How-To: Develop Film with Coffee and Vitamin C (Caffenol)

[XitzpatX]

does it work with color negative film

[TheBrephophagist]

I tryed this and it worked very well. I was woundering does this work on prints as well. If possiable please tell. Than k you.

[techyknowsbest]

25 people did it in sunlight and not complete darkness

[BTBattlefronTV]

Could or would this method work for color reversal film at all?

[cristian3131]

I suppose it won't work with color film :-?

[awsomeroadrunner444]

in the captions at 3:32 then is spelled thne

[Xploratio]

24 people used this technique to developp their sister's wedding's pictures lol

[Karinthehybrid193]

I remember my first time in a dark closet in my photography class lol I had some trouble since I couldn't see my hand infront of my face but I got use to it lol, and my first time developing my black and white film were cloudy DX, but after awhile I started to get better =]

[killdoser666]

From developing film in photograph class we were always told that it was safer to develop longer than a recommended time because you can never over develop and grain is generally due to the type of film stock used and chemicals used. next time you experiment use the same film stock constantly to get a perfect time.

[ChiversVinny]

or you could just get the film devolopped like normal people.

[d10ny29]

awesome method+cute host= add to favorite!!

[AkoolStick]

Does this work for 16mm film?

[cameracameras]

Don't do it this way you're going to wast you're film.look it up on Flickr loads of proper info..you ''must must'' dry the soda in a oven first to remove the water that's in the powder,or like he says it just wont work..

[awsomeroadrunner444]

@cameracameras then how did it wok when he didnt do it that way

[SenorCajones]

Dog pee kills flowers...but nothing about human pee?

[jackrakino]

thumbs up if you think is phone and gameboy is cool

[mbala154]

does it matter what it is? i was wondering if seattle filmworks film would work? because i know that it has a different way to process than any other film. So i was wondering if it would work with it?

[theartisticmess1]

after it dries, how do you make the photo bigger?

[300Z31]

@theartisticmess1 You'll need an enlarger for that. This is a whole different process, but there are plenty of videos on it.

[luismsf5]

blow up poster. nice tip

[jdefritter]

Yes, the filler tube was definitely installed upside down, which explains the fogging. 

[oOKillerLemonOo]

does this work for colored film too?

[rorrt]

This looks awesome!

I would love to know the science.

[ghelica12345]

1:16 \m/

[coolbob64]

@ txy lol

[bchanger]

Never pour fixer down the drain - its got silver nitrate in it and it'll end up poisoning the ground water.

[MegaTmarshall]

@bchanger So what else do you do with it?

[rorrt]

@bchanger

And you can made daguerreotypes , my friend, who's a science geek, does some giggery pokery, by electrolysis of a sheet of copper, to coat it in silver. And has got some really cool results.

Or you could just make some money from the silver, i have 2 and a half Jerrycans full of old fix.

[MacklinReed]

@bchanger not to mention its reuseable.

[777AHan]

@bchanger Actually once you dilute stock its a minute amount of silver. Furthermore disposal is literally impossible to do as recycling depots generally wont take it and the steel wool method still leaves silver.

[1wyeast]

do you think that you might be able to have someone else take your pictures and develop them too? it would save you a lot of time going down to the photo shop. sorry for the sarcasm. OK not really.

[tzkelley]

What's film?

[Flybytweek]

This only works with cold process film....anything that is c-41 isnt going to work



[mouthbreather1]

Another thing to try is paRodinal. It's lye, sodium sulfite (or metabisulfite), acetaminophen (generic painkiller tablets), and water. I've tried it a few times & could never get good results...

[StringsCrusader]

wonder if anything similar would work for colour film.

[Cambrand]

......WHYYYYYYYYY?

[leaflettvideo]

amzing what you can do. how do these people find out these things, excellent.

I've also heard that some war photograpers used urine as a stop or fixer when there was nothing else available.

[AndrewSpindler]

Hey @ theenterrapture17 how about you get fucked

[steve6375]

I used to load the developer tank with film under the bedclothes. Just put a heavy duvet on the top of the bed for extra lightproof cover and dive head first into the sheets (draw the curtains and shut the door to make the room as dark as possible as well).

It is very hard to find a lightproof, really dark room!

[boburius]

how do you do it in complete darkness????

[sooddthisman]

@boburius red light bulb??? like a darkroom

[SWV1787]

I have heard, though never having tried it, that any mild acid can work as a developer and any mild base can act as a fixer so to that theory... orange juice developer and a baking soda solution fixer could potentially work as a method to develop film in your own kitchen without even having to do any shopping.

[zazunzas]

thanks for this ... also not sure if anyone has mentioned this but isn't fixer basically acetic acid - aka, vinegar?

[rick92rr]

my fixer came out pink, why was that? =(

[ryky596]

Cool!

[simdude2u]

@NSFlims some people can't take their film to walmart or target or else they will be contacted by the police.

[Nadrealis]

@simdude2u Someone report this guy to the police.

[simdude2u]

@Nadrealis I work at a retail photo center & 1/2 the film that comes in is pictures of people's crotches(nude). We can't sell them their pictures, so we have to shred the photos/film then contact the police as well. it's daily basis for our store.

[Nadrealis]

@simdude2u Why is it illegal? Unless it's children.

[rick92rr]

i tried this and my negs came out transparent with some shadows, i left neopan 100 expired 4 months ago, for 26 minutes exactly 20ºC all the time with an ice cooler, i just put the bottles inside and close it, regulating with cold/hot water until y get my temperature, it changes like 0.1º/hr), , i used a coffee called "nescafe" its so shitty, do you think i'll need to use natural coffee? because i've got a lot of it and, nescafe is the most processed coffee you can find in this country (mexico)

[Jcbproducoes]

I tried with my sd card! the coffee sad the slot wasn´t compatible do i need a firmware update, or just get another coffee? XD

[megaman1339]

ok, where did you get the shirt, i want one

[potentiallyklien]

My beginning photo class will now be doing this... Thanks!

[Eulogioisgod]

Abita Beer! where was that photo at 4:56 taken?

[heyandy889]

Smells awful? Is it poisonous? lol

[thefuz134]

or i can just go get it developed... saves me time

[Adrian51524]

looks like we are making meth.

[cameraman455]

awesome!! how do you get so many views? no one ever watches my videos

[tuskforce]

now i know why my negative smell like coffee

[zac856314]

3:54 SPILL!!!!

[FlemishBloke]

next on how to make crystal meth for the 21st century?

[pclayto3]

he loaded the tank wrong..... with the middle spindle - no wonder the negatives came out dark. light leak in the tank. probably nothing to do with being too long in the developer.

[enersani]

REAL MAKERS USE REDSTONE :)

[Tylerjolokia]

does this only work with C-41 film?

[imroy264]

@Tylerjolokia No, only black and white. Processing colour film (C-41 or E-6) is a whole lot more demanding.

[simozonelayer]

@imroy264 I woudn't say C-41 is demanding (I don't know about E-6), I do it in my utility room sink.

You just need the chemicals and 3 bottles to store them in. The only tricky part is getting the developer to 102 degrees, the blix can be effective from 95 degrees and the stabaliser can sit at room temperature. You can also cross process some E-6 film using C-41.

You probably know all this already, I just wanted to say I didn't think it was demanding.

[imroy264]

@simozonelayer yes, actually I do know the general plan. Perhaps I overstated saying it was "a whole lot more demanding". I've done lots of B&W processing over the last few years and C-41 doesn't sound too much harder. But for a newbie who hasn't even done B&W I imagine it can seem daunting.

[simozonelayer]

@imroy264 Sorry for be patronising! if someone wasn't familiar with it it would appear to be more tricky than it is. I hadn't developed film for about 15 years then jumped right into C-41, I was a bit uncertain with the first few rolls that I was doing it right. Looking forward to doing some B&W.

I think the E-6 process looks quite complicated. Lots of different baths.

[davidzver99]

you have DSI or DS? :D

[TheHiddenRuby]

@Andreicek1994 poor you...

[filipljevar1]

can I use negative safelight?

[SittingBu77]

I think you assembled the tank incorrectly. the black shaft goes into tank the wide end first in order to form a light trap near the bottom.

Both of your films seem to be heavily fogged, too much to be a minor development time issue.

The scanned images are surprisingly good through.

[makemagazine]

@SittingBu77 Yep, you're right, that's upside-down. Since the high negative density was uniform across the width of the negative, I had ruled out the possibility of it coming from a light leak. But perhaps I ruled it out prematurely; I'll have to experiment a bit more. Thanks! -Matt

[myfavoritemelody]

Seriously MATT RICHARDSON! This is awesome!! :)

[96jsingh]

screw that, thats just long

[MrGregsw]

also dont forget to keep ttthe temp below 60

[MrGregsw]

wat about good ole dektol

[ox141jf]

lol all the stuff u need to get from this developers store to use with vit c and coffe, you might as well just buy the stuff there, probs cheaper in the long run and less time consuming anyway

[nandee1fuery]

Now...I'm curious as to how you get the photos from the strip to the prints???

[scrapeape]

@nandee1fuery I think you should be able to scan the negatives at like 600dpi and invert them in Photoshop, then get them printed using an online service.

[nandee1fuery]

@scrapeape Thank you. I know that sounds like a really stupid question, but I've always wanted to set up a dark room and I never understood the process of getting it from the film to the prints.

[srobgrad]

@nandee1fuery you need an enlarger you attach your prints to a holder and then to the enlarger which shines light down through the film an onto a.. "work surface" this is where you need Photographic Paper you first focus and center your print on the work surface then turn the light off put your Photographic Paper on the work surface and set your timer on the Enlarger longer times will result in darker prints, then you just have to take the prints through the chemical's let them dry and thats it.

[mrkode]

When the fixer is spent, it contains a lot of silver, which is an environmental hazard, so I'd suggest not dumping it down the drain, but instead take it to a recycling centre.

[speedbump326]

You put the reels in wrong the center rod was upside down if you were using real film it would get ruined because light would have gotten into the can.

[PrincessSakuno]

wooahh thats so cool but then so much thing's i'll have to buy

[tiagofumo]

2:38 - lols

[Qiovetspmk]

I MISS PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS!

[DeadHappyFilm]

you just said just lemons and fucking coffee!

[Iamcartmanxd]

Would infrared LED's destroy the negatives? I'm thinking of some Night Vision Goggles.

[Andreicek1994]

@Iamcartmanxd jes it would... i tried :(

[jeffzahnd]

what is this "film" you speak of? do i have this in my digital cameral i've been using for 15 years?

[HACKERNOH8R]

my favorite method is hitting "print"

[crusiatusblack]

Very interesting! :D I like alternative methods and experiments :D

[Ch0ppah]

Thumbs up if you watch but dont try it in real.

[DaLoner88]

So with this method, would i be able to use Red light instead of being in total darkness?

[makemagazine]

@DaLoner88 No, this must be done in absolute darkness. Those safelights are meant for developing prints, not negatives.

[DaLoner88]

@makemagazine Oh ok, Thanks so much!

[Flybytweek]

@DaLoner88 No, only when enlarging prints...even in a "real" darkroom, you must take the film out of the canister and into the developing tank in complete darkness. B/W paper is only blind to red or orange light, not film...any light, no matter the color will cloud the negative and ruin it.

[redfoxdude]

DON'T DUMP THE FIX DOWN THE DRAIN! It has silver in it, silly!

[peter19220]

That's really funny :D

Very clear steps are shown

[47crazed]

i love taking pictures



[bilsta1000]

If you get some ingrediants from the photoshop.  Why not just get the developer and fixer from there too?

[makemagazine]

@bilsta1000 Like a lot of what we do at MAKE, it's just for fun, learning, experimentation, the neat-o factor, interesting/creative results, etc.

[jericotyler]

@bilsta1000 It's nice to have emergency Materials :3 Say you had lots of fixer and no developer. Perfect use.

[zer0dahero]

@bilsta1000 yeah, imagine getting all those supplies from the photoshop store but walking right past the developer, then go to a pool supply store and a grocery store, only to get some half way decent negs after ruining sevelar rolls. Thats like useing a rock to drive a nail instead of a hammer.

[cometkatt]

@bilsta1000 availability and dollars - both are hard to come by

[mindstormmaster1]

Anyone know of a diy fixer? Then we could do this 100% diy.

[maribakumon]

yay russian beer

[xanokothe]

I wanted a digital filter that is neither the effect of this Vitamin Coffee

[movania89]

this method is completely an arm exercise..

[RaizenSaiyan]

the thing is that it takes to long...

bdw nice , not bad

[wyrdo0ochick]

This is really neat! I did all of this in high school but figured I could never do it again because I didn't have the space or the equipment...with this I can get the basics at my local strip mall! thanks for sharing..

[AltoelBittezurWerft]

im not going to buy me this funny black box ....

[je2555]

I love the new look, gradients and all that - jeep up the good work!

[DKunk0]

Woooooaaaahhhhhhh, you figured out how to make an acid with the right molarity to develop film.

I'm really impressed -.-

[mccauslandk]

my favorite method...is going to walmart

[FelixTheHouseFreak]

I may have missed it if it was mentioned in the video but, this will work for black and white film ONLY.

[Ohsonikefresh]

Do you know how to develop the film like you did but get it on like lets say 4x6 or 8x10 size?

[LaughTonyLaugh]

@Ohsonikefresh well you can either scan it, send it off, or develop it at home but that would take even more expensive materials and equipment..

[VariablePenguin]

What a random smell comparison...

[Bobesque]

you Are hotttttt

[jarrett754]

can i use baking soda???

[makemagazine]

@jarrett754 Nope! Totally different thing. Though who knows what would happen unless you try.

[studiojrn]

@makemagazine You can, however, convert baking soda to washing soda by baking it in an oven for about an hour at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. It knocks off CO2 and water, converting the sodium bicarbonate to sodium carbonate. A lot easier than trying to find washing soda for most people, I'd wager.

[MrMicraphone]

@jarrett754 Try it ! and tell us ! : )

[ripporter]

Note that if you've got florescent lights in the room you are making into your dark room, wait a while for the lights to complete fade out before taking out the film.

I've read that many films incorporate developers into their emulsion and some people just used plain water but had to develop it for a couple of days.

[ollininvincible]

*clears throat* buy a digital camera and get photoshop.

[LEESSKK]

Awesome! But take that poster down. I HATE BLOW UP.

[makemagazine]

@LEESSKK You hate Blow Up? That's just crazy talk! Just teasing, of course. Would you prefer a poster for Pecker? I need to stick to the photo theme! -Matt

[chubeviewer]

im gonna use this as a stink bomb

[dragoninfire123]

WE WANT KIPKAY!!!!!

[MethshockFilms]

Russian beer? Let's figure out what the soviets gave them their endurance in the cold war.

[AllenKll]

if you need photo fixer anyway... why niot just buy regular development chemicals?

[makemagazine]

@AllenKll There's something fun about messing around with making your own developer... seeing what works, what doesn't.

[chicoarraes]

can I use regular coffee and crushed vitamin c pills?

[makemagazine]

@chicoarraes Word in the forums is "no," but I wouldn't let it discourage you from trying. After all, I think the vitamin C is meant to help with contrast. I could be wrong though. Let us know if you do try it out. -Matt

[BeastOfTraal]

Time to break out my Holga

[makemagazine]

@BeastOfTraal Love that camera!

[djvinnie112]

"Dark room supply`s" ... I see what you did there.

[dpostuk]

It says "do steps in complete darkness" im 100% blind... will it still work??

[unidigistudios]

@dpostuk Your eyes should be able to see some tiny details, even in complete darkness, however most of the things you see might not be clear to you, but the only step you need to do in complete darkness is the insertion part of the film, where if it is not in complete darkness, it will simply be exposed and ruin your shot.

[howardtong1324]

How can you see where to cut the reel if you are doing this in complete darkness?

[makemagazine]

@howardtong1324 You won't be able see, so you just have to be careful with your cut. It can take a little practice, but after a couple tries, it's a cinch.

[Artym1ss]

@howardtong1324 @makemagazine

You can always use a film changing bag, aka "grannys knickers", or stick your head under a thick quilt.

[dpostuk]

@MakeMagazine Folgers coffee tastes like ass, could you recommend a better coffee?? :D

[sciencething0101]

should in it be "How-To: Develop Film with Coffee and Vitamin C... and water and laundry detergent and washing soda and photo fixer"

[gopr56]

@sciencething0101 lol

[DigiDavidex2]

3:50, the Nintendo DS is off XD

[ccm800]

Can we get the URL for this photo group that came up with this???

[glenwoofit]

WoW.....

[viila5]

you need to say SHALOM not Salom

[shurdi3]

watch mythbusters they did it cheaper

[stereokid]

I know someone is not going to listen and will try this with color film.

[MrYumcookies]

can you do this with color film, rather then black and white?

[makemagazine]

@MrYumcookies Yes, you can, actually. Although the negative will come out black and white. The main drawback is that it will be grainier since there are more layers of emulsion in color negative film. (comparing, say a 100 ISO B&W negative to a 100 ISO Color negative)

[1FelixxileF1]

Or I just buy a Digital Camera :D

[codeartha]

do you also have one of these method to make home made revealer for photo paper

[bozotheclown9]

why don't people understand what make is all about? sure its not practical, but MAKE is all about experimenting with creative stuff

[MiracleKD18]

Can It be done with movie films? LOL

[MiracleKD18]

@MiracleKD18

I wonder what would happen to the audio then.

[makemagazine]

@MiracleKD18 In theory it can, though motion picture film processing is quite a bit more complicated, since the film comes on reels of up to 1,000 feet in length. It requires a large machine that pulls the film through the each of the different baths at a constant rate. So, it could be done, but anyone with access to one of these machines probably won't let you do it!

[MiracleKD18]

@makemagazine

I wonder what would happen to the audio if it was done to a motion picture film.

[makemagazine]

@MiracleKD18 When you're using motion picture film, you don't record the audio onto the film. It's usually recorded digitally on a separate system then synced up in the edit room.

[MiracleKD18]

@makemagazine

What about older motion picture films, like the 70's, 60's, 50's, and before them?

I guess this developing with coffee and vitamin C would end up distorting - or destroying - the audio... but I might be wrong, maybe the audio would only end up being muffled