How Do You Tell If Film Is Over Or Under Developed?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Leave the film in the developer long enough and you’ll get black negatives when you pull them from the fixer. In both cases, one clear sign of over- or under-development is a lack of detail in the negative , because the details tend not to be solidly exposed or not exposed.

How do you know if a film is overdeveloped?

If you look at the edge numbers on the rebate of the film it will appear contrasty . Overdeveloped negatives make grainy prints that are burned out in the highlights with unusually vigorous shadow detail . Prints from these negatives look a bit like a xerox print .... with few grays.

What happens when you underdeveloped film?

If overexposed film is also underdeveloped, it will appear fogged with very dense shadow details and blocked highlights . These conditions usually result in unusable film. Very thin negatives are usually underexposed and yield very dark prints.

What do overexposed negatives look like?

An overexposed negative will look dark . For some photographers, minor amounts of overexposure can be an intentional stylistic decision that increases saturation and contrast. However, extreme overexposure will give you increased grain, low contrast, and dull, gray highlights.

How do you fix an overdeveloped film?

Just bleach the negatives in a Potassium Ferricyanide 10g + Potassium Bromide 10g per litre bleach, same as used for toning, wash well and then redevelop in a normal film developer.

Can old film be developed?

Yes . Old film doesn’t go bad all at once – colors shift, contrast fades away, and fog builds up. Old film (~10+ years past the process date) will have faded, skewing towards magenta. In many cases, this is preferred and authentic to the time.

What happens if you develop film too long?

If you leave the film in the developer too long, the film is overdeveloped . The result of over development is increased contrast, along with increased density in the mid tone and highlight areas of the picture.

Is it better to shoot overexposed or underexposed?

Are you shooting raw or JPEG. If you are shooting JPEG, then the general rule is to underexpose because if you lose the highlights in a JPEG, these highlights are simply lost, unrecoverable. If you are shooting raw, the general rule is to overexpose the image to get more light (more exposure) into the shadows.

Is it better to over or underexpose film?

As mentioned above, it is a lot better to overexpose almost all films rather than underexpose them . This is determined by simple logic: if a negative holds information, a thicker (darker) negative holds more information (to a point).

What does overexposure look like?

Overexposure is the result of too much light hitting the film or, in a digital camera, the sensor. Overexposed photos are too bright, have very little detail in their highlights, and appear washed out.

Can you fix film for too long?

As a general rule, you shouldn’t fix for longer than three times the clearing time (or rather, you don’t need to); twice is sufficient. And just to clarify, you don’t need processed film to test for clearing time- any bit of exposed film will do.

Can you fix overexposed film?

How to fix overexposed photos: Adjust aperture, shutter speed, and ISO settings . Use bracketing as you’re taking your shots. Use exposure sliders in Lightroom or other post program.

Can you touch undeveloped film?

Wash your hands and dry them before handling film, and avoid touching the film as far as you are able . That’s all that anyone can do. Incidentally, you need to be far more intensive about washing your hands if they might be contaminated with fixer.

How long can film last undeveloped?

What You Need to Know About Expired Film. Most negative and movie films have an expiration date. This is typically about two years after the month of manufacture , which is actually a “best if used by” date. The older the film, the more unpredictable it will be in terms of quality.

How much does it cost to get film developed?

It costs around $5 to get one roll of film developed and scanned (to around 3000 pixels wide). If you just want to get your film developed at Costco, it costs only $1.59 per roll of film. The scans cost $2.99 for a roll.

Should you overexpose expired film?

There is a very general rule of thumb, that you should overexpose by one stop for every decade the film is out of date . So, for example, if a film is 400 ISO, but expired in 2010, you should rate it at 200 ISO. ... Slow film will lose less speed over time, while fast film will lose more.

Amira Khan
Author
Amira Khan
Amira Khan is a philosopher and scholar of religion with a Ph.D. in philosophy and theology. Amira's expertise includes the history of philosophy and religion, ethics, and the philosophy of science. She is passionate about helping readers navigate complex philosophical and religious concepts in a clear and accessible way.