rob_calhoun

<p>Cam, color chemistry can last as long, if not longer, than b&w if you store it properly. Mix all your chemistry, then store it in glass bottles filled to the top and sealed well. This will prevent oxidation. <br> I do not recommend developing C-41 film at room temperature. If you do you will have crossover, which will degrade the colors. However, the results may be acceptable to you, but beware. It should be done at 100F for best results.</p>

<p>I store chemistry in glass canning jars which come in sizes of half-pint, pint, quart and half-gallon. When I develop a roll of film I use about a pint of solution, so if it is used from a larger size, I dump what is left into sizes appropriate for the remaining solution so that it will fill up the jar(s). For example, if I took it from a half-gallon jar, the remainder would fill up a quart and pint jar, or three pint jars. I use developer one-shot but bleach and fix I re-use once, so return them into separate jars for re-use. I don't worry too much about filling bleach jars since oxygen does not harm bleach.</p>

<p>"Color chemicals also go bad rather quickly. Once mixed, black and white developer will last for months but color developer will only last for a week or two before going bad."<br> <br /> This is one of the myths in photography that just won't die. If stored properly, color chemistry can have a very long life. I store both C-41 developer and RA-4 developer in glass jars filled to the top and tightly sealed and have had them last years. Right now I have many bottles of C-41 developer that are stored this way that were mixed in December 2011 and have hardly changed color. I used some recently and it showed no signs of deterioration. The key is to prevent the developer from oxidizing. If you store it in partly full plastic bottles, it is likely to go bad very quickly.<br> <br /> I believe it is false beliefs such as this that has kept many from trying color that otherwise would do it.</p>

<p>Horace, in case you are wondering about the red safelight, it is commonly used when handling or printing on black and white paper, which is not sensitive to it. But it is not used for any film or color paper, which is usually sensitive to all colors of light.</p>

<p>If you are buying replenisher, whether developer or bleach, the starter is not included in any of the parts and must by purchased separately if you wish to make working solutions. If you are buying straight developer or bleach, NOT replenisher, you needn't worry about starter.</p>

<p>I have worked with replenisher and starter and Bill is correct. The B&H link is ambiguous, and serves to maintain the ambiguity that already exists in the photography world on this subject, as Bill alluded to.</p>

<p>After the developer, you must use a stop bath and wash before the bleach if you are using a ferricyanide bleach. Otherwise the bleach will oxidize the developer and stain the film. The stop is not necessary with standard C-41 bleach. I have used the above bleach formula for 3 minutes at 100F with good results, with the stop and wash, of course.</p>

<p>My personally shot color negatives go back over 30 years. Some were processed by minilabs and some by Kodak. Some of them processed by minilabs have faded color; some are just fine. All those processed by Kodak have not faded. I also have some negatives shot by my grandmother in the late 50s/early 60s processed by Kodak I have printed that still have very good color. All have been stored under the same conditions. So it is my belief that the quality of processing is a big factor here, especially in the fixer/stabilizer stage. A few years back I learned to not trust the quality control of minilabs and started developing my own color films.</p>

<p>Bill, I learned on my own. I don't remember it taking me much longer to arrive at a good print than it does now. Maybe I just learned quicker than most. It is also true that some people just can't see color as well as some so that could be a factor with others. As I alluded to earlier, changing film types was my biggest problem. A lot of the learning, though, is knowing the basics of color theory (which I learned before beginning printing) and paying close attention to what is happening in your prints when you change exposure and color settings. For beginners it may be helpful to record settings on test prints and keep them for study as they are learning.<br /><br /></p>

<p>Ilya, I do both, but was talking about color wet prints. The number of test prints it takes generally depends on your experience. Understanding color theory helps when you are a beginner. So does working with properly exposed and processed negatives.<br> <br /> I have established starting color enlarger settings for different types of films I work with (as different types of film have different inherent color balances), then make a small test print with the appropriate starting setting for a new negative of a given type. With a little luck I can get good color balance and density on the first print, but on average it might take 2-3 tries to get it to my preference. 6-8 prints to me means lack of experience or bad technique. The number of tries is reduced if your negatives are shot consistantly.<br> <br /> Most home color printers use drums to develop in, but I use trays and solutions at room temperature and it makes making test prints fast, and developing in general is as easy as b&w. </p>

<p>Labs may not make wet optical prints anymore, but materials are still available to make them in a home darkroom as I routinely do, as I shoot film and also develop it.</p>

<p>Shaking or aerating the blix may oxygenate the bleach part which is good, but will also oxidize the fixer part which is bad, and likely shorten its life.</p>

<p>As said earlier, the color processes are standardized so the three emulsion layers develop properly. Although color films can be push processed to increase contrast when needed, this will result in some degree of uneven development of the layers, at least with most films, causing a corresponding degradation of colors, which depending on the degree, may or may not be objectionable.</p>

<p>The link says the video has been removed.</p>

<p>As mentioned earlier, developing color negatives is not hard.</p> <p>I have been color printing for years and it is easier now than ever before, that's why it is sad to see so few people doing it. You can process at room temperature (68-75F) in trays with the right chemistry with excellent results and so it is as easy as b&w. I much prefer this to using processors or drums, which is more of a hassle and slower. You get use to working in the dark and the color balancing with the enlarger, mentioned earlier, becomes easier with experience. In my opinion, a good optical print is superior and much more natural looking than inkjets and that's why I do it. Just make sure that you start with good negatives and fresh chemistry and paper.</p>

<p>Processing C-41 film is not that hard, just be as precise as you can with the developer temperature as stated earlier for best color quality. Other than that, is really no more difficult than black and white. The chemistry is no more hazardous than anything you might find under your kitchen sink. Just handle with care.<br /> You can do color printing in trays. Use Kodak RA-RT Developer/Replenisher at room temperature (68-75F) for two minutes followed by bleach-fix and wash and you will get excellent results. It is a lot less hassle than drums at higher temperatures. Color chemistry can last as long or longer than b&w chemicals when stored properly.<br /> Learning to color print successfully takes a bit of skill to color correct the prints (done by changing color filtration in the enlarger) as the color balance can change from film to film and exposures made under different lighting situations, but that comes with experience. The advantage is you have control over this, as well as cropping, instead of trusting it to some lab.</p>

<p>Developed as black and white, you will get very low contrast images and also the film will have an orange cast due to undeveloped dye coupler (known as the mask). However, if you develop long enough you may be able to increase contrast satisfactorily. <br /> It was stated earlier that color developers have a short life. This is not true if they are stored properly. When stored in full, glass bottles sealed tightly, they can last much longer than what the manufacturers say. Months instead of weeks.</p>

<p>Developers will last their longest in glass bottles. Oxygen is the enemy of developers, and glass is impermeable to it, unlike most plastics. Keep the bottles as full as you can to avoid air. I use canning jars which come in different sizes and have lids that seal well. I never mix partial amounts from packages, just mix the whole thing and developers last many months stored this way.</p>

<p>The storage life for chemistry in publications always seems way too conservative. Most black and white and color chemistry stored in glass jars, filled to the top and sealed tightly will last a lot longer than they say. Stored this way, I have used D-76 more than a year after mixing and gave fresh-like results. I have had color chemistry last 2-3 years.<br> <br /> D-76 (and other hydroquinone containing developers) is known to change activity for a time after mixing (it cycles up and down) so one should wait about three days before using for best consistency over time. It is said that after that, it has pretty well stabilized.</p>

<p>"<em>With negative film one typically meters for the shadows to include detail and develops for the highlights</em>."<br> With color negative film, you don't develop for the highlights since C-41 is a standard process.</p> <p><em>"There is another factor with negative films, of course, and that is how the negatives are printed...papers come in different contrasts, or you have variable contrast paper and control contrast by filters on the enlarger."</em><br> Black and white printing yes, but not color. </p>