Pushing and Pulling Film Explained

[@user-vd1bx5le5d]

7years later this video still helpful

[@behindeachfilmgrain]

This has been the best explanation of PUSHING & PULLING to its simple form. You rock!!!

[@nelyang5862]

agreed

[@BlancGivre]

Agreed!

[@VoidToForm]

what I don't understand is why do it this way? If i want my 400 roll to be 800, then why not just shoot it as 200 and develop normal, I'm sure there are effects on grain and contrast but aside from that, is it just to preserve shutter speed?

[@misham6547]

More grain and higher speed for low light photography for pushing, also if you shoot two stops down and not increase development time it will be underdeveloped

[@kassandraoutwest]

Most helpful explanation of pushing/pulling that I've been able to find. Thank you!

[@jephfoust]

Thanks for the primer. Would have been nice to see results of pulling included. You mentioned how to shoot/label, but without the visual examples, it's hard to know "why" pulling would be helpful. Follow-up perhaps?

[@joshmoates9730]

I totally should! One reason is pulling is much much more rare.

[@drewsleyy3836]

Pulling is done to reduce contrast in a high contrast scene. It's helpful when you want to expose for shadow detail, but the highlights are quite strong - pulling ensures that the highlights are not blown out in development. This is not commonly offered by many labs when it comes to color film, but most labs still offer this service for black and white film.

[@adrianlu1371]

What if you develop pushed/pulled film at box speed?

[@drewsleyy3836]

Pushing/pulling is a development process. If you develop a roll normally that was meant to be pushed, you'll just end up with underexposed film. If you do the same with film that was meant to be pulled, you'll end up with overexposed film.

[@theflyest203]

My biggest question is do you meter the shadows and still overexpose a stop or 2 on top of having the lab push it 2 stops? Or just meter to 0 in the center of the camera light meter?

[@gr0mpickle]

Any examples of Kodak Colorplus 200 @ 100 , 400 etc..? Would love to know :)

[@staceyswitzer2100]

so, when you say metering, you put your camera ISO not to the speed of the box, but to the speed that is needed. for example: you only have a 400 speed film and you need a 200 speed film, you set the camera ISO to 200 (shoot the whole roll at camera ISO 200) and then when you sent it to the lab you write a -1 or 200 (your camera ISO)? Then the lab will process the film based on the -1 or 200 the is written in the notes section of the canister.

[@davidkachel]

You bet! Because in photography, wishing something makes it true!!

[@moha2131]

hi what happened if I shoot film at 1600 but pushed at 3200 ? is it going to give me 1 stop light over ?

[@leonidtalas696]

What i dont understand is how ISO100 film magically becomes 1600 sensitive if you just increase development times??? The detail was not there in the first place, since ISO100 film is not as sensitive to light as ISO1600. How much of quality and detail is lost by pushing/pulling?

[@risingsun_]

if I have a contact t2 that auto fills the iso could I set the exposure compensation to -2 and then put +2 on the roll when I send it in?

[@TheLMMish]

Perfect. But what about positives? Velvia or provia, do they act differently?

[@btpuppy2]

But doesn’t pushing always accentuate/add grain? Is there more grain with 400 pushed to 800 than shooting a straight 800 film?

[@Jedilost1]

Great video man, thank you. Quick questions, i know how to push and pull with B&W film..but how does one do it with C41? Do you have to keep the film in chemicals for more/less time like with B&W? I always wondered that

[@staswlad]

plus & minus 30 sec

[@SterlingSigurdsen]

Is this the same as changing the auto exposure on a Canon Eos 630? Like if I tell the camera to over expose by .5 or 1 that is what it is doing? Or is this different in telling the camera to meter for 1 stop or more?

[@IainHC1]

Hi. Do you treat C41 the same way as BnW in push developing the film?

[@studionelle3340]

I think this should be called how to push film - as they was little explaination and results for pulling.

[@Uknowjustin]

Nailed it

[@Warioda]

What happens when you shoot lets say +2 and you process at box speed?

[@vangstr]

You will have underexposed you negatives because it wasn't processed in chemistry correctly (with more time) to compensate for the film push.

[@RonEMarks]

Should have mentioned that when shooting at 800 or 1600 you are actually underexposing the film in camera. More development is needed.. When rating at 100 or 200 you are overexposing and less development is needed. Believe it or many people do not understand that part of the equation.

[@benbunch4159]

Why didn’t you show any pulling?

[@anghelov]

WOW! Thanks

[@adamzellmer9233]

can you split a roll if you go from outdoors to low light?

[@doodletime9041]

Adam Zellmer of course not

[@intagphotovideo]

no

[@misham6547]

You can if you do stand development

[@bestmoviesever1]

Can you get good results by push processing film shot at box speed? Or would it blow out the highlights too much or something?

[@drewsleyy3836]

It may potentially blow out the highlights. If you shoot at box speed, develop at box speed!

[@jennifercormann7452]

great video....quick question....I'm trying to wrap my head around something. I'm actually about to send you guys my first two test rolls. Let's say I'm using Portra 400. I have my camera set to ISO 400 but I use a handheld meter for 200. I'm essentially overexposing my shots based on the handheld meter. In this scenerio I dont say anything to you and you develop as it was shot at 400. What scenerio would I set the ISO to 200 for 400 film? Is this really the same thing? Is the advantage that my internal camera meter is basing the exposure off 200? Is this the easier way to approach? Would there be a difference when developing?

[@vangstr]

By simply pulling color film and developing at box speed, you are simply overexposing. You can pull color film but I wouldn't recommend pushing color film. BW film is different.

[@drewsleyy3836]

Please ignore the other response to this question. Pulling color film is usually not offered at many labs, whereas pushing color film is quite common (I do it all the time). Where you really see both pushing and pulling however is with black and white film. To answer your main question, it comes down to this idea: "Expose for the shadows, develop for the highlights." Film is quite flexible to overexposure, but sensitive to over-development. In other words, it's hard to blow out the highlights when shooting, but then if you develop for too long, you can definitely blow out the highlights. However, in general, film is more forgiving to overexposure than digital. If you overexpose by one stop, you can process at box speed with no issues usually. Don't worry about pulling. If you UNDERexpose by one stop, be sure to push the film by one stop in development. If you're shooting black and white film in a more contrasty scene and you intentionally decide to expose for the shadows in order to capture detail there, it's best to pull the film, since the highlight values are much higher than the shadows and can be more easily blown out in development. Hope that all makes sense!

[@hosik4826]

Tthhhhhaaannnkkkk yooouuuu

[@samhice600]

what if you only need a few photos from the roll to be pushed or pulled. what happens to the rest that were shot at the proper settings?

[@RonEMarks]

Look into "stand development". You can develop multiple speed ratings on different films or even the same roll, at the same time.

[@satomi8500]

... we are looking at 3 film (-1, +1, +2) to compare them but... with 3 different pictures!!! ... ???