How would you develop this roll of Portra 400?

bags27 · Dec 21, 2023

Grabbed a camera and put on what I thought was lens with a UV filter. 3/4 through the roll, I looked more closely and it was a yellow filter! That the photos are around a stop underexposed (external lightmeter) isn't a problem: I rated the film at 320.

But, do I develop it in c-41 and try to eliminate the yellow cast in photoshop? Or do I develop it in B&W (Pyrocat HD) and hope for the best?

Sirius Glass · Dec 21, 2023

Develop normally and then take out the yellow cast with PhotoShop.

rcphoto · Dec 21, 2023

I would process normally and remove the cast. I dont see any benefit to processing as b&w.

_T_ · Dec 21, 2023

How are you intending to obtain the images? If you’re scanning them you might not even notice that there is a cast after the scanner and software do their thing, considering that the filter has so little yellow that you mistook it for a uv filter.

Rayt · Dec 21, 2023

The exposure should be ok. You can always convert the color scans to b/w.

I sometimes travel with my M8 and M10M. The M8 has a 24mm with uv/ir and lenses mean for the M10M all have yellow filters. Sometimes I do shoot a few with yellow filtered lenses on the M8. The results can work with a color cast depending on the scene or just remove it or convert it.

mshchem · Dec 21, 2023

I would throw it away unless you have pictures of Bigfoot. I did this with a roll of 120 Ektachrome some time ago, medium yellow filter. Of course this was in the days before 25 buck a roll color film. Make the last few frames count and develop normally.

bags27 · Dec 21, 2023

Thanks all. Makes sense. I was just kicking myself for my stupidity. But sounds like I'll still be okay.

I appreciate it!

BrianShaw · Dec 21, 2023

Unless they are really important, I’d either throw the film away or process normally and fiddle with it in Photoshop.

BrianShaw · Dec 21, 2023

bags27 said:
Thanks all. Makes sense. I was just kicking myself for my stupidity. But sounds like I'll still be okay.

I appreciate it!

Don’t kick yourself. I know a guy who used yellow and red filters with E6 intentionally and for important pictures. He thought the scene would render better with more contrast. That was 100% inexperience, unless he’s a younger sibling and then it’s real stupidity.

blee1996 · Dec 22, 2023

I did something similar with a TLR, left a yellow filter on after I switched from b&w film to color slide. And after normal processing and scanning, I was not able to get proper color however hard I tried in Lightroom. Maybe Photoshop can do better?

koraks · Dec 22, 2023

A yellow filter is minus blue, so virtually no blue will have been recorded. Can't recover what's not recorded! It's conceivable that a tiny bit of blue will have registered in very bright areas like skies etc. Recovering this will result in a very interesting crossover effect.
Converted to B&W the images may work fine of course.

Prest_400 · Dec 22, 2023

Develop normally in C41 (or even push, it's so hip nowadays!) and color correct digitally if hybrid.
With a certain philosophical approach, the filter color cast could even add something. People have redscaled and done similar changes to the process so why not embrace a Blade Runner 2049 look?

Agulliver · Dec 23, 2023

A friend did this with a roll of Ektar....interesting results some of which scanned fine and others needed tweaking. None had blue skies in them and all were recoverable with use of Photoshop.

I see zero point in throwing it away.

I see zero point in processing B&W

Process as normal C41 colour, and then do the best you can with whatever software you have to hand. If some colour really is off and unrecoverable, convert those images to B&W.

Kino · Dec 23, 2023

Mistakes are a chance to learn something.

I would process it normally and carefully examine the results.

While you may be disappointed in what happened, learn from the experience and add that to your knowledge base.

You may actually discover an effect that will come in handy for some unforeseeable situation in the future.

bags27 · Dec 23, 2023

Thanks all! Hoping to get to the film today or tomorrow. I have some mixed c-41 that should still be good.

I was kicking myself, but as a lot of you have said: it can be creative and also a way to learn. Thanks!

DREW WILEY · Jan 7, 2024

You're not going to be able to fully offset that amount of error, even with rebalancing. But something might look fun. It's just a single roll anyway. I once deliberately did an analogous error just out of curiosity how it would turn out.

c41 · Jan 7, 2024

Only took me 1/3rd of a roll to realise, not a full roll. it didn't even occur to me to try and remove the yellow cast, I just embraced the black and white conversion. Definitely a learning exercise, I haven't done this since (8 years ago now.)

blee1996 · Jan 7, 2024

The black and white conversion works out well, still quite nice photos!

How would you develop this roll of Portra 400?

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