Photoprocessing

Photoprocessing refers to the series of chemical and physical steps involved in making a visible image from a latent image recorded on a photographic film or paper. This process begins after the film or paper has been exposed to light, capturing the image. The latent image, invisible to the naked eye, is made apparent through chemical reactions.

The first major step is development. In this stage, a chemical developer solution converts the light-sensitive silver halide crystals that were exposed to light into metallic silver, forming the visible image. Unexposed silver halide crystals are generally not affected by the developer. Following development, the film or paper is usually rinsed or placed in a stop bath to halt the action of the developer.

Next, the image is fixed. A fixer solution removes the unexposed and undeveloped silver halide crystals, making the image permanent and insensitive to further light exposure. Without fixing, the image would continue to darken over time. After fixing, the material is washed thoroughly to remove any residual processing chemicals. Finally, the film or paper is dried. In traditional darkroom photoprocessing, these steps are performed manually in a controlled, dark environment. Digital photoprocessing, while achieving a similar outcome of an image, utilizes electronic sensors and computer software to manipulate and display image data, bypassing the chemical methods of traditional film.