Where to develop movies

Where to develop movies

In the digital world, shooting with film is not as easy as it used to be. Once you find an analog camera and some fresh film, you have to figure out how to develop and digitize the photos you have taken. The days of the neighborhood photo lab may be over, but I have found dozens of companies ready and willing to process film.

Most major cities still have at least one photo store or lab that will develop your film. Try searching online or checking state-by-state lab listings to see if there is one in your area. (This list is from 2012, so don't forget to double-check to make sure it is accurate. For an extensive list of labs that accept films by mail, read here.

With few small town labs left, shipping film for processing is more popular than ever; there are dozens of companies across the US that will develop everything from 35mm rolls to 8 x 10 inch sheet film.

One of the most popular companies is The Darkroom, which, for $12, will develop a roll of 35mm or medium-format film and send back the negative, a high-resolution scan CD (11 x 14 inches), and a prepaid mailer for another film. The Darkroom also uploads the high-resolution images to their website immediately, so there is no need to wait for the CD to arrive in the mail. Most orders are returned three to five business days after the film arrives at The Darkroom's facility in Southern California.

If you do not need scanning services, you can use Pro Photo Connection, which returns 35mm color negatives for only $4 per roll ($5 for black and white and 120 format film). Most also offer prints for an additional fee (at The Darkroom, 4 x 6 color prints are an additional $5.) See the handy chart created by Adam Ottke of Film Objektiv.

We have also compiled our own list of well-known labs.

Indie Film Lab- Montgomery, Alabama

Photoworks San Francisco- San Francisco

State Film Lab- Louisville, Kentucky

Richard Photo Lab- Valencia, California

North Coast Photographic Services- Carlsbad, California

Old School Photo Lab- Dover, New Hampshire

The Find Lab - Orem Orem, Utah

Film Rescue International - Westby, Montana (specializing in salvaging expired film)

Harman Lab - San Clemente, California (specializing in black and white film)

CVS and well-known drugstores like Walgreens still develop film, but the days of one-hour photo processing are long gone. Today, both companies send film to third-party labs, with turnaround times ranging from 3-5 days at Walgreens to 2-3 weeks at CVS.

Stores charge $10 to $15 for a 35mm roll, depending on the number of exposures. This price includes a 4 x 6" print and a CD with a much smaller scanned image (a Walgreens employee told us that scans can be enlarged to 4 x 6"). Walmart offers a similar service, starting at $8 for a roll of 12 exposures.

It is important to note that these stores no longer return negatives, so they cannot rescan the film at a higher resolution.

If you are feeling particularly brave, you can always develop your film at home; B&H sells a kit ($147) that includes everything you need to develop the film. If you plan to develop a lot of film, the DIY method could save you hundreds of dollars in processing and shipping costs.

Unlike developing prints, developing film does not require a darkroom. Of course, you will need to purchase a film scanner to digitize your prints or pay to have them professionally scanned.

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