# Will this film still develop? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 3, 2021, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-film-still-develop/939354 "2021-04-03T23:36:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-film-still-develop/939354/1 "2021-04-03T23:36:58Z")
I have a film canister in my fridge door that’s been there…I can’t remember exactly…it’s got to be over 15 yrs I’m thinking. It’s 35mm, Kodak Gold 100, 24 shots, in a drop in cassette thingy. Been in the canister, in the fridge the whole time, most likely. Although it’s possible I had it lying around for ages BEFORE it made it into the fridge. I’ve sourced a place that can develop it…if it’s still good. What do you thing the chances are? I have no idea whatsoever what could be on the film. But over those years we lost lots of people, so it’s def intriguing. Do you think I can ask them not to print the photos, just pay the developing cost, if it’s all ruined? Do they do that, I wonder? ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-film-still-develop/939354/2 "2021-04-04T00:33:58Z")
There will likely be some colour shift, but that is standard C-41 process negative film. The controlled temperature will have helped preserve it. I worked in photo labs in the mid-80s and old film was brought in with some regularity. The last roll of film I paid to process was from a disposable camera my then 7 year old daughter purchased that came with a pre-exposed cat randomly appearing on each frame. I think we had the film developed and the images scanned to a CD. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-film-still-develop/939354/3 "2021-04-04T00:55:08Z")
I would develop it if you can. I can’t speak to the chances that they’ll be good images out of the gate; you may have some color shift but when you digitize the images, someone with skills can adjust levels etc. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-film-still-develop/939354/4 "2021-04-04T00:58:09Z")
On the likely chance there’s nobody near you that still develops film, Boutique Labs can process and scan for what seems like reasonable prices. > **[Pro Film Lab | Processing, scanning, printing, & fresh film. C-41 |...](https://www.boutiquefilmlab.com)** > > We are dedicated to analog photography. We can process film from 35mm up to 4×5, even disposable cameras and rare formats such as 126, 130, 110 and Disc film. ---
**Author:** ![TCMF-2L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tcmf-2l/32/16553_2.png) [@TCMF-2L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TCMF-2L)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-film-still-develop/939354/5 "2021-04-04T13:42:46Z")
Assuming it was actually exposed (and that is an assumption) it should still be possible to develop aged film and achieve some useful image. I would develop simply to satisfy my curiosity. As the guy arrested by Dirty Harry said “I gotta know.” Develop and copy to digital file makes most sense. Won’t cost much, if any, more than develop only. If the images are technically great and have personal appeal it will then be trivially easy to get prints made. If the images are technically poor but still have personal appeal it will be easy for you to play at digitally enhancing. Or if they have a lot of personal appeal they are in a convenient form to send to expert enhancers. TCMF-2L ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2021, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-film-still-develop/939354/6 "2021-04-05T10:44:52Z")
I just had a roll of 35mm done a couple of weeks ago. It didn’t come out all that great. That said, it was sitting around in a junk drawer for 15+ years and was one of those disposable cameras. It was my mother’s roll so I was wondering if there was anything on there, but there was nothing ‘important’ on there. I would look into where you’re getting it developed. CVS and those kinds of places will still do it, but they ship it out and they will not send back the negatives. Last year I did send out some 45-50 year old film to get developed. It was the old 12 shot stuff and they don’t come out really well. But I did get a couple of photos of my grandmother and her mother so that was a great surprise. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2021, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-film-still-develop/939354/7 "2021-04-05T15:55:01Z")
I developed a few rolls of 35mm that were approaching 20 years old (stored haphazardly) a few years ago. The results weren’t _good_, but there were plenty of photos with recognizable images in them. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2021, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-film-still-develop/939354/8 "2021-04-05T16:01:15Z")
Most big pharmacies still have photo labs that can process it, as does Wal-Mart I believe. These days they may send it to some centralized lab instead of doing it in an hour like they used to though. They may even have you put it in the envelope and put it in a drop box. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2021, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-film-still-develop/939354/9 "2021-04-05T16:10:05Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Do you think I can ask them not to print the photos, just pay the developing cost, if it’s all ruined? Do they do that, I wonder? On the contrary, I would add a note saying to develop all photos so they don’t make a “determination” that you don’t want some of them. ---
**Author:** ![Cleophus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e57/32.png) [@Cleophus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cleophus)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2021, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-film-still-develop/939354/10 "2021-04-05T16:19:04Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Do you think I can ask them not to print the photos, just pay the developing cost, if it’s all ruined? Do they do that, I wonder? Yes, develop only is/was a typical request. You could then look at the negative and make decisions based on that. Develop and scan is also a good option and it is usually easier and less expensive to scan a roll when it is intact than after it is cut into the conventional strips. > [@Folly](#): > > On the contrary, I would add a note saying to develop all photos so they don’t make a “determination” that you don’t want some of them. It’s not possible to selectively develop individual frames on a roll of film. The entire film roll is processed at once. Printing is a separate procedure. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2021, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-film-still-develop/939354/11 "2021-04-05T16:43:20Z")
> [@Cleophus](#): > > Printing is a separate procedure. Quite right. I meant add a note to print all. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2021, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-film-still-develop/939354/12 "2021-04-05T16:44:47Z")
> [@Cleophus](#): > > Yes, develop only is/was a typical request. You could then look at the negative and make decisions based on that. Yes, that’s how I used to develop all my color film. Develop only, I pick out the reprints myself. But I am a photographer, so I’m used to shooting more than I want to print, and I know how to evaluate a neg under a loupe. At any rate, I’ve never had any consumer lab have any issues with that request (and pro labs generally expect that, I think.)