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to undevelop

to undevelop

9.5
Stop or reverse the development of a photo
  • verb
  • /ˌʌndɪˈvɛlɪp/
  • Specialized
translation icon : desarrollar
  • She read about how to undevelop negatives in a specialized photography magazine.

Examples

  • In some experimental techniques, artists intentionally undevelop film to create unique effects.

  • The photographer tried to undevelop the print to lighten the image.

  • You need to undevelop the film before printing.

  • The photographer undeveloped the prints to save time.

  • The photographer decided to undevelop the film to achieve a softer look for his art project.

  • By learning how to undevelop old negatives, she was able to restore faded images beautifully.

  • Before submitting his work, he chose to undevelop the prints to enhance certain details.

Synonyms

to unmake
vsto undevelop
5 7.5

To undo or destroy something created earlier

stop a making process especially for photographic film or prints

Antonyms

668 1.8

To create something new like an idea or product

Surface Forms

undevelop infinitive
undeveloped past participle
undeveloping present participle
undevelops third person singular

Morphology

undevelop = develop (transparent) = un + develop

The prefix 'un-' straightforwardly signals reversal of the photographic process 'develop'; learners who know the photographic sense of 'develop' can infer this meaning.

Etymology

The word undevelop is built from the prefix un- ('not' or 'reverse') and the common verb develop ('to make a picture appear on film or paper'). So to undevelop a photo or negative is to try to reverse or stop the development process and make the image lighter or disappear.