Do you peek at your negs before fixing?

MCB18 · Oct 4, 2025

there was a discussion about this on another thread, but I figure I should make a new thread so as to not hijack the original one.

As some of you may be aware, film is technically light safe after you take it out of the stop bath. It will print out if you don’t fix it after a few hours, but for looking at the negatives for a few seconds, it’s fine. It has to be an actual stop bath, that neutralizes the developer though, not just water. With this in mind, often times I will look at some of the negatives at the end of the role to see how well they will turn out.

I took a picture of a roll that of IR-200 I developed today as an example. In this case, I can tell immediately that they are going to turn out extremely well.

Anyone else have thoughts on this?

Craig · Sunday at 12:44 AM

I never look until at least after fixing is finished. It's hard to tell much on the reel anyway and trying to get wet film back on the reel without an accidental crease can be difficult.

I process fully, and look when it comes out of the wash.

For sheet film I use a Jobo, so no opportunity to look until the full process is finished.

Anon Ymous · Sunday at 1:39 AM

No, I don't, I can wait few minutes. I do a quick rinse, have a look then fully wash.

albireo · Sunday at 1:39 AM

I only look at the negatives when I unwind them from the reel after final wash and photoflo.

My final wash happens in the darkness too. I use a Paterson hose that plugs directly into my tank's central hole. No need to open it to wash.

I am personally unable to tell much about how well I exposed and developed from a milky unfixed negative.

mcfitz · Sunday at 1:41 AM

Same as Craig, for all the same reasons. The risk of damaging the wet film is not worth having a preview before fixing, the waiting time until after the final rinse isn't that long.

Graham06 · Sunday at 2:16 AM

I look a bit before halfway through fixing to keep an eye on fixer age following the 'fix for twice the clear time' advice. I don't use stop bath. Sometimes it is quite milky. I have occasionally slightly unrolled it at this stage, but like others I avoid trying to get wet rubbery film back onto the spiral. I like seeing the barely clear, but still stained 'not done yet' look so I can judge what 'done' looks like.

Truzi · Sunday at 2:21 AM

I don't look either. I just keep the lid on until I'm done with everything and don't look until I put the reel in a washer.

bernard_L · Sunday at 2:36 AM

Graham06 said:
I look a bit before halfway through fixing to keep an eye on fixer age following the 'fix for twice the clear time' advice.

Same here. But I use a stop bath.

RalphLambrecht · Sunday at 3:01 AM

MCB18 said:
there was a discussion about this on another thread, but I figure I should make a new thread so as to not hijack the original one.

As some of you may be aware, film is technically light safe after you take it out of the stop bath. It will print out if you don’t fix it after a few hours, but for looking at the negatives for a few seconds, it’s fine. It has to be an actual stop bath, that neutralizes the developer though, not just water. With this in mind, often times I will look at some of the negatives at the end of the role to see how well they will turn out.

I took a picture of a roll that of IR-200 I developed today as an example. In this case, I can tell immediately that they are going to turn out extremely well.

Anyone else have thoughts on this?

I don't trust it fully and wait 'til after fix and wash. makes no sense to take it out of the LabBox before that anyway.

Hassasin · Sunday at 3:31 AM

What difference would it make to look before fixing ?

250swb · Sunday at 3:31 AM

I think if you don't know how they are going to come out there are other problems along the way, like being unsure of exposure, the developer you are using, the time for development etc. The emulsion is much softer and vulnerable when its wet, so I only have a glance when I'm hanging them up to dry, anything else isn't worth the risk.

But then I still follow the fundamental rules of film development that were drilled into me fifty years ago, which is why I'm distrustful of shortcuts and follow the rule of 'just because you can do it it doesn't mean you should do it'. I'm sure I drove everybody else mad when I was a press photographer using a newspaper darkroom. For deadlines the dev'd film would be fixed until clear, ten second rinse under the tap, then dry the film by dunking the negs in methylated spirit (it replaces the water in the emulsion and flashes off within seconds in the film drier), but I always went back and refixed my negs and gave them a proper wash, and they are still good as new.

koraks · Sunday at 4:08 AM

With sheet film in trays I sometimes/often see the unfixed film for a brief moment.

Hassasin said:
What difference would it make to look before fixing ?

Exactly; there's nothing to be gained by looking at the unfixed negatives - although you do see at a glance how everything came out, sort of. But you'd find out soon enough anyway.

npl · Sunday at 4:18 AM

The only cases where it might be relevant is when working with very old/damaged film or when testing a camera.. I could understand checking if there's anything at all on the negative and if not don't bother with fixing and washing.

BMbikerider · Sunday at 4:30 AM

I did so accidentally a few evenings ago with a colour film. I had mixed up the new fixer bath with a measure which was plain water so they had received a good rinse. (no stop bath before) It was refixed, this time in real fixer and the negs are perfect and so far scan fine. There may be a little extra base fog but not totally a loss but we will see when I actually print them on RA4 paper

koraks · Sunday at 4:41 AM

BMbikerider said:
There may be a little extra base fog

Don't worry, there won't be any. A momentary peek at the negs under regular room lighting won't add any fog. It'd have to be very intense and direct UV light to get any noticeable printing out of the remaining silver halide. Besides, with C41 film, you can always re-bleach and re-fix it to get rid of any of this printout fog.

otto.f · Sunday at 5:30 AM

MCB18 said:
there was a discussion about this on another thread, but I figure I should make a new thread so as to not hijack the original one.

As some of you may be aware, film is technically light safe after you take it out of the stop bath. It will print out if you don’t fix it after a few hours, but for looking at the negatives for a few seconds, it’s fine. It has to be an actual stop bath, that neutralizes the developer though, not just water. With this in mind, often times I will look at some of the negatives at the end of the role to see how well they will turn out.

I took a picture of a roll that of IR-200 I developed today as an example. In this case, I can tell immediately that they are going to turn out extremely well.

Anyone else have thoughts on this?

Why not? But why? If something went wrong it’s too late anyway

Don_ih · Sunday at 5:50 AM

It'd be fine to look if you expect maybe you just developed unexposed film and don't want to waste fixer.

In some old thread about travelling with film chemicals, I experimented by developing a strip of film, using stop bath, and then hanging the film for a week in my darkroom - sometimes in room light, sometimes in darkness. The point was to show you can develop, stop, and dry film and then fix it later (so you don't need to bring fixer on vacation). It worked fine.

Ivo Stunga · Sunday at 10:18 AM

Is there a point in peeking? The densities will change when dry. And dry is what matters, no?

retina_restoration · Sunday at 10:30 AM

What's the point??

John Wiegerink · Sunday at 10:52 AM

I re-use my fixer (TF-2) and almost always check at near my halfway point fixing time. iI I still see a whiteish film I'll add more fixing time. I should also add that I use a water stop and don't trust that "little peek" coming out of a water bath. If I didn't re-use fixer I wouldn't peek at all. Just does,'t make sense to me and what do you really gain any doing it?

GregY · Sunday at 11:05 AM

Why?....... I can wait until they're fixed and washed....

djdister · Sunday at 12:23 PM

Nope. My first peek at the negatives is when they are in the wash.

Doremus Scudder · Sunday at 2:18 PM

It's a fun educational exercise. Students can see the unfixed, milky image and then watch as the film clears in the fixing tray. It gives a real experience to the theory. Other than that, I don't bother.

Doremus

MattKing · Sunday at 2:21 PM

I'll peek sometimes before the HCA - but never before then.
I'd prefer not to get any more fixer on my fingers or glove than I need to.

250swb · Monday at 3:33 AM

Doremus Scudder said:
It's a fun educational exercise. Students can see the unfixed, milky image and then watch as the film clears in the fixing tray. It gives a real experience to the theory. Other than that, I don't bother.

Doremus

Why do they need to see the image, it sounds like a party trick that will eventually go wrong? Show them a tip that will be useful to them for ever after, how to test the strength of fixer, put a drop of fix on the cut off leader and time it as the emulsion clears, then tell them to double the time it takes to clear for fixing the film, bingo, two birds with one stone.

Do you peek at your negs before fixing?

MCB18

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Do you peek at your negs before fixing?

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