
What happens in a film lab?
By Paul McKay
We were recently visited by Ribsy - an epic film shooter, YouTube star and home developer. He wanted a peek behind-the-scenes of the WonderLab to find out what happens in a film lab when you've sent them your films!
So the team took him through the full process - colour AND black-and-white - to show him the machinery, the work, and the flow through the lab.
Here's the result!
What did Ribsy learn?
It was fascinating to see which bits of the process were a surprise to Ribsy! He's been in the film world for a long time, and done a lot of home developing and printing, so has a great understanding of the underlying chemistry and steps.
However it's clear that the scale and speed of specialist machinery comes as a bit of a shock 😅
In truth the speed shown in the video only comes in when the films have been individually prepped, cleaned and checked - sadly it's not as fast to go straight from your parcel - but when they're set up it is an impressive sight!
The fact that our technicians are responsible for making subjective choices about the colour and contrast of scans was also a surprise.
This is quite a common misunderstanding, and it's not quite as simple as it first seems, so is worth exploring in a bit of detail:
The Scan Editing process
There are three elements that go into the final scans that you receive from any lab, and they interact together.
So if you've noticed differences in your photos when you've used different labs, it is highly likely that they've come about from different choices or philosophies within the three points above.
For example we know some labs don't do any dust removal at all - leaving it up to the customer to get to a final edit that matches their vision, some will offer retouching across all scan sizes, some will have different machines that have different colour casts, some will do all their scanning on flatbeds etc etc.
And to be clear, this isn't a judgement on the way anyone else does it. The key thing is to make sure that YOU - as the photographer and customer - are happy with the final files! So regardless of the lab you choose, just know there is plenty that goes into the image, and don't be shy to work with them to get a result that you love 🥰
Ready to dive in?
Keep Reading
View all
8 Advanced Tips for Capturing Springtime Beauty with Film Photography
Looking to shoot spring on film? Discover these eight advanced tips to shake off your creative lull, challenge you to think outside of the box with unique film stocks and experimental analogue methods, and inspire your next creative project this season.

Shooting Rugby on Film - Sports Photography from 1970
Last week I was invited to join Miles Myerscough-Harris (aka ExpiredFilmClub) at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to take photos of a rugby match. Let's see how my photos turned out!

Shooting Film in North Korea: Firsthand Experience
Discover what it’s like to travel to North Korea through the lens of Paul who visited in 2016 to run the Pyongyang Marathon - and take lots of film photos! In this reflective piece explore rare images, personal experiences, and surprising insights from a tightly controlled (yet eye-opening) journey through one of the world’s most secretive countries.
Subscribe to our newsletter 💌
Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on film photography news, sales and events:
Free Tracked Shipping
On all UK orders over £50
Passion For Film
An unbeatable range and an on-site lab
Our Customers Trust Us
Thousands of independent 5* reviews
All Deliveries are Carbon Neutral
Independently audited and verified by Planet
- Opens in a new window.