Completing your first roll of film

Once you've finished shooting, the next steps keep your film safe until development. This guide covers rewinding, storage, and what to expect when you get your negatives back.

Knowing when the roll is finished

On 35mm, the frame counter reaches 24 or 36, often a frame or two beyond. Then the advance lever stops part-way or feels stiff.

Forcing the advance can break the film

Stop as soon as you feel resistance. An extra frame or two is not worth a torn roll or a jammed camera.

On 120, the counter or red window shows the last frame for your camera, such as 12 on a 6x6 camera. Wind on after it and the advance loses all tension. That is the rest of the film and backing paper winding onto the take-up spool.

Rewinding 35mm film

Most 35mm cameras need you to rewind the film before you open the back. Some point-and-shoots wind the whole roll out when you load it, then wind each frame back into the canister as you shoot. Their counter counts down, and the finished roll is already safe inside.

Manual cameras

1. Press the rewind release button, usually on the base of the camera.
2. Flip out the rewind crank and turn it in the direction of the arrow.
3. Keep turning. When the film comes off the take-up spool, you feel a slight tug, then the crank turns more easily.
4. Turn a few more times, until the leader is inside the canister.
5. Open the back and put the canister in its tub.

Automatic cameras

Many electronic cameras rewind automatically when the last frame is exposed. Some need a rewind button pressed instead.

Always wait for rewinding to finish before opening the camera.

Securing 120 film

Unlike 35mm, 120 film does not rewind. The film winds directly onto the take-up spool.

1. After the last frame, keep winding until the backing paper has fully wound onto the take-up spool. The winding feels suddenly lighter.
2. Open the back in shade.
3. Lift out the spool, keeping the paper tightly wound.
4. Fold the end of the paper under and seal it with the sticky tab.

Storing your film

• Short-term (days): room temperature in a dry place is fine
• Weeks or months: somewhere cool, dry and dark. Develop it as soon as you can, because exposed film slowly loses quality, colour film faster than black & white.
• 120 film: keep tightly sealed to prevent light exposure
• 35mm: keep it in its plastic tub to keep out dust

What happens next

Your film now needs developing, to turn the invisible image into negatives. You can send it to a lab or develop it at home. Community darkrooms like ours have the equipment and people to help you do it yourself. Film developing explains the options, and scanning film covers turning negatives into digital files.

Reading your first negatives

Along the edge of the film are printed frame numbers and the film's name. These are called edge markings, and they tell you where a problem happened.

• Clear film, with edge markings: the film never ran through the camera, or the shutter did not open. Check the loading steps in loading film.
• Clear film, no edge markings: the development went wrong, for example fixer used before developer. The camera is fine.
• Thin, faint negatives: too little light. See when the meter gets it wrong.
• Dark, dense negatives: too much light. Negative film copes with this better, so scans may still look fine.
• Soft or blurry: missed focus or camera shake. See focusing on subjects.
• The same fault on every roll: the camera needs a service.

Nearly everyone's first roll has a few of these. Each one tells you what to change next time.