How to Develop 35mm Film at Home (FAST & EASY)

[@robertodeleon-gonzalez9844]

A couple of pointers... If you buy a changing bag, you do not need to lock yourself into a bathroom; the bag is completely dark and had arm holes, as well as a zipper. Second, if you shoot in a half-frame camera, those 36 exposures will turn into 72. True, they will be smaller (and the people at the commercial development lab may not like it), but it is a way to get way more pictures.

[@WillHinson]

This is awesome advice! Thank you for sharing!

[@sana-if7rb]

@@WillHinson use a red light, its better than working in complete darkness.

[@trent3120]

@@sana-if7rb You can't load any film in red light (the one exception is a very specific type of B&W film called orthochromatic). Red darkroom lights are only for making black and white prints.

[@salami99]

they charge 20 $ more to develop 72 shots. not worth it

[@StymyParsley]

@@salami99wtf $20 more? Developing film costs like $6 at a store, how would it cost $26 for a 72 half frame roll

[@pottymoufstudios2985]

I ruined 3 bomb rolls of film and this made me feel super better. I’m confident and ready to start back again :)

[@AmericanBr]

I was gonna buy a digital camera soon, until today. I bought my 1st camera, a Nikon FG. At a tag sell, I had luck buying it because I bought it at the church I frequent. Bought it for 10 bucks, I felt so excited. So when I got home the 1st thing I did was learn how it works, so I went on KZbin and I learned how to use. After that, I needed to learn how to reveal the foto and found your video you made it look so easy, but I can imagine you took some time to learn it, but after all the hard work, the results are worth it. I'm gonna learn from this video. You said the most inspirational frase ive ever heard in my life. What you said at the conclusion. That made me feel much more excited about a fotographer. I will do what it takes to be better at it! I PROMISE I WILL DO THE BEST I CAN AT!! Thank you for the small class Teacher!

[@dedclownsRfunny]

I hope one day I’ll be able to do this myself. It feels so much more organic than editing digital photos in post. Like I’m directly involved with the process, or put another way: I AM the editing program.

[@WillHinson]

Haha exactly!! Once you do a few different rolls you'll be able to do it without needing to closely follow the instructions. But to your point, creating art is all about the experience! BE the editing program!!!

[@oli0808]

@S Tra Way cheaper in the long run though.

[@oli0808]

@S Tra calm down love, I just meant it's cheaper to develop film yourself than use a lab.

[@oli0808]

@S Tra you're an angry little girl. You entered the comments here angry and you've remained angry throughout. This is a video about processing film and you're bright red 😂

[@hayleyxyz]

@S Tra ugh you're so obnoxious and arrogant

[@colorfulnoise704]

I looked this up thinking “I’m going to start developing my own film” after watching I will just continue going to Biggs camera. Thank you to my local camera store for there hard work 👍🏿

[@jelynmaesagmon5994]

I just bought a digital and film camera and I was losing hope for the film since it's kinda time-consuming but after watching this video helps me to change my mind, it made me realize how satisfying to develop a film 💖

[@timrpbrown]

To remove the film from spool don't unwind it, just twist the spool sides right side clockwise and left opposite and the spool unclips into two halves. Quicker, easier and less likely to scratch or crimp the film. Great video though, thanks

[@brittish1587]

Man you are so great, I just showed this video to my 8yr old daughter who expressed interest in photography so I found your video to show her the process:) great job and thank you for keeping this art style/type/process alive! I took photography in middle school in 1999! It was so much fun and was so proud of my photos and projects, I even made a box camera and my family still have the enlarged prints from that project (they are the last photos of my grandfather's home and farm in Illinois)

[@Vr0om88]

I’m glad I found this before I tried my hand at developing. I don’t want to ruin the rolls of film I have that need to be developed but I also don’t want to practice because that involves buying more stuff. I’ll just send the rolls off and wait the 2+ weeks. I don’t know what’s on these rolls of film & I don’t want to ruin the possibility of finding out on my own. It’s not worth the risk. So thank you for this very eye opening video! I’ll bookmark it for future reference when I do have the time and money to devote to developing!

[@randyb3347]

Thanks for the video. I bought a Lot (a box with a bunch of nearly useless crap in it) at an auction several years back that contained about 15 Kodak canisters of film. I got tired of looking at them and was ready to throw them out and thought, eh, I could just throw out the film and use the all yellow metal canisters for something. Then I thought, heck, I'll do a little research, maybe the film is worth something on ebay. After doing some research I realized that the film wasn't new, it was used and that these particular kinds of film (Plus-X PX 135) was discontinued in 1969. That was an eye opener. Heck, I could have previously unknown Woodstock photo's. Kaching. That's why I'm here researching how to develop my own. Can't really see entrusting previously unknown photos of the JFK assassination to some other film developer. Thanks.

[@dadtalkpodcast4893]

Thanks! I just found some undeveloped disposable cameras so this is gonna be a great project. I did photo lab in high school so let’s see if I still got it!

[@marissariley7319]

Ugh I wish I had this video when I bought my first film camera in hs! I gave up on 35mm film when I couldn’t find anywhere to get it processed or how to set up a dark room at home. Thanks so much for all the info! Subscribed :)

[@ringofdeath13]

thank God I found this, I might not do developing but this video was super straightforward. Maybe I was agitated but this other guy I was watching just wouldn't stop like doing sponsorship deals with every product on screen

[@jhernandez788]

I've watched hundred of thousand if videos over the last 15 years. I don't even do photography but this was one of the coolest video ever.

[@WillHinson]

wow, thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it

[@Teyliaj]

I use to do film photography when I was in school and I miss it so much. Thank you for this video because I want to get back into it

[@WillHinson]

you're very welcome! best of luck ✨

[@gentanael8284]

It's my first time here. Thank you for this video, it is clear and on point. Can't wait to try this at home.

[@eLearningBizTec]

so nice seeing all of this again -- used to do this as a kid in school back in the nineties. One tip for @01:27 here: you might want to round off the corners of the film strip when clipping off the lead; runs much better into the spiral this way. Now continuing to watch as, judging from you mentioning C-41, you seem to be doing color negatives here. Nnnice! P. S.: love your Epson Perfection V600 scanner towards the end -- have the same model as I was looking for something to also properly scan slides with. This thing works really well! (Another option would be using a two-way mirror and an old projector for the slides, or if you were to frame your negatives, which IMO gives often slightly better results if you have a good lens on the digitizing camera you use.)

[@brineb58]

I still love the magic of seeing my negatives when i pull them out!!!

[@gabrielgomez2483]

Amazing feeling

[@ShortImpactMedia]

😏😏

[@P--O]

Really inspirational video! Back in the ancient time I used to develop b&w film (Tri-X and D-76). But never color film. Perhaps now is the time to try after having watched your video. Greetings from Sweden

[@LLambert-g6v]

Thanks Will! You mention points that a lot of people seem to overlook. Great video, very informative and was worth watching!

[@jeffdawnMustang]

Awesome to see that film still has a home! My buddy from work gave me his Nikkormat 35mm camera (brass body painted black). I also found a Nikon FE at an estate sale for $50.00 with all documentation, case, cable and lenses etc. I also have my Canon T70 I bought in the early 90's? My brother gave me a 4 pack of Fugifilm 400 for my birthday. Now I trying to decide on developing options..... : )

[@toLothair2]

When I was developing Kodak color slides, I would use a fish tank heater to keep the chemicals at the correct temps while developing. It worked like it was made for this job, and it was.

[@randallstewart1224]

You were probably doing those slide several decades ago. I, too, use a fish tank heater to warm color chemicals. However, at least 25 years ago, I went looking for a backup heater for my darkroom. At that tie, I discovered that I could not find a heater which had the maximum heating capacity to do the job. I never discovered why the then-current heaters had an excessively low top end. On the other hand, at that time, the rush to digital allowed me to buy a pro grade darkroom chemical bath heater for next to nothing. Never used, but It's still there if needed. If starting from scratch today, I'd just get one of those slow cooker units.

[@chelseataylor6328]

Finally! A central Floridian photographer who isn't 100 years old taking photos like likes 1982 lol 🤣

[@melissawoods6845]

Thank you tons! I have about 31 rolls of film, 110, 35mm and disposable cameras. I want to develop all of it in hopes to have photos we have never seen for my mom for her 70th Bday in Oct. It would take 700.00 to get all of it processed! I will give a update on how this works out. Buying all the products today so will me luck!!

[@drawingStar9]

need an update!

[@Valraquel1257]

How did it go?!

[@CesarCruz-vo2lp]

update?

[@GoodnightMoon666]

UPDATE

[@spacecaptain87]

WE NEED AN UPDATE

[@lei645]

im taking a film photography class so i rlly needed to see how developing film works and this definitely shows that! now im super excited to develop film

[@imani571]

thank you so much for this video please never delete it ill have to come back here to do this the day i buy the material.

[@piccolitesticoli]

Taron Egerton teaching me how to develop film is pretty cool!

[@honeywdt8308]

I loved this so much ! Well explained. I will definitely develop my own film. Thanks

[@abbyag]

Fellow central Floridian! I recently got into film and I shoot a lot, so I’ve been considering developing it myself. There are quite a few places around Orlando that develop, and while I usually only have to wait a week or so, it gets very expensive, and I see myself shooting film for a long time! So I think I might give this a try and practice on some expired rolls. Thanks for the helpful video!

[@babeena_gt_3645]

I wish you included how to transfer the negatives to photo type paper

[@danc2014]

That process of making prints take a lot more equipment and chemicals. You would need to convert a bathroom for the enlarger and paper trays. A lot of the work you do in photo shop is the same... Frame crop alter exposure then print vs process.

[@edwardreverseproductions]

@@danc2014 or like,you can scan the negatives and make a digital print

[@JG-hv1co]

Thanks for the great easy to follow guide. Two questions please....can you re-use the chemicals and if so how many times will they work?....can you load the film onto the spool under red light? thankyou.

[@DorianGayle]

Great tips.I definitely needed to know these things as a creator. It's essential that we know how to use the tools we need to create! Great Video!

[@crystalcritter7494]

I was TERRIFIED of taking one shot due to the obsurd prices of development now I am glad there’s a way to develop film cheaper then stores, also I get to see the whole process

[@MichaelHotWater]

Just found my dad’s old Olympus OM-1. Really excited to step into film

[@concha0711]

Amazing video Will, super explanatory, makes me want to dive into film development! thanks for this!

[@SimmerChase]

Thanks for sharing! A relative gave me 13 rolls of film from the 90s to early 2000s and the places around here want $10 a roll, so I was hoping to do it myself and I think I can now. Thanks again, I'll update you on how it goes. Cheers!

[@WillHinson]

Good luck to you!!

[@DrippGarage]

howd it go

[@The_Active_Region]

Drying your film with a towel under it will cause lint to cling to it or even worse embed into the film. Might want to get a couple film hanging clips.

[@GarrettXPrime]

as an NDT xray tech ive done this with larger pieces of film in a developer truck for projects this is pretty cool i may try this for 35 mm film

[@dannyc7267]

Thank you your the only one that helped me understand what I was doing wrong your videos are awesome keep it up and thanks again

[@st.charlesstreet9876]

Thank You Will, never knew how color processing worked. 😮

[@calvinf9218]

Excellent tutorial. Very enthusiastic yet straightforward. 👍

[@nicklopro]

Yo a fellow reel dawgie from FL! Yo I had to leave the peninsula, but you can't take the gator out the Florida man. Anyway I am just taking a break from holding my wife captive in my film cooler and forcing her to comment on all my film photography content so I can relax and watch others enjoy my favorite hobby. Don't worry I'll let her out once I get 10 billion subs. Should be any day now. Subbed! See you on the scroll man.

[@day_day_]

This guy deserves more subscribers!

[@paranoidgenius9164]

I'm thinking of developing my own film negatives at home, but I need to know that I have everything I need to do it, amongst other things. First, I'm going to start from the bottom, buying the cheapest 35mm film from Amazon which is about £3-4 UK per roll & experiment with different specification film until I'm confident that I can do it.

[@3nnki]

Dude, you got a suscriber from chile 🇨🇱 nice info.

[@AJ-tx3qm]

Your instructions were so clear and to the point. Thank you!!

[@ashadowintime7305]

instructions unclear to me, poured bleach fix all over my crotch with the lights off

[@AJ-tx3qm]

@@ashadowintime7305 As unintuitive as it may seem, that is actually part of the process.

[@vangaakkireddy4223]

Super master class ,way of film developing tips super

[@Robstrap]

Remember its really only worth it if you shoot alot on film. Buying all thos stuff and a scanner would cost me over £400. And i can get film digitized and developed for around £9 per roll, or even less with a bulk discount. So id need to develop about 45 rolls just to break even, and that's also time lost doing the developing. So really more like 60+ to make it worth it. Most people these days shoot digital day to day then film on rare occasions for fun, those people wont be developing 60 rolls in their lifetime probably

[@elib7467]

This is dope. Though since I live with my family & don’t have hourly access like this to a bathtub/darkroom, I feel it might be better for me to just support a local film shop that develops photos.

[@marielxsmith1997]

Is it okay to use redlight in a room?

[@Nindo-Nando]

From what I learned in class, red lights don’t affect photo paper, but they do affect film.

[@kidhitter3582]

I’ve heard you can use a red light when developing film, does that work with this method?

[@Elleaf1]

No, the red light is for turning the negatives into positives, I believe. The part that has to be done in complete darkness is getting the film into the tank because that film will react to the red light still.

[@GreyGhost-r4z]

“And not around ...old people..” Us old people use to eat breakfast with Fixer on our hands 👴🏼

[@Moonlight-mz7mu]

That’s some hell yeah spirit right there

[@naomifehr669]

Yes! My boss used to 'wash' his coveralls in Varsol, hang them to dry, and wear them all week. No rinsing needed, but they tended to catch fire after awhile, lol.

[@itsyaghoul]

I wheezed when he said “and old people”

[@GreyGhost-r4z]

@@itsyaghoul 😆🙌

[@dumbraccoonboi4575]

Listen Gramps I ain’t tryna send you to god early ahead of schedule

[@aatifnafees6164]

Great video man. But why do you have an Arturia Midi on your table?

[@jwebs94]

So the canister is light safe and you can pour the chemicals in with the regular lights on? Or is that all done in the dark/red light too?

[@Doile911]

3:46 please add its in farenheit.... we dont wanna boil the film....

[@gedionsamuel2256]

Like the jacket! Thanks for this great video; found a few undeveloped film.

[@SallyAliciaAcorn54]

Thank you for this video!! It totally explained things for me.

[@judeoorehhh4107]

Thank you for the video! I didn’t know you could do this instead of using a full darkroom setup. I’m still new to this so I was wondering though.. can I use a darkroom red light while spooling the film roll so that I can see what I’m doing or does it have to be completely dark and have to do this blindly? lol

[@katie-zh8md]

this is so well explained. thank you dude

[@TheMacGyverism]

My loading reel can be adjusted for 35mm and 120mm by twisting it counter clockwise. It can also be completely opened. I find this the easiest way to unload it. Also nice to see that there are probably as many ways to agitate as there are agitators! :)

[@randallstewart1224]

Every reel used in these plastic tanks will convert between 35mm and 120 sizes. The problem of pulling the reel apart every time you unload film is that you put a lot of wear and tear on those plastic reels, causing them to become out of alignment over time. This is particularly the case with the really cheaply made ones, like Paterson. Better practice is to just unwind the film from the reel after processing, and if using both film sizes, buy extra reels, so you do not have to be constantly resetting them. And, always fully wash the reel immediately after use so scum doesn't settle into the grooves and make them Paterson-sticky.

[@sarahs7751]

I took photography class years ago in highschool and dont remember much but it was a fun class. I remember it smeling like vinegar. Is this a different way? And also we did things in a red light room.

[@tysaylorphoto]

I'm lucky enough to have a local print shop that also develops film with a guaranteed 48hr turnaround (72 hr during holiday season), and it's affordable. I'm sure I'd be able to do this, but it's stressful 🤣 I'd prefer to pay a small fee for the developed negatives.

[@panorama4526]

It was stressful for me and millions of others for decades. Imagine that… And you never know what happens to your photos, once you leave the shop.

[@crayonscrayolas]

Hi, I have a stupid question. I saw on KZbin that you can scan your photo using a phone. I wonder why the film won't get overexposed when placed on a lightbox. Is this the first step before it can be scanned?

[@owl418]

Yes you have to do this process first :)

[@eekamini]

great video, now i understand more of what goes on. I want to some day try it myself. its interesting how one place i send my film to takes 3 weeks and the other, i get scans back in 2 hours.

[@shawnlennon1947]

This got me excited! I got an Olympus trip XB3 pont and shoot for 20 bucks! Can’t wait to start developing. Cheers from another location in Florida! 😂

[@Followthepinas]

Great video! What's your favorite film to shoot and why? What's the best budget film?

[@vintagesnapper2615]

Great video and I feel more confident about developing my own films now.

[@ameliahiam9110]

It’s crazy to see how even the technique of developing changes from person to person

[@dafdcartoons]

Right? Some people slam the hell out of the tank when they agitate it.

[@a.l.alexander3668]

Curious to know, what is your favorite color film stock?

[@WillHinson]

I used either Ektar 100 or Portra 400 depending on the lighting situation

[@Miriam-fk9wr]

Hell yeaaa!! Attitude, I just subscribed 👌🏻

[@salami99]

probably want to use an Organic Vapor Respirator from 3M at home depot. Cheaper than film these days. Use mine for oil based projects, paints, table finishing,

[@alyssamay5183]

Ayyyeeee, Central Florida! I'm over in Brevard by the Space Center. Thanks for a dope how to video 👍🏻📸

[@victorrobles7499]

it seems so easy but i know its challenging , i hope i do this next week or so and see how it turns out

[@AlexanderSwaine]

Do this in an area with good ventilation.... *most home developers: locks myself in the bathroom*

[@ashleytaylor2587]

Instead of a dark room can i use a red light?

[@GreyGhost-r4z]

No ! Film requires total darkness to load onto the reels. Buy a $23 Black changing bag.

[@finndarby9748]

is there a large difference between using the powder vs the liquid kits?

[@kevingoza]

Thank you! Love film and thought developing was much more equipment intensive. I too live in CF! Orlando area. You?

[@MaevaBM]

but how do you dispose of these chemical liquids? once done you have to pour them or can reuse them?

[@CreateWithJovani]

Great question

[@MattyVicious1]

How you see in the dark? Couldnt you use a red light?

[@africanpenguin3282]

I remember my father used to do this in Panama because return time was 6-8 weeks because the px shipped it back to the US to develope

[@ultimatesithlordpalpitine1245]

Hey I was wondering how you can load the film if you’re in the complete dark?

[@LadyVonEssa1]

It takes practice. I took a photography class in school and we used old film rolls to learn how to roll it in the light, and then we practiced in the dark. It took a lot of feeling around and taking your time to make sure you film was properly loaded in the spool. The first time we developed real film was a little nerve wracking but everyone’s turned out okay.

[@mohammadaunzaidi570]

can a normal scanner be used for scanning?

[@hannana216]

Can you use safelight here?

[@danallansarthou7]

Always close your doors and window won't expose by bright sunlights, Develop color film in darkness area?

[@CIorox_BIeach]

I thought film cameras were so stupid, _'You have a perfectly good phone camera, why would you spend money on that,'_ but then I saw a misty, neon pink sunrise that my phone camera interpreted as orange, yellow, blue, and much more clear and harsh than what I saw. Part of it is just that my camera is cheap and tiny, but I noticed that new movies aren't picking up things like mist, and the color pink either.

[@spntageous5249]

Had the same argument with my brother today, "why do you use a 35mm when you have a perfect phone camera" bestie it's so much more fun to shoot on 35mm + I have a photo studio in my hometown that does develop the film

[@Janae2000]

3:00 so you can reuse the developer after using it?

[@chuchu1689]

Yes you can

[@Truishrd]

By the way, is there a dvloping machine? Or I have to do it manually?

[@89__tirtharajpati69]

No matter whatever advanced technologies come to digital or mirrorless cameras, the photo taken in films will looks most romantic and calming.

[@samira8644]

thank u so muchhh for sharing! I'm going to try this soon and make my own dark room, first buying all the equipments.

[@SRTscout911]

Loved the video thank you. What camera would you recommend for a beginner?

[@1stVictory]

I am from India, just watched your video, brother your video editing quality is good,but you subscriber only 800??? You deserve more than 1m subscriber, keep it up don't stop making video. Love you from India.

[@arronben]

What’s up Will sweet video. Really well made of course. Pumped to see what else you make.

[@WillHinson]

What's up Arron!!! Thanks bro

[@arronben]

Will Hinson, I’ve been trying to pump out videos during the quarantine haha

[@WillHinson]

@@arronben Same man. I've been posting like rapid fire on TikTok trying to get my brand going, this is the perfect time to start!

[@arronben]

I just got on tiktok, didn’t want to download it but I think it’s the best way to get people these days

[@WillHinson]

@@arronben I don't know if you were on KZbin before Google bought it, way back before they even had ads on here, but TikTok is the best place to get discovered as a creator since that era of KZbin. I firmly believe that.

[@ChiranjibiDewangan]

Nice work bro! ❤

[@sasha_nivar]

will this was such a great video def got a new sub!

[@chrissybabyist]

Fantastic step by step!

[@texassmelting7550]

Ok but now how do you get the photos from the film onto sheets?

[@Larry_ng]

How much developer and blitz liquid did you know to pour into the tank??

[@ambercarlyle3565]

What did you do with the safety hazard chemicals after use??

[@HSDreamsprint]

Are you saying complete darkness? What about safe lights?

[@vamasajoshi2703]

Great awareness &: information v...cheer up