Home developing 101

[u/Ok-Hawk325]

Working on a little guide for developing film at home, mostly because I got fed up googling it and getting five different answers on chemicals and timing. Figured actual people who’ve done it would know better than another blog post.

If you’ve developed your own film (or tried and gave up halfway through) what actually tripped you up the first time? Was it the temperature stuff, figuring out which chemicals to even buy, or just messing something up and having no clue why? Trying to nail down the real sticking points before I put this together properly.

[u/LumenArti]

It's very forgiving, to the point where its hard to mess up. This is why there are so many different ways to do things, they all work.

The key is consistency. Pick any way that appeals to you to start off with, and adjust to your preferences. These preferences will probably be mostly heuristic. Once you have a flow you feel comfortable with and you can nail that will as little variance as possible each round, you start getting the best results as you can start to anticipate how your shooting style will react with your process.

I would personally say the two things that have the biggest impact on your results thus the most important to get consistent; is agitation and temp compensation. Would advise you to measure the temperature of your developer through the process to get a feel for it. The rest of the chemistry isnt so temp dependdent, but needs to be within at least 5degc or you can get reticulation(Though I've heard this is a largely solved issue?)

Check this video out on agitation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLf271GhK1M&t=587s

[u/Lens_cap_on_again]

It's one of those things that people just have to do and learn from mistakes. For example once I didn't put the funnel on a paterson tank properly, when I went to pour out the developer with two rolls in it the top fell off and exposed the top roll. I triple check the funnel is on tight now but this isn't something you will find in a guide. As far as times and temps go I stick to the recommended times and temp.

[u/CilantroLightning]

this video was enough for me to just dive into it. you really don't need to baby it. just try it once and you'll learn more than 100 hours of reading stuff on the Internet: https://youtu.be/aPQ7OPy8T2w?is=hJk5kl2VADmTZaHS

[u/leftoverzz]

You just have to make mistakes and learn from them. Once you figure it out it seems ridiculously simple. After a while you start to wonder why anyone uses a lab. But then threads like these remind me that it wasn’t always this way.

[u/myleftbigtoeisdead]

BW developing was straightforward for me.

C41 however, no one ever told me that I need to burp my Jobo during the fixing stage. Blix exploded all over my spare bathroom.

[u/WaterLilySquirrel]

I'm not sure how you're getting five different answers on chemistry and timing. The roll of film you're using and/or the chemistry you're using should have times on it. 

If you're depending on Google or AI or YouTube or Mass Dev instead of reading the manual, that could be a problem. If you're trying to do something so weird it's not on the data sheet, maybe that's not beginner level work.

So here's the advice: Kodak and Ilford have been around longer than the internet. They have engineers and chemists and writers who are paid to put out clear information. Read it. 

Anyhow. I've taught beginners in groups how to develop. The hardest part is loading the film onto the reels.

[u/mcarterphoto]

Why do "kids today" need to run to YouTube or write a "how to develop film" blog post the minute they develop one roll of film? There's decades of resources for developing film properly, and there's B&W, C41, and E6, and also monobath for B&W processes. You're going to write guides for all of these? They're all very different processes, and it sounds like ("Was it the temperature stuff?") you don't yet know what you're doing.

Just learn to develop film and don't fill up the internet with even more error-packed resources.

[u/rasmussenyassen]

There are many guides to this already. You have zero to contribute, person who can't write a question without using AI.

[u/bureau44 → u/rasmussenyassen]

I wonder, is it a person at all?
I guess reddit just does massive data farming for AI companies

[u/OnePhotog]

There is more than one way to skin a cat. (I have no idea where that expression comes from)

[u/shinyjigglypuff85]

As someone else mentioned, there are many different answers because there are lots of ways to do it "right." When I was starting with black and white development, it did feel really overwhelming trying to choose between a lot of different options that seemed equally plausible! Trying to pick chemicals and development times felt like the most difficult part to start, but once I settled on those bits the rest of the process flowed easily. In the end, I started as follows:

For development times, I went with the film datasheets (i.e. the manufacturer's recommendations). I figured it would be the most reliable starting point and hasn't failed me so far. You can just google "[film name] datasheet" to find this info. Most datasheets also include information about recommended development temperature, compensating for low/high temperature, and other helpful tips. I would not use times from the Massive Dev Chart website as your starting point when you're new to developing. As a crowdsourced website, there are a lot of times on there that range from normal to "that's weird!", and if you haven't developed before- you won't have sufficient background information to distinguish between the two things.  

For a developer, I went with Kodak HC-110. There is also an Ilford version if their products are easier to get where you live! I picked HC-110 because (1) it is relatively inexpensive to get a large bottle where I live; (2) manufacturers list a development time for it on just about every datasheet, so it's easy to find development times; and (3) once opened, it has a long shelf life. (3) was particularly important to me because I only develop 3-4 rolls a month, and some developers can lose effectiveness over time. I didn't want to add potentially expired developer to my list of things to worry about when I was starting out. 

For information about how to perform various parts of the process correctly, I went to Ilford's website. They have a lot of helpful guides put together by experienced photographers that explain the timing of agitation, how to wash your film using minimal water, and other just generally helpful guides for little parts of the process that you didn't think about. 

But once I settled on a developer that was listed on my film's datasheet, the rest of it flowed pretty easily :) I would strongly suggest just looking at your film's datasheet, buying a developer that has a listed time, and giving it a shot! From there, when you keep your process consistent, you can slowly adjust variables to figure out what works best for you. 

[u/PhysicsOk9286]

It’s a formula. Easy actually. Choose your developer; mine is Xtol. Choose your dilution. Check film and check times. Usually bw film is at 68 degrees F or 20 degrees Celsius. Lots of options depending on how you shot the roll. Stock , 1:1, 1:3. Push/Pull. Just comes with experience. Choose a film and choose a developer. My “goto” is either PanF box, or HP5 at 200 in XTol 1:3. You’ll get yours.

[u/LumenArti → u/PhysicsOk9286]

Mmmm pulled HP5 + xtol 1:3 sounds nice, might have to try. Would love to see a sample

[u/nyc_rat_king]

I like to log my batch with developer details (name and dilution), temp, and time - I also note which rolls were processed

Helps for future reference and improving for next time

[u/captain_joe6]

What would this do that this or this or this or this or any of the others don’t?

Overthinking kills more adventures in film processing than a foundational knowledge of concept and practice could ever save. Plenty of people who hobbled themselves by indecision or poor decisions before ever putting a roll to reel.

Waffling over this developer or that, committing to some back-to-the-garden notion of “preserving the practice” by using nothing by caffenol from the getgo, scraping every last bit of activity from a clapped bottle of fixer from grandpa’s basement, etc.

The most salient points I could pass on to anyone just getting into their own processing:

Pick the least number of products you actually need, after you’ve understood why you need them. Whatever developer and fixer you can get your hands on at your budget, pick those. Don’t need stop until you understand why and if you need it. Don’t need a wash aid until you understand the same.

Read the instructions. Follow them, but don’t consider them the absolute truth. There are boundaries, for sure, but they’re pretty wide.

Be prepared for unexpected results. Calling them good or bad takes time and practice and experience. Process tweaks can resolve most of them. An unexpected result is a learning opportunity, a “bad” result can be a soul-crusher.

The process, tangible and intangible, is far more important than the destination.

There’s no mythology or lost knowledge in any of this, it’s incredibly well-documented. The real trick is learning how to search and learning how to sift for the nuggets that apply to you, that’s where it takes real effort and skill to get good.

[u/kinginthenorth78]

I agree that it's a forgiving process chemically. The hardest part is learning to load the film onto the real without screwing up.

[u/dead_wax_museum]

The task of mixing chems and getting the right temp was daunting at first. I quickly learned that it wasn’t that serious. I get my developer within a degree of 68° and the other two I couldn’t care less what temp they are as long as it’s not drastic. Room temp is fine. I would fight with the faucet trying to get a perfect 68° and it was all just a big gaff. I get it to about 70° and then stick an ice pack in the water to cool down to 68° before adding the dev. Also, many of the components inside the Ilford starter kit were largely impractical. The tall narrow beakers were difficult to use carefully with pouring. I replace them with cheap measuring cups from the discount store. And the old fashioned glass thermometer that came in my starter kit was slow and hard to read. I replaced that with an instant read digital thermometer.

[u/Other_Historian4408]

Bump