Photographic silver halide emulsion containing 2-equivalent cyan coupler

A process for forming a cyan dye image, which comprises bringing a 2-equivalent type cyan coupler into contact with exposed silver halide crystals in the presence of a phenylenediamine type developing agent for said silver halide crystals, said 2-equivalent cyan coupler having the general formula:

• A (OCH.sub.2 CO -- Y).sub.n or (A' -- OCH.sub.2 CO).sub.m --Y'
• wherein A and A' each represent, at the active point of the cyan coupler, a cyan coupler residue, which has the general formula:
• ##STR68## wherein R.sub.1 represents a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a saturated or unsaturated, aliphatic or cycloaliphatic hydrocarbon group, --O--R.sub.4 or --S-R.sub.4 (where R.sub.4 represents a said hydrocarbon group), r is 1 to 3 and q is 1 to 5 and if r or q is more than 1 the R.sub.1 groups may be the same or different;
• and each of R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 independently represents a saturated or unsaturated, aliphatic or cycloaliphatic hydrocarbon group, an aryl group, a heterocyclic group or hydrogen atom or R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 together with the nitrogen atom to which they are attached form a heterocyclic group;
• Y represents a heterocyclic group, an alkoxy group, a phenoxy group, a naphthoxy group, an aliphatic hydrocarbon amino group, a heterocyclic amino group and a mercapto group, which groups also include those having substituents which are selected from halogen, nitro, hydroxyl, carboxyl, amino, sulfo, alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, heterocyclic, alkoxy, aryloxy, arylthio, arylazo, acylamino, carbamoyl, ester, acyl, acyloxy, sulfonamide, sulfamoyl, sulfonyl, morpholino, piperazyl and imidazolyl groups;
• Y' is an m-valent group selected from the group consisting of a heterocyclic group, an alkylenedioxy group, an arylenedioxy group, an alkylenediamino group, an arylenediamino group and a heterocyclic diamino group;
• wherein said Y' groups also include those having substituents which are selected from halogen, nitro, hydroxyl, carboxyl, amino, sulfo, alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, heterocyclic, alkoxy, aryloxy, arylthio, arylazo, acylamino, carbamoyl, ester, acyl, acyloxy, sulfonamide, sulfamoyl, sulfonyl, morpholino, piperazyl and imidazolyl groups;
• and n is 1 or 2 and m is 2.