November 13, 2025
A Guide to Developing and Scanning 35mm Film at Home
Developing film at a lab can be expensive, time-consuming, and sometimes even disappointing. Why leave your photos in someone else's hands? Take full control of your creative process. With a few simple tools, you can develop film at home for a fraction of the cost.
Before I invested in an at-home kit, developing a single roll cost me about $8. Now, I spend around $30 on chemicals to develop eight rolls — that's just $3.75 per roll after upfront costs.
To see photos that I've developed using these materials, see my 35mm film photography page!
Materials
If you're developing film at home, there are a few essential tools you'll need. Below is a list of what I use, how much each item costs, and what it does plus some alternative options (where possible).
| Item | Cost | Purpose | Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patterson Chemical Tank | $35 | The Paterson tank is used to hold film and chemicals during development. It's a light-tight system that lets you safely pour developer, stop bath, and fixer over your film without exposing it to light. | Similar tanks from brands like AP or Yankee, though Paterson tanks are known for their durability, ease of use, and reliable seals. |
| Dark Changing Bag | $20 | A dark changing bag is a portable, lightproof bag that lets you handle film in complete darkness without needing a darkroom. You'll use it to transfer your film from the camera or canister onto the developing reel and into the tank. | n/a, unless you have a darkroom! |
| 35mm Developing Chemicals | $30 | The Unicolor C-41 Kit is a color film developing set designed for processing standard C-41 negatives at home. It includes the three key chemical baths—developer, blix (a combined bleach and fixer), and stabilizer. | Similar C-41 kits from Tetenal or Arista work just as well. |
| Bottles to hold chemicals | $32 | These amber glass bottles are ideal for storing your mixed film‐development chemicals. The amber glass helps reduce exposure to UV light. | Any 1000ml bottles |
| Temperature control system | $50-100 | Keeps your film chemistry at a precise and consistent temperature—essential for developing color film. Acts like a sous-vide circulator for your chemicals. | Generic sous-vide circulators work similarly at a lower price. |
| 1000ml graduated beaker | $13 | Used to mix and measure film-developing chemicals. Features molded graduations and a handle for easy pouring. | Glass beakers for higher chemical resistance |
| Container for water | $24 | Used as a water bath for the TCS‑1000 temperature control system. | Any bin deep enough |
| Scissors | n/a | Any common scissors | n/a |
| TOTAL | $204-254 | n/a | n/a |
While $250 might seem like a big upfront cost, lab development adds up quickly. Investing in your own setup is not only rewarding, it can actually save you money in the long run. Once you have these materials, you're ready to go!
Step-by-Step
Watch: How I Develop Color Film at Home
1. Prepare your workspace
- Lay out your materials near a sink on a flat counter.
- Make sure all your bottles, beaker, chemicals, and tools are clean.
2. Set up your temperature-controlled water bath
- Fill the 16 qt Sterilite container with water.
- Place the TCS-1000 (or alternative sous-vide circulator) in the water bath.
- Adjust to the target temperature (typically ~102 °F / 39 °C for C-41).
- Allow the bath temperature to stabilize before starting development.
3. Load your film into the Paterson tank
- Work inside the dark changing bag.
- Open the film canister, carefully remove the film, and load it onto the reel.
- Place the loaded reel into the Paterson chemical tank and close the lid tightly.
- Once the lid is closed, you can remove the tank from the dark bag.
4. Mix your chemicals
- Using the 1000 ml graduated beaker, measure out the water as instructed on the chemical packaging.
- Mix the Unicolor C-41 powders with water according to the instructions to make the developer, blix, and stabilizer solutions.
- Pour each solution into labeled amber bottles for easy handling and storage.
5. Pre-wash the film (optional)
Some guides recommend a quick rinse of the film with lukewarm water to ensure even chemical development. This is optional, though I do it every time.
6. Develop the film
- Pour the developer into the Patterson tank.
- Agitate according to the kit instructions (usually gentle inversions for the first 30 s, then a few inversions every minute).
- After the development time, pour out the developer.
7. Stop the development
- Pour in the stop bath (if separate from blix) and agitate for the recommended time.
- Pour out the stop bath.
8. Bleach/fix the film
- Pour the blix/fixer into the tank and agitate as instructed.
- Ensure the film is fully immersed for the proper duration.
9. Rinse and stabilize
- Pour in water or stabilizer (from the Unicolor kit) to rinse the film.
- Agitate gently. Repeat if required.
10. Remove the film from the tank
- Carefully open the tank and remove the film.
- Hang the film to dry in a dust-free environment (clips or film hangers recommended).
11. Clean up
- Empty and rinse all bottles, beakers, and the tank.
- Store unused chemicals in the amber bottles away from light.
- Clean the water bath and circulator for next use.
12. Optional finishing
Once dry, cut and store negatives in protective sleeves.
Try to stay in a dust-free environment. Developing in a basement/garage setting can lead to specks of dust getting on your film.
Scanning Film at Home
After developing my film, the next step is getting those negatives into a digital format I can edit and share. Scanning film at home might sound intimidating, but it's actually one of the most satisfying parts of the process, because it's when your images finally come to life.
My Setup
I use a Canon 80D with a manual-focus macro lens, along with the Negative Supply Essential Kit for scanning. You can use any full-frame digital camera you have, just make sure you use a manual-focus macro lens.
This setup allows me to capture high-resolution images of my film strips using my camera instead of a traditional flatbed scanner. It's faster, more accessible, and gives me more control over exposure and detail.
To keep my scans clean, I use a dust blower before each session. A single speck of dust can show up like a crater on your final image, so this step is always worth the extra few seconds.
Step 1: Preparing the Negatives
Once I've developed my film and it's completely dry, I cut it into strips and gently clean it with the dust blower. Then I load each strip into the Negative Supply film holder, which keeps everything flat and evenly lit.
Step 2: Capturing the Images
I set up my camera on the Negative Supply Essential Kit directly above the film holder, making sure everything is aligned. My light source sits underneath the film, and I manually focus on the film grain to ensure maximum sharpness. Make sure to shoot in RAW format, which gives full control over color and exposure when converting later.
Step 3: Converting the Negatives
After capturing all the frames, I import the RAW files into Adobe Lightroom and use Negative Lab Pro to convert the negatives. It's an incredible tool—it accurately inverts the colors, restores contrast, and helps fine-tune tones to match the film stock's natural look.
Step 4: Editing
Once converted, I make edits just like with any other photo. Having my images converted in Lightroom keeps the workflow simple: convert, then edit in the same software.
Why I Love Scanning Myself
Scanning my film with this setup gives me complete creative control. I can decide exactly how my images should look, experiment with color tones, and make each photo feel intentional. Plus, there's something rewarding about knowing I handled every step from loading the roll to the final scan.