A Complete & Easy Guide to Develop B&W Film at Home (how I started)

[@KyleMcDougall]

The first 500 people to use my link skl.sh/kylemcdougall09241 will get a 1-month free trial of Skillshare premium!

[@alberto5147]

Fuck you for using a sponsor. We have enough advertisement on KZbin without having yet another KZbinr trying to sell us something.

[@fredthegraycatt]

I haven't done this for 48 years. The process hasn't changed a bit. Thanks for this video.

[@aque4life]

I haven’t developed in 39 years, and the process hasn’t changed. We had no apps in the 80’s. Nice video!

[@tbostrowski6136]

Looks easy, but..loading film especially 120 can be a pain, the film can curl inwards making contact with the reel grooves difficult or impossible, therefore I keep the end of film which has paper glued onto it, on and start with that end. That provides a spine of sorts and ensures that there is enough width to make contact with the reel. Works for me. Also I keep spare reels on hand because for whatever reason, the film simply refuses to load on a particular reel and I simple swap out reels. Ive used the same bottle opener for decades to crack open 35mm cassettes and one thing you did omit in this excellent tutorial is a list of appropriate curse words when it all goes sideways. Trust me it will. 😮

[@Armitage01101]

Some tips: a) What really helped me when loading film was using disposable gloves in the changing bag. This prevent hands sweating and the film getting stuck to the reels from the moisture. b) A second tip is to fold the tape of 120 film over the film border to stiffen up that end and use it to lead onto the spiral. It can retain more water when you're done with developing which will then pour over your film and potentially cause stains so it's best to hang the film so that the tape is on the bottom, or just cut it off after you're done. c) If you use Photoflo or similar chemicals to prevent water stains its important to rinse the spirals and tank with hot water to get rid of it, because it has a soapy sticky consistency that can lead to the film sticking on the spiral if there is residue. d) don't use squegees to dry film. Inevitably you will get a bit of grit on it and then it will rake across your negatives.

[@jw48335]

DD-X! The all-time easiest 2-stop push developer! Stand for 45 minutes, 3 inversions, dilution of 1:9. Works for Foma 100, 400, all the Deltas, HP5, Trix, everything I've tried. Shadows on zone 4. It'll hold the highlights too - in fact it won't hurt to do +0, +1, or +2 in the same tank. Great stuff sir!

[@adamclarke3310]

Bonus tip: I found I have to wear gloves for loading the film. If you get sweaty/clammy hands the moisture is enough to impact how well the film goes onto the reel. Latex gloves fixed this for me.

[@dan.allen.digital]

The film bag sweats are for real😂

[@forestboundfilms]

@@dan.allen.digitalnothing fills me with more rage than getting sweaty in there and not being able to get the film rolled on.

[@benayers8622]

@@forestboundfilms yuck real men have hard dry hands, damn the soy generations and all they stand for 🤣🤣

[@KB_Lincolnshire_Photography]

@@forestboundfilms i seriously thought this was just me

[@alanpods______8260]

Yep. Totally. Long sleeves too. Sweaty forearms are for real too..

[@xlkoenigsegg1568]

We need one for color development!!!

[@johnmcnie]

Another blessing from Lord McDougall 🙌

[@frstesiste7670]

I haven't developed myself in a lot of years but used to do 35mm. I prefer to leave a bit of film out of the cassette as mentioned in the video. It's just easier to get the film on to the spool when it's not dark. Usually you can feel when the film is almost into the spool and some cameras with auto rewind let you choose it as an option. One more thing you should have when developing yourself - a dust free room for drying the film (the bathroom mentioned is often a good candidate).

[@andrewransom6489]

Great video - super helpful. As someone coming back to film after almost 2 decades in digital, id love to see you do a video of the entire process, from taking photos, developing (maybe even a link to this video), scanning, editing and then posting.

[@jonathanhotopf1823]

I thought I knew pretty much everything about developing black and white and have the massive dev app but didn’t know you could alter the temperature, well worth it for that alone!

[@KyleMcDougall]

Such a handy feature!

[@jeffreystulin8130]

That is the same process I use. Your explanation and demonstration is terrific. I practiced loading one roll of "sacrificed" film on the spools many times before I tried it with good film to be actually developed.

[@hoggif]

I prefer using leader retriever over can opener and try to not get leader in the canister if possible. You can cut it in light and put the ends on the reels with lights on (I usually do multiple rolls in same time). There is about 4-6" of blank in the end to start with. Anyone unsure of loading can always try with a test roll a couple times to get hang of it. Developing b&w is so easy probably everyone gets decent results from the first time.

[@tompoynton]

Leader retriever ftw every time

[@dan.allen.digital]

Instead of running the shower you can also get a small garment steamer and turn it on. It will use a lot less water than running the shower for 5 or 10 minutes.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Good idea.

[@dan.allen.digital]

It works perfectly, especially in a smaller bathroom​@@KyleMcDougall

[@danielkwon2010]

Yes! This! This!! I was a bit confused when I watched Ilford's devloping guide video, but your video has lots of info for self develop who starts just now. Thank you so much, I will repeat to watch it not to make mistake at frist attempt :)

[@KyleMcDougall]

Glad it was helpful!

[@timsep1]

This literally is what I was just looking for video-wise. I haven't done it in a while, so thank you for the refresher!

[@KyleMcDougall]

You're welcome. Cheers.

[@simonberry1977]

Brilliant guide, even if you've done this before a time or three (though it's been a while for me!) - great to see your agitation method, which I thought was causing me problems when I've done it but could be wrong

[@benatea]

Wow I was just thinking about diving into b&w development at home, thanks for this Kyle!

[@ianlainchbury]

Go for it... you'll love it.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Hope it helps. Cheers!

[@mikitapushnou]

Great video, thank you Kyle! Now we need some guide how to darkroom printing 🙏

[@KyleMcDougall]

Thanks. Darkroom printing is something that I haven't done in a long time. Need a refresher!

[@Dukeofpizza]

This is such a great video!!!

[@powbobs]

I use a sous vide heater in a water bath to make sure my temps are right, especially for color processing.

[@dan.allen.digital]

Be very careful with the thermometer you choose. Some thermometers have mercury which could be very bad if you break it. The Patterson kit thermometer broke on mine after a few uses (my fault) so be very gentle with it. Great video Kyle.

[@LarryParamedic1]

Great video, thank you for posting.

[@KyleMcDougall]

You're welcome.

[@tudorevans9306]

I really do miss the smell of fixer in the morning. Good vid 👍

[@rock-steadi-cam5058]

With Astra's odorless fixer, you won't have to!

[@pierremairesse6767]

Personally I do a pre-wash of the film before putting the developper in. Also I remove the excess water with a piece of kitchen towel before letting the film dry. I would advice not to use a film squeegee as It scratches the film (been there!)

[@kennethnielsen3864]

Thanks for sharing.

[@kurtkgledhill]

Great film thank you very much. Could you make a follow up to this video with the next process, scanning and post processing to the final image please?

[@KyleMcDougall]

I've done quite a few scanning/conversion videos in the past sharing the process. I have a few more coming as well, in the near future.

[@philipstrachan455]

Thank you Kyle

[@KyleMcDougall]

You're welcome.

[@tompoynton]

Distilled/de-ionized water is an absolute necessity where I live, Bristol water leaves spots all over my negatives if I just use tapwater

[@KyleMcDougall]

Yeah, a must for me as well.

[@Scrambled6653]

thanks for the video Kyle! which tank / system do you use for large format negatives?

[@sb-sl1gs]

Thanks kyle great video. I was wondering if you reuse stopbath and fixer. And if you do ho you store those and for how long you use it? Maybe you did mention it in the video but i did not got it😊

[@KyleMcDougall]

I do. Probably not enough though. I usually mix them up and use them for a developing session, which will often be around 3 batches of film (four sheets of 4x5, 3 times). I could probably get much more mileage out of them.

[@ianlainchbury]

Love this... it's so easy to do. I recommend Ilfosol too as it's cheap. I run at 1:14 so one 500ml bottle lasts ages... but watch how you store it. Tank can come from eBay, and rather than graduates... you can use mixing jugs from home stores for dirt cheap. As long as you can measure reasonable accurately. Also, rather than the carplan water... in the UK, look up "spotless water". It's what the window cleaners use and is purified. It's 23p a gallon! Perfect.

[@KyleMcDougall]

I'll look it up. Thanks!

[@jtamagini]

As someone that shoots 35 and wants to get into 120 as well you skipped the one part I wanted to see assuming we all knew which was prepping the film for loading onto the spool! I’ve never had to deal with removing the backing so I have no clue.

[@KyleMcDougall]

It's fairly simple. You just unroll the film until you get to the end where it's taped on to the backing paper. Then just pull it off, and pull off the tape.

[@lenard_andras_kiss]

You missed an important phase. First step is washing the film. Simply pour tapwater to the tank and agitate or roll the tank for five mins. There are two benefits: some film has dirty (e.g. bamboo soot) anti-halation layer which can pollute your developer. The another benefit is that the gelatin and the emulsion will swell and your film absorbs the developer better. And if you don’t want to buy stop bath you can use white vinegar from kithen (10% vinegar: 10 ml to 1 liter water).

[@benayers8622]

more help and intelligence shown in 10 sec comment than that whole video ✌❤️

[@lenard_andras_kiss]

@@benayers8622 Thanks :)

[@KyleMcDougall]

I know that some people like a pre-wash. lford states no pre-wash for their B&W film, so that's what I've stuck with and haven't had any issues. I do prewash for colour with the Jobo.

[@darrelltheriault5793]

3 minute pre-wash for me too.

[@yuk167]

Can you please show us how to wash color film? Is it ok to use a red light from a hiking headlamp in the dark room when loading the film on the wheel? If not, what would you recommend for lighting ?

[@Benjaminjohansson93]

Do you only use the chemicals once? I havent developed a ton of film but quite a few rolls when i went to photography school for a year. We had chemicals and developing stuff at school and we used the same chemicals for like 10-15 rolls i think without a problem, kodak d76. No idea if this was the correct thing to do but sure worked fine! Same with stop and fix!

[@KyleMcDougall]

Developer yes, but stop and fix I'll use multiple times. You can get replenishers for the developer, which is what was likely used at your school.

[@icecreamforever]

Wow.... that brings back memories! Was a big fan of Rodinal. Used to have a Durst Mod70 with Multi grade head. What do you use to print? or do you just scan?

[@KyleMcDougall]

Just scan at the moment.

[@icecreamforever]

@KyleMcDougall I've got so close to buying a mechanical film camera, but unless I can develop and print it seems a bit pointless.

[@benayers8622]

@@icecreamforever yup i love real photography, sadly i got my 1st slr camera just as digital took over and my schools photo lab was closed! "perfect timing" is the story of my life lol 🤦‍

[@blakeyvision]

Good informative guide but for the life of me can't find the app that you used🤔

[@designbyjohnperez]

I dont need this video on my feed! My wife is gonna end up killing me!!... but Christmas is around the corner 🤔

[@annestjones6683]

Hi. Im looking to do my first film development! Just a quick question when we've finished with the chemicals and you take it out of the can does it have to be in a dark room before we hang it?Will the light have an effect? Great video. Thank you.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Once the developing process is finished and you've completed the steps (dev, stop, fix), it's no longer sensitive to light.

[@BobOgden1]

Where I live the water is pretty hard so I use the de-ionised for mixing chemicals otherwise the film looks like it was processed in a salt pan 🤪 Also if you want a deep dive into BW developers have a look at John Finch's book "The Art of Black and White Developing". Amazing level of detail. (not associated just impressed)

[@KyleMcDougall]

I'll look it up. Cheers.

[@benayers8622]

so how does it get onto paper with zero digital steps tho? Thats what i expected to learn 😞

[@KyleMcDougall]

This is about developing the film itself. If you want to print it, without any digital steps, you would use an enlarger and photo paper, which you would then develop. That's another completely separate process.

[@atl_mx5]

what changing tent do you use?

[@KyleMcDougall]

Photoflex Changing Room

[@atl_mx5]

@@KyleMcDougall thank you! 🙏

[@avaughn90]

You can get two rolls of 120 onto a single reel! This skill needs a bit of extra practice but is totally worth it for scaling up and optimising the yield :)

[@KyleMcDougall]

Did that once, and completely killed both of them hah. One thing that I need to practice.

[@ZeLoShady]

how is that achieved?

[@avaughn90]

@@ZeLoShady first of all, you separate both rolls from the backing paper. You leave the sticky tape on one of the rolls while peeling off the other one (you will need it later). The biggest challenge is to align the corners. I basically place both rolls so that their "connecting" ends are directed to the right, then put those bits one (that with the sticker) on top of the other, feel the alignment of the sides and corners with my fingers and fold that overhanging sticker. Then I use the other stiker to secure the seam from the other side. Thus, you are now in the middle of your pseudo 220 roll. Just go to one of the loose ends and carefully spool the film onto a reel from there like you always do. Go slow and steady. Sometimes the seam does catch a little but most of the time you can finish the job nevertheless with a gentle push. I have never experienced any uneven development because of that. One more thing to keep in mind: this way you end up with the emulsion on one side for the first half, and on the other for the second one. I hope this wordy explanation makes sense :) Good luck!

[@ZeLoShady]

@@avaughn90 Thank you for the great explanation!

[@b6983832]

Or you can use Jobo tanks. They have a separator clip in their reels for that purpose. Their 1500 system can be used very well for conventional inversion agitation too.

[@willmccleland2383]

How do you dispose of the used fix once it’s out of date?

[@KAIMCS0920]

How do you dispose the chemicals?

[@G60s]

Does the same rules apply if using a rotary film processor, as the rotation is constant?

[@Shaka1277]

Same rules, but you typically reduce B&W development time by about 15% from the stated value (8:30 in this case, instead of 10:00) thanks to the constant agitation. For C-41, you don't reduce the time.

[@G60s]

@@Shaka1277 great! Thank you!

[@KyleMcDougall]

Yep, as mentioned, colour is the same, B&W rotary you deduct 15%. You can actually factor that in with the app I showed and it will adjust time accordingly.

[@G60s]

@@KyleMcDougall appreciate it! Keep up the great content 🙌🏾

[@tompoynton]

A fellow DD-X man I see

[@stayuntilforever]

Can you reuse any of the chemicals?

[@KyleMcDougall]

Developer no. Stop and fix, yes.

[@b6983832]

@@KyleMcDougall It depends. Some developers can be reused, such as D-76 in stock strength, but as a general rule, most of the black and white developers are one shot only. Color chemistry can be reused in most cases, but without replenishing, many of the manufacturers of small kits for hobbyists, are probably exaggerating the capacities of their kits. They often rely on the fact that most of the folks use color film for scanning, and this often includes heavy photoshopping of pictures. This will allow the use of negatives that are quite far from perfect. As a person printing color in a darkroom for a long time, I can assure that bad color negatives in darkroom are a real pain in the ass to print.

[@fiver-hoo]

all I need to do is remember not to get excited and dump my fixer down the drain and I'm good to go lol.

[@treyusher32]

Do you not have to worry about fingerprints on undeveloped film?

[@KyleMcDougall]

I've never had issues. I try to handle it with care.

[@JanneRanta]

No prewash?

[@richardjames3022]

Not needed with most modern films

[@patrick.hudepohl]

"A pre-rinse is not recommended as it can lead to uneven processing." -- from the Ilford FP4 Plus technical information. But it may be different for other films.

[@DixonLu]

May want to check out Figital Revolution YT channel's "Pre-wet for Film Processing" from July 17, 2021 about the why and how of prewash. TL;DW version: wet with distilled water at development temperature for 2 minutes (for stand development 10). As he always says: test & verify for yourself.

[@ianlainchbury]

I only prewash Rollei IR400. The ilford FP4, HP5 and Delta don't need prewash

[@KyleMcDougall]

Not for B&W. For colour in the Jobo rotary, I prewash.

[@richardjames3022]

I thought that's what daughters are for!!

[@maximbollen286]

Hold up I did not know I was gonna be using scissors inside a darkbag. That kinda scares me.

[@acmdv]

29:00 Do you need to filter your water if you live in a Hard Water area?

[@ianlainchbury]

I use "Spotless Water" in the UK. 23p a gallon. It's what the window cleaners use these days. There must be clean water suppliers worldwide, but it solves my hardwater issues cheaply.

[@KyleMcDougall]

I always use distilled or deionised for a final rinse

[@acmdv]

@@KyleMcDougall I mean the tap water you used before that.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Oh, gotcha. I do for mixing colour chemicals, but just tap water for the BW.

[@acmdv]

@@KyleMcDougall I live in a hard water area so there's lots of calcium in the tap water - is that going to stain the negatives when I wash them?