Interchangeability of reagents
What can and cannot be substituted in a developer formula—from the developing agent to the antifoggant.
Read the guideFilm Developer & Chemistry Recipe Handbook
Step-by-step formulas for developing black-and-white film at home — from decades-old classics to coffee from your kitchen cabinet. Every recipe comes with clear explanations, and advanced or hazardous formulas are labelled separately.
About this handbook
This is a photochemistry recipe handbook for developing black-and-white film at home: developers, fixers, stop baths, and practical guides — 63 entries in all. Each solution lists its purpose, working dilution, temperature, and recommended ISO range.
Recipes that use toxic, caustic, or demanding reagents are marked “Advanced” — handle those only with proper protective equipment. The filters above the grid split entries by type: developers, fixers, stop baths, and guides. Every recipe page gives step-by-step mixing, a development-time table, and plain-language explanations of the key terms.
Classic
Kodak D-76
A standard proven over decades for soft, smooth halftones.
Home / eco
Caffenol (C-M)
A developer made from coffee, baking soda, and vitamin C—no store-bought chemicals.
For sharpness
Rodinal (R09)
Maximum sharpness and a record-breaking shelf life for the concentrate.
For beginners
Kodak D-23
Just two ingredients—the simplest recipe for your first homemade blend.
Classic
Ilford ID-11
A classic MQ powder developer that is virtually indistinguishable from Kodak D-76 in terms of composition and results.
For beginners
Kodak HC-110
A syrup-like concentrate in a single bottle that will last for years—no need to mix anything in advance.
Home / eco
Kodak XTOL
Kodak's proprietary XTOL powder—not to be confused with the homemade X-TOL and AKFF clones on this site.
Classic
Kodak D-96
A standard film developer for black-and-white cinematographic negatives—it produces a soft, even, “cinematic” tone.
For beginners
Ilford Ilfosol-3
A liquid, single-use developer that requires no mixing—just dilute it according to the table for the tank and develop immediately.
For sharpnessAdvanced
ADOX HR-DEV
A developer that "flattens" the contrast curve—designed for ADOX HR-50, but also works with standard panchromatic films.
Classic
FOTOIMPEX 110 Developer
It's the same developer as Kodak HC-110, only under the European brand Fotoimpex—the dilutions and processing times are the same.
Classic
DK-76 (Kodak DK-76)
The buffered metol–hydroquinone analog of D-76 buffered with Kodalk or borax—it has the same gentle, even-toned character and is a domestically developed formula.
Classic
DK-20
An ultra-fine-grain metol-rodanide developer that reduces grain and light sensitivity to achieve maximum smoothness in the negative.
Classic
D-25
An ultra-fine-grain metol-bisulfite developer for gentle development of old and expired film.
Classic
Pheniglin
A phenidone-glycine push developer that increases the film's effective sensitivity up to 4 times with virtually no fog.
For sharpness
Metolal (Metolov Rodinal)
A highly concentrated, all-purpose metol-based developer—an alternative to Rodinal for film and photo paper.
Classic
Standard Developer No. 2 (ST-2)
A time-tested standard developer for domestic photographic films, known abroad as ORWO-12.
For sharpness
Kalogen
A versatile, highly concentrated rodinal-type developer for film and photo paper, producing deep blacks.
Classic
Microphen
Ilford's low-alkali developer, which increases the film's actual sensitivity with virtually no increase in grain—the gold standard for push processing.
Classic
Ilford Perceptol
An ultra-fine-grain, alkali-free metol developer sacrifices some of the film's sensitivity in order to produce an extremely smooth negative.
Classic
Kodak Microdol-X
Kodak's ultra-fine-grain metol developer is very similar to Perceptol, a product proven over decades by millions of photography enthusiasts.
Classic
Agfa Final
A universal fine-grain developer based on a boron-citrate buffer—a “timeless classic” for film and cinema with a history spanning nearly 80 years.
Home / eco
ORWO-14
An inexpensive, metol-based, fine-grain leveling developer for reel film—a workhorse originally from the GDR.
Home / ecoAdvanced
Developer with CPV-1
An exotic ultra-fine-grain formula using the color developer CPV-1 and glycine—resulting in an extremely fine grain with almost no loss of sensitivity.
Home / eco
"ROTA" Developer
A low-contrast, single-component phenidone developer for scenes with excessive lighting contrast.
Home / eco
Agfa Studinol (Rodinal Special)
A highly concentrated, universal developer based on a phenidone-hydroquinone system and triethanolamine—despite its name, it functions like Microphen, not Rodinal.
Home / ecoAdvanced
D-8 High-Contrast Developer
A special alkaline developer for maximum contrast—2 minutes, and no halftones, just black and white.
Home / ecoAdvanced
"Mikrat" Film Developer
A high-contrast developer for special halftone technical films such as "Mikrat" and FT-20/30/40.
For sharpnessAdvanced
X-TOL Developer
A homemade version of the legendary Kodak XTOL—fine grain, full sensitivity, and gentle shadow rendering.
For beginners
AKFF Developer (Ascorbic Acid-Phenidone-Phosphate)
The Kodalk-free XTOL clone based on phenidone and ascorbic acid is user-friendly, reliable, and recommended by the author for beginners.
For sharpness
FX-37 Phenidone-Hydroquinone Developer
Jeffrey Crowley's Concentrated Acutance Developer, formulated specifically for T-Max and Delta.
For sharpnessAdvanced
Highly Concentrated PC-TEA Developer
Anhydrous ascorbic acid-phenidone concentrate in triethanolamine—it has a shelf life of over a year and is diluted immediately before use.
For sharpnessAdvanced
Highly Concentrated PQ-Glycol
The glycolic variation of Pirocat HD, based on a phenidone-hydroquinone combination, has the same staining properties but uses a different set of reagents.
For sharpnessAdvanced
Pyrocat HD High-Concentration Pyro Developer
One of the most consistent staining (pyro) developers—it produces high sharpness, fine grain, and minimal fogging.
For sharpnessAdvanced
Pyro-510
Single-solution pyrogallic concentrate—offers a unique colored finish and the flexibility to dilute it up to a ratio of 1:500.
Classic
Ilford ID-68
Phenidone-hydroquinone PUSH developer—an evolution of Microphen that increases film sensitivity without increasing grain size.
ClassicAdvanced
Ilford ID-35
A two-bath developer for deliberately high-contrast processing of negative film—solutions A and B are mixed in a 1:1 ratio immediately before use.
ClassicAdvanced
Micratol-1 (Jean Fajot's developer)
A highly concentrated phenidone-metol developer for Mikrat technical films that increases equivalent sensitivity without increasing overall contrast.
ClassicAdvanced
Mikratol-2
A highly concentrated phenidone-glycine developer for technical and low-sensitivity films with a wide dilution range—from 1:50 to 1:100.
ClassicAdvanced
Kodak D-19
Kodak's universal contrast developer for film and photographic paper—the domestic equivalent of which is known as RENTGEN-2—does not reduce the actual sensitivity and is suitable for PUSH processing.
ClassicAdvanced
Hübl's Glycin Paste
A classic all-purpose developer based on glycine-photo, a reagent that is nearly impossible to find today—it ranges from high-contrast to extremely mild and smoothing, depending on the dilution.
Classic
UP-2 Universal Developer
An energetic metol-hydroquinone developer of the Soviet school: high contrast and dense highlights on film, photographic paper and technical materials.
Fixer
Standard Fixer
A simple, neutral sodium thiosulfate fixer for gentle processing of any black-and-white materials.
Fixer
Acid Fixer
A universal acid-based fixer with superior preservation properties—the standard for films and sheet materials.
Fixer
An acid hardening fixer
A fast-setting, tanning fixer that strengthens the emulsion for use in hot weather or with old materials.
Fixer
F-24 Acid Fixer
A special non-tanning acidic fixer—for when it's important not to tan the gelatin layer.
Fixer
BKF-2 Quick Acid Fixer
Quick acid fix for technical films (aerial photography, X-rays) and standard film—5–7 minutes.
Fixer
RF-4 Fast, Slightly Acidic Fixer
Ultra-fast, mildly acidic fixer (2 minutes)—especially effective after using staining pyro-developers.
Fixer
Kodak TF-2 Alkaline Fixer
Kodak's classic alkaline fixer—it rinses out quickly and is gentle on old or tinted emulsion.
Fixer
Universal Acidic Rapid Fixer (Concentrate 1+4…1+9)
A concentrated rapid acid fixer based on ammonium thiosulfate—diluted as needed and stored for months.
FixerAdvanced
BFR-1 Fixer-Stabiliser
A universal fixation and stabilization system for high-speed and conventional processing—from aerophotographic film to X-rays.
Fixer
A-300 Acid Fixer for Photo Paper
An affordable, classic acid-based fixer—for photo paper only.
Fixer
Hypo Check — a solution for checking the effectiveness of the fixer
Just a few drops—and you can immediately tell whether you can still use the fixer or if it's time to replace it.
Stop bath
Versatile Tanning and Stopping Bath
A tanning bath for damaged or “delicate” emulsions—and as a standard replacement for a regular stop bath.
Stop bath
Acid Stop Bath (Acetic or Citric Acid)
A simple acid solution that instantly stops development and extends the life of the fixer.
Guides
Practical photochemistry guides
Short deep-dives on specific topics — from picking substitute reagents to winter developing quirks.
Chemistry & development technique
Antifoggants
How and when to add additional anti-haze agents—benzotriazole and potassium iodide—to the developer.
Read the guideTwo-bath developers
How do the “Leika News” and “Shtikler” developers work, and why does the two-bath process make it nearly impossible to overdevelop the film?
Read the guideA Few Things About Rodinal
Practical Tips for Working with "Rodinal" Developer: Storage, Dilution, Temperature, and Common Misconceptions About Push Processing and Expired Film.
Read the guidePractical tips
01
Reducing Graininess
Where does grain come from on negatives and prints, and how can it be minimized—from shooting to printing?
Read the guide02
Solutions in Winter: Precipitation and Crystallization
Why do developer concentrates and solutions with high salt content not tolerate cold well—and how can you salvage them if crystallization has already begun?
Read the guideReference
Commonly Used Reagents
A brief guide to the photochemical reagents most commonly found in formulas for black-and-white developers, fixers, and auxiliary solutions.
Read the guideProhibited Substances
Which photochemical reagents are subject to regulatory control as precursors or toxic substances—this is background information, not instructions.
Read the guideFrequently asked questions
Quick answers to the questions that most often come up when working with homemade developers and solutions. Details on each topic are in the individual reference articles.
Is there anything else I can use instead of sodium sulfite if I don't have any on hand?
Yes, but with a weight adjustment and, as a rule, a 50% increase in the amount of alkali in the formula. Potassium metabisulfite and sodium bisulfite are viable substitutes, but they are acidic rather than neutral, so without adjusting the alkali content, the developer’s balance will be disrupted. Detailed conversion factors can be found in the article “Interchangeability of Reagents.”
Why does the developer become cloudy in the winter, or why does a sediment form in the bottle?
Below +5°C, solutions with a high salt content are at risk of partial crystallization, and at subzero temperatures, this applies to almost any liquid photochemical solution. You can salvage the solution by gently warming it in warm water (50–55°C), shaking it repeatedly, and then slowly cooling it. For a detailed step-by-step procedure, see the article “Solutions in Winter.”
Is it true that Rodinal works well for push processing?
No, that’s a common misconception. Rodinal is a moderately equalizing developer with fine grain, but it’s not well-suited for push processing or for expired, fogged film. For push processing, it’s better to use “Microphen,” AKFF, or X-TOL, and for expired film, use potassium bromide-based developers such as ST-2. For more details, see the article “A Few Things About Rodinal.”
Why is benzotriazole added to some developers?
Benzotriazole is a strong anti-fogging agent used when the standard potassium bromide in the developer is not enough to suppress fog (most often on expired film). But there is a downside: an excessive concentration noticeably reduces the film’s light sensitivity, so the exposure is usually increased by 20–50%. For details and exact proportions, see the article “Anti-fogging Agents.”
How can I reduce the graininess of a negative and a print?
Grain is determined by dozens of factors—from the film’s sensitivity and freshness to the precision of the developer and the harshness of the lighting during printing. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, but you can systematically address the main causes: shoot on fresh, low-sensitivity film, focus precisely, avoid over-development, and use an enlarger with diffused (matte) light. For a complete list of causes and recommendations, see the article “Combating Grain.”