Tips & Tricks
How to Develop Color Film Using the C-41 Process
I remember very vaguely the days of film photography. Carefully pressing the shutter only when necessary as to preserve the 36 exposures harnessed in one little roll. Then taking those rolls in the little canisters with the gray lids to a place that developed film, (for me it was the Stater Bros across the street from my parents’ work) and waiting what seemed like forever for those vacation photos. I used to spend much of my allowance on developing those images. Film, for me, is one of those nostalgic memories that I look back and remember fondly, but a medium which I will leave in the past as I don’t possess the patience anymore to wait to see my images.
[REWIND: PHOTOGRAPHER SOAKS FILM IN URINE FOR MAGICAL, INTERESTING IMAGES]
Many photographers I know though, are re-embracing analog, favoring it over the modern offerings of today. Even though film photography has found more popularity in the last few years, finding actual film and places to print film is becoming more scarce. But there is a way to develop your own color film at home using the C-41 method and the following video by Photography_Bloke, shows you how.
He breaks down the process in the 18 minute video below and also adds a list of materials you need, the timings and other notes in the About section on the YouTube page. And if you’re interested in developing black and white film, he also has a video on hand developing black and white film as well.
[Via PetaPixel]
Tumbs Up! No secret that I love film…. 35to220.com wink wink…lol
good stuff thank you.
This is something that I’m going to learn to do. Soon.
My only criticism is that after each agitation it helps to give the drum a firm knock on the surface your working on in case any air bubbles are trapped in contact with the film.
Great video. The hardest part is actually getting the film out of the can and into the developing drum properly. After that, it’s really straightforward.
I’ve never developed black and white (though I just bought the chemistry) but I’ve developed and scanned 2 rolls using the Tetenal C-41 kit and they’ve come out beautifully! If you scan with a high quality scanner (like a Pakon F135) you can get results approaching boutique film labs that charge over $20/roll for process + scan.