Processing Black & White Film
Vložit
- čas přidán 1. 05. 2024
- These simple step by step instructions will teach you all you need to know to start processing your own black & white films at home.
Part 1: What you will need 00:09
Part 2: Preparing the chemicals 01:06
Part 3: Loading your film 02:06
Part 4: Processing your film 04:02
Part 5: Hanging and Drying your film 06:48
We'd love to hear if this video helped you to try processing your own black and white film. You can also share your results with us on Instagram or Twitter where we are @ilfordphoto. As well as some of the other great videos in this playlist. ('Making a basic contact sheet' and 'Making your first black and white print' to name just a couple). We also have a beginners guide to film photography czcams.com/play/PLarwq93oldzTPKIn4-RMP6w9_khSkuD-I.html as well as some more inspirational content in our ILFORD inspires playlist.
Can you reuse the chemicals - developer & stop bath - that you poured out of the developing tank into the cylinder?
@@archiesacay1901 The Ilfotec DD-X devleoper should be used as a one shot developer for the highest image quality,. It can be used more than once if timings are adjusted. If you have a look at the technical data sheet on ilfordphoto.com then all of the information is there www.ilfordphoto.com/amfile/file/download/file/581/product/545/
I have been using this video to develop my 35mm HP5+, my question is I am getting an old 120 folder camera ... is DD-X still a good developer for B/W 120? How will the process be different for 120 film.
What are the advantages of DD-X over ID-11?
@@CrossChannelFairy The main advantage is convenience.Some people prefer a liquid to mixing powders.
After getting into shooting film recently, I took the leap and bought all the developing equipment. I followed these instructions to the letter and was delighted when I opened up the tank to see 36 well-developed exposures - seriously chuffed! Thanks so much for a brilliant, clear, concise how-to video! Not only that, but you've created something that's modern and slick, and really enjoyable to watch!
That's fantastic to hear Niall. Hopefully you've done it a few times since too. Please share some of your images with us on our social channels, we'd love to see them. (We're @ilfordphoto on Twitter and Instagram)
@@Ilfordphoto profesional, admirable, fancy, exquisite vídeo, thank you
@@bryanotero123 Thanks Brian. Not sure about fancy though!
@@Ilfordphoto if the person wore a pair of white gloves and put the stuff more delicately and did all the process on a dinner table with a fireplace in the background then yeah xD.
Niall McCauley; Thanks mate. You jolted me to recall my first roll of film, bloody magic moment of truth when i examined the wet film dripping into the bath. Did you make a contact sheet?
My favorite part, absolutely, is the little double-tab he gives the tank when he puts it down after agitating, with no explanation. He may not even realize he's doing it. Only the cool kids know, it's to dislodge any air bubbles that the film may have picked up during agitation.
It's also a nod to the processing demons, Order and Chaos, who inhabits every creative space. The repeated tap keeps the spirits at bay. True fact!
I didn't notice this until you pointed it out Mark!
I wanna be a cool kid too!
After more than 20 years of digital, which has been a fascinating journey, its a relief to see a resurgence in film. This is real photography. If we lose it, we lose the soul of what photography is. Patience. Time. Creativity.
It’s been 25 years since I last developed my own film. I’m taking the plunge back into film and this is a great refresher course...I can smell the chemicals through the screen!
We love hearing this - enjoy getting back into black and white film developing, and please, if you are on social media, share some images with us. We are @ilfordphoto on IG/Twitter and Facebook
Could do all of this with my eyes closed 20 years ago. Now, found a few rolls of film from the past and need to remember the steps ) Thanks for a nice video!
Muscle memory definitely helps, it becomes second nature after a while:)
@@Ilfordphoto thank you and your team for the video, whole process doesn't seem that scary as it was before. and thanks that we still have these beautiful rolls of film from Ilford.
I remember doing this with my father in the late sixties and early seventies. I don't think anything has changed in developing and printing film, except the materials. It's a lot of fun. You take more pride in what you've done.
You should have another go at it! There's lots of information on www.ilfordphoto.com and it's easy to ghet hold of film. I bet you even have a film camera lurking somewhere :)
Don't forget, if you run out of STOP you can use regular white vinegar. Of course it needs to be diluted with water to the proper strength.
Yess, we did it back in school days. Decades ago. Omg. Now I am going to start my own developement, at least in Germany I get the feeling, it gets harder to find someone, that does a good job in it. Esp.: as I like to do bw-slides, Ilford, do you have vids on this theme, or should I look for Adox? Andreas
I loved doing this in my photography class at school 30 years ago and now about the plunge again.
This process use to gave another value to your photos. Good memories and
great moments with friends procesing Film.
Thanks for the video.
Great video, I'm in my 60s and haven't processed film since the early '80s. What a great refresher. Thanks!
I never knew how much work actually went into professionally developing film. Now I know. Awesome video!
Thanks Alex - Glad you enjoyed it
and this is just half of it. making the prints is just as much work
@@jawaring4367 Or scanning
@@jawaring4367 I find that printing in the darkroom is more enjoyable than film developing.
Great video. Clear, easy, no bollocks.
0:52 Neat reverse film trick of presenting the chemicals.
Love this and so helpful. As I have made the transition back to film, this is the next stage. Looking forward to making my own prints and processing. Thank you for creating this series.
Brilliant. We're hearing more and more often how people are enjoying coming back to shooting film or are now shooting it alongside digital. It's fantastic to hear how many are also trying their hand at developing it themselves too. Please let us know how you get on.
I have been doing Wet-Plate photography in Silver Nitrate on glass. I've been looking to move forward in time from the 1850's to film photography. Thank you for the clear and concise information.
Really well made, clear and helpful video. Worked a treat for me! Many thanks!
Ive probably developed 100k rolls of film at this point both for myself and others. Its muscle memory at this point, and I still have my Kindermann tank and Hewes reels and I think these Ilford videos have inspired me enough to use up that 2.3km of bulk Pan F I have left...
Thanks a lot. I’ve developed 6 rolls with ilfosol 3 and HP5. It is absolutely amazing and very easy. Can’t recommend enough for anyone starting out!
Excellent video. Thanks. I have been developing for over a year now, and it is good to see my technique is broadly similar. 4 main differences though. 1. I use a changing tent. Just 1 less thing to worry about. 2. I've always pulled the film totally out of the cassette, just seems less fiddly to load onto the reel. 3. I've always started the clock after I've poured the chemicals into the tank, and stopped it and at the right time (not 15 seconds earlier) and then poured it out. That means they are in chemicals much longer, though I've not noticed any problems with the negs. 4. I live in a hard water area and use distilled water for the rinse.
Wonderful. Thank you.
Great video, thanks! Just developed a roll with this running alongside! Worked perfectly! 😃
this video still helps after years os having to refer back to it. thank you!
항상 응원합니다. 새해 복 많이 받으시길!
Thank you! This is the refresher I need after finding undeveloped rolls in my closet (it's been 10 years since i've done this process).
Glad you found it helpful Christine. Good luck with developing your first black and white films in 10 years!
Thanks to your video and your chemicals, on Saturday I developed my first roll of B&W film, they all came out great, can’t wait to get the scans back. Ilford inspiration 📷🎞🧪👍
That's amazing to hear - well done. Hopefully it's the first of many:)
This video is such zen. I've developed tons of rolls at this point but I keep watching these bc how relaxed I get lol
Great to hear that we're helping you meditate Dylan!
Great overview!
Worked like a charm. Super easy.
Great to hear. Thanks for watching. Hopefully you'll carry on developing your own black and white film now:)
It´s been 20 year since i did this last time, but now i take more b&w photos and want to develop in my home. Nice to refresh the tecnic
That was absolutely fabulous, the clear instructions and the music!
Thanks you. Have you processed your fist black and white film yet?
What a really satisfying video! It’s like an ASMR !
Really? You're the first person to say that. Glad you enjoyed it though!
I HAVE MY EXAM TOMORROW AND THIS IS HELPING ME LOADS! THANK YOU SO MUCH xx
such an amazing tutorial. Really easy to follow. Great job ILFORD
Muy bueno! Gracias
Thank you so much for this. My first roll is now hanging in the shower drying! It was so exciting. I thought all was lost as I messed up the last part of loading the spool, but I only spoiled 8 out of 36 exposures :)
Well done on your first roll!
Thank you!
Very helpful.
I like ilfords chemicals they work consistently even on Kodak black and white films. I use them for my HP5 and my Tmax film stocks. Love your products.
Seems so easy ahah I remember doing this in high school
Got my scans back after developing my B&W at home, thanks to the inspirational Ilford videos they turned out great, the home prints are beautiful.
That's amazing. Well done for taking the plunge. Next stop darkroom printing:)
ILFORD Photo an enlarger setup is very expensive.
@@jeg569 You can find some cheaper or even free enlargers around. Or there may be a community darkroom near you? Keep checking here as we are starting to populate it with community darkrooms www.ilfordphoto.com/storelocator
@@Ilfordphoto I enjoyed dark room printing way more than developing. The hardest part in the whole process for me was extracting the film from the 35mm cassette and properly loading it into the spiral in the dark!
@@parthasur6018 There is definitely a knack in loading the spiral! I love darkroom printing too. Hours can go past without me realising it. We've been enjoying seeing lots of new darkrooms pop up over the last couple of years, maybe there's one near you?
Thank you so much for making this video. It is extremely helpful. I have developed two rolls of hp5 in my kitchen following these instructions. Both have came out great. The way you lay out the steps in such a simple and straightforward way without any unnecessary dialog makes this video very easy to follow. I pause and play back certain parts of this video while I'm developing my film to make sure I'm doing it right. I also used this video when ordering my supplies. The way that you show exactly what is needed is really helpful.
That's fantastic to hear Bret. This is what we were hoping when we made these videos. Have you tried any of our other black and white films yet or are you sticking with HP5 for now?
@@Ilfordphoto So far I have been sticking with HP5. I actually bought 52 rolls of HP5 with the goal of shooting one roll per week. HP5 seems like it will meet my needs really well. It seems like a really flexible film. I shot my first roll at ISO 400 and my second at ISO 1600. Both came out great. I think I might also want to pick up a couple rolls of Panf ISO 50. It looks like it might be good for landscapes when I'm on a tripod and also portraits with studio strobes.
@@BretMiller Cool. Yes, HP5 pushes and pulls really well. I've shot it at 200 and 1600. PANF is beautiful for bright sunny work in the studio or outside and the FP4 is pretty nice too if you want little more speed
Loving these tutorials!! Damn cool!
Thanks Prem. What else other videos would you like to see?
a "what happened here" video series would be great. All of us happen to encouter some things we can't say where the error could have come from. e.g sprocket hole blacking out after aggressive agitation or unfixed negative spots.
Great idea - I'll pass it on
I used to develop and print my own stuff in both colour and monochrome right up until the 90's. Sometimes I would spend a whole evening just to get one print I was satisfied with. I am so glad I don't have to do all that stuff any more.
i have developed 15+ rolls of 36mm b+w films using this video as a guide. I started using the ilford simplicity kit but I have now switched the developer over to rodinal because of longer storage life. I still use ilford fixer and stop bath. Thanks for putting this video up. Your simplicity kit really made the process very simple!
Glad to hear it Thomas. The Simplicity kit is a great way to get started / learn.
Muy bueno !! Muchas gracias me ayudo mucho !!!
THANK YOU ILFORD
ILFORD you guys rock. This is what film looks like today. It's the real deal. Cheers.
Thanks Bill. Do you shoot much film yourself?
I try to as much as I can for my personal work. The darkroom is the best place to get away from it all...
I am about to develop my first roll of film next week and have found this video extremely useful, concise and orientative. Thank you!
Let us know how you go on and if it's our film, we'd love to see some shots on our IG or Twitter stream @ilfordphoto
What was the results 10 months later?
Nice soundtrack.
music is matches with the video I watch all the video was great and go good knowledge. Thank you
awesome upload!
Very helpful for this returning film shooter.
Has Ilford ever considered commissioning a simple to use, high quality and not-too-expensive film scanner w/ software? Probably, Ilford would rather sell darkroom supplies only for wet prints, but these days, it seems like the hybrid approach to film photography is gaining popularity. (Shoot on film, develop the film oneself, scan to computer and maybe print later.)
Great Video
really good video there, nice job
You could understand my surprise seeing ILFORD name on youtube...it's been 30 years !!!! Great memories working with this product line.
Excellent video. I'm ready to embark on my first attempt and had a thought that threw me off. I see the film emulsion is facing outward. Is it that way with all film and are there cameras that wind the film the other way...so that you're having to wind the film against the curve so to speak?
I hope that made sense. Regardless, thank you for the simple, clear instructions.
Nice intro video. I see even Ilford Photo recognizes the value of a Kodak Process Thermometer, Type 3 -- but I don't recommend using it to mix chemicals.
Love it!!!!!!!!!!!
Ilford is on CZcams. I subscribed just by respect
Love the tutorial. I just one question, how do you get rid of the solutions when it's time to throw it away?
It depends where you live. We always advise contacting your local council as different areas have different rules.
Excellent video! I’ve just ordered the Ilfosol 3 developer and plan to use it for my HP4 400 & Tmax 400. This is going to be my first BW development. So far I’ve only performed on C-41.
In the technical data for Ilfosol 3 on your website it says for storage up to 24 months if the cap is fully tight or else 4 months. Do you mean to say the former is applicable only is the bottle is never opened? Or do I need to transfer the developer to a more air tight container?
The music is way too dope.
ain't it though lol!
It’s great fits the vibe of a darkroom perfectly.
It makes film look hi-tech. :)
Sound like Mirror Edge soundtrack !
That's why keyboards have a mute button.
In school in the late 70's we used HC110 with HP5.
Excellent!
Thank you. Let us know if you have a go yourself
The method advised to me in the 70s was to avoid losing the leader as this simplifies film transfer to reel in the dark. It can usually be felt leaving the take up spool on manual rewind cameras so leader still exposed. If then cut off leader it only needs an inch or so to load past the ratchet in the Paterson spool which can be done in daylight. Then move to changing bag with scissors and allow ratchet to readily pull film out of the unopened cassette. Then just snip end. Have never lost the first exposure doing it this way.
That works if you can control the rewind:)
looking back at this makes me miss doing photography. i really want to get back in it bc i miss the process of actually developing the pictures yourself
Brings back high school memories..... damn I want to get into this again, digital has spoiled me!
You should do it!
Digital has made a lot of sloppy photographers.
That’s exactly why I’ve just bought an old Pentax MX and some film ...
@@ikonographics Great choice of a camera. I still have mine from 40 years ago. I use it with Ilford HP5 Plus.
Well made video
Very cool, back in the day I professionally processed and printed black/white, color negative and E6 transparency film in formats from 35mm, 120/220, 4x5 & 8x10. brings back memories and now I have to resist wanting to shoot some film! I always preferred Stainless Steel reels as we could dry them quicker to get more film loaded.
i am defo gonna start doing this ahah
I use a film leader retriever instead of break open the cartridge to get the header, also can do it by inserting a short length of film into the cartridge, this is the traditional way to do it inside a light tight bag.
i hope you continue making videos!
We plan to :)
ILFORD Photo 👌🏽👌🏽👌🏽
Just started shooting film again 10 years. I found a great Canon AE-1 Program and was going to get the HP5 but was told it cost more to develop and that the XP2 was better so that's whats in my camera now. I was about 17 shots in when I noticed the aperture blades was stuck and needed to be cleaned.. so I did that and so far so good. So I do want to ask about the XP2 film and it's pushing capabilities and does it have it.. or is 400 ISO its limit.
also, a list of equipment/ chemistry at the bottom of the video would be helpful.
Did you not see that in the video??
@@Jay-jb2vr YES, but it moved too quick.
@@Jay-jb2vr yes, But I also have Autism, and hence the white writing on a white background is harder for me to see (contrast and glare{from the video lighting}), also watching the writing AND the live action simultaneously is difficult, as this takes a lot of attention and a lot of information at once can overwhelm our brains, too much choice at what to look at, let alone concentrate ones limited attention on and it is even harder, the more complex the task we are learning, or the more detailed the information, steps, body Language of the demonstrator,etc. (we do things line by line, looking, understanding, then looking again- as if we think too much we have a meltdown , like a computer, it can't do too much, if it tries, it 're-boots'), also in my childhood I had seizures (due to heat, and sometimes flashing lights),so the oscilating timer in the left corner is distracting in this regard too.
Little trick : when you pour out the chemicals out of the tank, keep your finger over the edge to keep the cover in place. I've had the cover fall out a couple of times before fixing ... i know, i know
What is the music that was used?
Wonderful video.
Thanks for this informative video! I have 2 questions: How do you get the right temperature for your chemicals? I learned there are heating devices for colour film development but how do you cool them down? I have an apartment on the top floor and it gets easily up to 30°C in summer time. Sure I can do a water bath to cool down the chemicals but as soon as I pour them into the development tank they will heat up. And the other question: When you are re-using your chemicals - how do you know when your chemicals are exhausted and have to be replaced? Especially when you don't have a high throughput of film rolls per week/month.
Cheers,
Chris
We dod publish times for processing at higher temperatures and these as well as info on how long the chemistry lasts can all be found on the relevant technical data sheets on www.ilfordphoto.com/technical-downloads/technical-data-sheets/
@@Ilfordphoto or add some ice
@@Ilfordphoto does your website keep crashing , constantly having problems with it .
The music sounds like it came from Mirror’s Edge. I love it.
Thanks hopefully you enjoyed the video too;)
ILFORD Photo Like always :)
This video is so dope!
Thanks Andrew - Do you process your own film?
ILFORD Photo I just take my film to a local camera shop. But I’ve been wanting to start to develop my own B&W
Hi, does the temperature has to be or stay the same when preparing the chemicals and when pouring them into the tank? I have just acquired your Film Processing Stater Kit and Im looking forward to develop some film!
This is interesting and not as complicated as I thought
Are you going to have a go? There is plenty of additional helpful information on our website too. www.ilfordphoto.com/beginners-guide-processing-film/
Nice & Thank you :)
Such a reasonable wash technique I feel like everyone else calls for 20+ minutes of continuous flow - lol where am I going to find that much distilled H2O at 20C??
Anyways, love this video so much it has been my starting point for developing so many different rolls of film. Thank you Ilford!
Great video but missing some important info for absolute beginners - no mention of changing bags which most people are going to want to use as finding a light-tight room is almost impossible. Popping off the end of the film canister really is not necessary as it is far simpler to get a film leader finder and just pull it out plus you can do this in the light and preload your spirals. Also it would be great to see the results of the development eg some actual scans or prints of the photos that we watched getting developed.
Thanks for your feedback. Changing bags are always an option, although not as simple to use for an absolute beginner. It is fairly easy to black out a small room with card and tape, (there is a video on out stream showing how to do this), but we understand that not everybody has this space available. Using a film retriever instead of removing the cap is another way of doing it, which works perfectly well. We do have another video coming shortly on making your first print which shows the next steps.
Fantastic thanks - that all sounds great. I think mentioning the change bag along with the blacking out a room would be ideal as most people I would say would go for a simple bag rather than having to black out an entire room with card and tape. I'm guessing it depends alot on where you live too and styles of houses (in the north of Australia where I live rooms are big and lots of light) - a changing works everywhere....although a bit of a pain to use. Anyway it's fantastic to see these tutorials online from Ilford and hopefully get more and more people to try the process - thanks! Can't wait to see the prints too.
Most people have a bathroom they can easily convert to a darkroom by blacking out any windows (usually small) and making a simple light trap for any vents. It's much easier to work in a larger space than one of those changing bags.
I do have a totally light sealed room, which I use for darkroom printing. However, I much prefer loading my film in a bag, whether it’s muscle memory or something else I find the bad much easier. But I take the spool out of the canister to load it as I find it much easier to guide the film that way. Many of these things are personal preference, the important point is that it should be loaded in total darkness and the film is not touched.
bebox7 light tight rooms are easy nearly 12 hrs a day! (night)
2:34 - beer opener works well too :)
You will notice when pouring out the developer from the tank it will have a purple color, that is normal, it is from the coating on the back of the film washing off in the developer.
Which chemicals are reusable and how long can you use them?
I know it's best to use fresh chemicals for each roll of film, but i'd be good to know.
The amounts of chemicals depend on the size of the developing tank and number of rolls right?
If i use a bigger tank to process 3 films at the same time, let's say, all amounts would be triple, right?
any issues if I mix delta400 and hp5+400? both at box speed I just got multi reel tanks to try and save time
Excellent video and nice background music! Recently started to use film photography again after close to 16 years. But now that studios that develop are quite rare to find, I've to do the developing process myself. It's quite interesting and fun as I learned through. Have only shot color and used only the C-41 till now. Recently tried BW films too. Watched this video to get an idea of the process and what chemicals to order. I've one question. Is the function of Ilford Universal Wash aid same as the wetting agent?
Great to hear that you're having another go at flim photography after a break. There is a differnce between the Washaid and wetting agent. Wetting agent is used for film to reduce drying marks, where as Washaid is a hypo eliminator so speeds up the washing process of primarily Fibre based papers but can also be used with film to reduce wash times.
@@Ilfordphoto this video did seem to offer a very minimal wash time. over time, I wonder what condition the negatives will remain in... (in terms of deterioration)
@@Garacha222 We developed this wash method to use the minimal amount of water whilst ensuring that all residual chemicals were removed to ensure the longevity of the images. www.ilfordphoto.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Reducing-Wash-Water.pdf
Make sure for when you pour in each chemical into the container, you rinse out the remaining chemical that could be inside. This can effect the way your film turns out
How do I know what’s the volume of the solution I need to use?? I want to develop 4x5 film...
want a simpler way? measure the temperature of standing water in your house, it's 21C in my house consistently (the basement might slightly colder), I let my water rest the night before development and never use a thermometer, I do all my times for 21C all the time, never check for temps anymore. Do not bother with stop bath, use water instead, same good. The only two things that need to be timed are developer and fixer, everything else just do it by feel. The stop water bath by feel, the final rinse by feel. Never use the vinyl squeege, use a sponge squeege instead and ALWAYS wet the squeege with the same soupy mix you used for final rinse before scrubbing the film. It will prevent any marks on the film once dried.
TCP...........Great but we don't all live in your house.....
Harry Stevens i said " temperature in your house" this might work or not
it's always good to hear other ways of doing this. thanks for the tips.
Explain "do it by feel"
Yep I agree 100% and have been it exactly this way for a long time now. It makes the whole process easier and automatic. Though I do use stop
HI, is it possible to use Rapid fixer (1+4) more then one time?
Hi Andrews. Yes you can use is more than once. Have a look here for capacity information www.ilfordphoto.com/amfile/file/download/file/1833/product/711/
Like going back in time.
Do you not shoot film now? We've seen a huge resurgence in it over the last several years
I thought it was Aphex Twin. Great tutorial 🖤
I've been taking pictures on film for ten years. My favorite Ilford films are classic HP5+, PAN 100, PAN 50, less often Delta. I've never used film squeegee for fear of scratching. The problem is not the device itself, but the way it is stored and maintained. Too much risk for me. I always poured a softening solution over the hanging film at the end and there was no question of any stains or scratches on the film.
The film squeegee has definitely proved to be controversial! We knew that this one was brand new and so there wasn't a risk of scratching, but have heard a lot of people say that they prefer to use their fingers.
Use distilled water with the final rinse with the wetting agent. No spots.
I'm definitely in the 'no squeegee' or 'fingers' camp when it comes to film processing. I learnt to process film in high school and the method I was taught was to leave the film to dry naturally with the final drying aid chemical, that being Kodaks' Photo Flo on the film whilst it dries. Once the film had dried, we used the Anti-static cloth on the film before we slipped it into negative preservers.
Thank you for this video, it’s very helpful! However! I have a question. What shall I do with liquids in the three tanks? Can I use them again? If yes, then for how long? Can I store them? Or I need to start all over again for the next film?
Normally developer is used once because it oxidizes and goes bad quickly. You can send it down the drain with your stop bath, or a lot of water, if you're on a sewer system. I use plain water for my stop baths, but the ilford stop has a pH indicator so you can use that until it turns purple. The fixer, as it has silver dissolved in it, should not go down the drain and should be properly disposed of after it is full of silver. Look for a product called Hypo-chek to test it.
Hey! If I am using a film leader retriever, do I have use it while it is in the dark bag? Or can I retrieve, cut it, then put the film canister in the dark bag in order to put it in the tank?
Thank you so much for a great video!
Hi Ethan, You can retrieve the leader with the film out of the bag but don't pull it our any further until it is in the changing bag.
When I was in school, they taught us how to build a "Home made" Contact Printer, and thus make up our own contact sheet!
Maybe another video is in order!
You volunteering??
One lesson I have learned is never add the ilfotol to the developing tank! This builds up on spirals and makes them jam. I now transfer the film to another container for this step.
so you remove the film from the spiral before introducing whetting agent?