Light sensitive photographic material

Claim 1

A color photographic process for producing color images, which comprises imagewise exposing a light sensitive color photographic multi-layer material having at least one silver halide emulsion layer on a support and associated with that layer a non-diffusible DIR compound capable of reacting with the oxidation product of the color developer to release in imagewise distribution a diffusible mercapto compound which inhibits development of silver halide. and color developing the imagewise exposed photographic material in the presence of the thioether DIR compound, and in the presence of a color coupler to form an image dye wherein the improvement comprises the color development is carried out in the presence of a thioether compound of the following Formula I or a tautomer thereof ##STR18## in which X represents an aliphatic, aromatic or heterocyclic group such that when it is split off together with the sulfur atom of the thioether bridge it forms a diffusible mercapto compound which inhibits development of silver halide; Y represents --O--, ##STR19## a methylene group which may be alkyl substituted or a methine group ##STR20## Z represents a methylene or ethylene group which may be alkyl substituted, a methine group ##STR21## a vinylene group, an o-phenylene group, a carbonyl group, an oxycarbonyl group --O--CO-- or a carbonamide group ##STR22## R 1 and R 2 which may be the same or different represent hydrogen, aliphatic, araliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon groups, acyl, acyloxy, alkoxy, aryloxy, amino, halogen, cyano, thioether groups or alkylsulfoxyl or arylsulfoxyl, R 1 and R 2 together represent the group required to complete a ring having at least one double bond or aromatic ring, R 4 represents hydrogen, alkyl having up to 22 carbon atoms, aralkyl, aryl or acyl, R 5 and R 6 have each one of the meanings indicated for R 1 and R 2 or together represent the group required to complete a ring having at least one double bond or aromatic ring.