selmslie wrote:
I never felt comfortable with C-41 or the RA-4 process because I didn't feel I would be successful fixing any color errors in the film development stage with adjustments in the print stage.
Even with the film developed professionally, the printing stage was challenging.
I had to wait until I could scan and print digitally to get what I wanted.
C-41 is standardized. If you:
> Use fresh chemistry
> Use clean equipment
> Maintain the recommended temperature constraints (usually 100.4°F ± 0.5°F)
> Follow recommended agitation and timing
> Wash the film properly
> Use stabilizer as recommended
…Then the film will be fine.
Optical printing variables included:
> Film brand, film type, film generation, film emulsion number
> Film processing variations (see above)
> Enlarger lamp or printer lamp age (output gets warmer as the lamp ages)
> Paper brand, paper type, paper generation, paper emulsion number
> Dichroic filter gearing slop in the enlarger head or printer lamp house
> Paper processor control (chemical activity, pH, temperature, time, agitation...)
Using Lightroom Classic with Negative Lab Pro makes the process easier than working in a pro color lab with an expensive video color negative analyzer. I don't mind digitizing film at all in 2024. The tools are so much better than they were in the optical lab days!