# How does film become photos?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-film-become-photos/483274>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 27, 2009, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-film-become-photos/483274 "2009-01-27T20:23:15Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Cameronnoremac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ee7513/32.png) [@Cameronnoremac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cameronnoremac)\
**Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-film-become-photos/483274/1 "2009-01-27T20:23:15Z")

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How does the tiny strip of film become ‘normal’ sized photographs?

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-film-become-photos/483274/2 "2009-01-27T20:25:12Z")

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[Enlarger](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enlarger).

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**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\
**Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-film-become-photos/483274/3 "2009-01-27T20:40:45Z")

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> [@Cameronnoremac](#):
>
> How does the tiny strip of film become ‘normal’ sized photographs?

It is projected through a lens onto the photo paper, in a process remarkably similar to how the real-life image was projected onto the film in the first place.

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**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\
**Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-film-become-photos/483274/4 "2009-01-27T21:08:58Z")

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> [@friedo](#):
>
> It is projected through a lens onto the photo paper, in a process remarkably similar to how the real-life image was projected onto the film in the first place.

And that includes both the film used for the negative and the photographic paper used for the print containing similar chemicals that are photosensitive, i.e., creating an image after being exposed to light.