBr (0.78); blue-sensitive AgIBr (0.41), gelatin (3.2), yellow image dye forming coupler C-4 (1.3), dox scavengers and silver stabilizers as in Example 1. Interlayer: Gelatin (3.2), interlayer scavenger C-5 (0.011). Photographic Layer 2: green-sensitive AgIBr (1.6), gelatin (3.2), cyan dye forming image coupler C-1 (0.74), dox scavengers and silver stabilizers as in photographic layer 1, and dye SOL (0.022), DIR-1 (0.13), or comparison diffusible DIR's DIR-A (0.11) or DIR-B (0.27), as indicated in Table III On rem-jet support. Image dye-forming couplers, non-diffusible DIR compounds and dyes were dispersed or dissolved as in the previous examples. The emulsions chosen were such as to give equivalent useful speed in both photographic layers after a daylight exposure. Interimage effect (the degree of color correction) was evaluated after a daylight exposure. Interimage, in this case, was quantified as the ratio of the gamma of the green-sensitive layer to that of the blue-sensitive layer. The magnitude of this ratio thus described the degree of interlayer interaction (in a green-sensitive layer onto blue- sensitive layer sense). In situations where it is desirable to minimize the development interactions between the layers in this film, the lowest ratio of the gammas would be indicative of the most desired degree of color interaction. The films were processed as described in the earlier examples. Interimage results are presented below in Table III. Acutance values for the 35 mm, Disc®, and Super8 evaluations were monitored at mid-scale in the green-sensitive layer. The spatial frequencies (degrees of magnification) monitored by these three acutance values were described earlier. The dyes all absorb green light. SOL is a soluble dye used in the prior art. Dye D-1 is a ballasted (non-diffusible) dye that remains after processing as a uniform background color. Dye D-3 is a ballasted (non-diffusible) dye that does not result in any color after processing. Several important features of this invention are revealed in Table III. First, the combination of non-diffusible DIR compounds with soluble absorber dyes (C39 and C43) shows a smaller synergistic advantage than is observed with the inventive combinations of non-diffusible DIR compounds with ballasted absorber dyes (Examples 13-14). This holds true whether the soluble absorber dye is coated in the emulsion layer (C37- C40) or in the overcoat (C41- C44). This difference appears to occur because the soluble dyes tend to distribute throughout the film so long as any moisture is present. Clearly the ballasted absorber dyes do not have this problem. A similar result was shown above in Example 1. Second, the combinations of ballasted absorber dyes with non-diffusible DIR compounds (DIR-1) offer the useful advantage of minimizing the degree of color interaction (Interlayer interimage effect) between the elements of a film, as compared to the diffusible DIR's DIR-A and DIR-B. This is a desirable property since it allows large quantities of DIR compound to be added to an element without sacrificing the color reproduction properties of a film.

Claims: A photographic element comprising a support having thereon a layer comprising spectrally-sensitized light-sensitive silver halide and a color dye-forming coupler, characterized in that the element also comprises a layer, which may be the same or different than the silver halide layer, comprising a DIR compound capable of releasing a non-diffusible development inhibitor or precursor thereof that inhibits development of said silver halide whereby the diffusibility of said inhibitor is less than 0.34, and the element also comprises a layer, located further from the support than the silver halide layer, comprising a non-diffusible filter dye that absorbs light in the region of the spectrum to which the silver halide is sensitized. A photographic element according to Claim 1 wherein the silver halide is sensitized to red light. A photographic element according to Claims 1-2 wherein the silver halide is sensitized to green light. A photographic element according to Claims 1-3 wherein the non-diffusible filter dye is removable from the element or decolorizable during photographic processing. A photographic element according to Claims 1-4 wherein the non-diffusible filter dye layer is furthermost from the support of any layer in the element. A photographic element according to Claims 1-5 wherein said DIR compound is in said silver halide layer.

Inventors: SZAJEWSKI RICHARD PETER C O EA, SZAJEWSKI, RICHARD PETER C/O EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY
Applicants: EASTMAN KODAK CO, EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY (A NEW JERSEY CORPORATION)
Application year: 1989
Main classification: G03C7
IPC codes: G03C7, G03C1