• You'll need three primary chemicals for film developing.35mm negatives image by Christopher Nolan from Fotolia.com
  
  When you develop your own film, you use the same basic chemicals as you would to develop prints of your negatives in the darkroom, and in the same order: developer, stop bath and fixer. You can use the same stop bath and fixer for film developing film that you would use for making prints, but you must use developer specifically designated for film rather than prints. Follow any film processing time and temperature instructions on your film's package.
  
  

Developer

• Film developer reveals the latent images on your film's negatives. The chemical acts on the film's light-sensitive silver halides and reduces them over time. The further the silvers get reduced, the lighter the negative will appear after processing and the darker the final image.
  
  When processing film, you must make sure the film developer is at the right temperature. Consult the packaging or container of the particular film you are developing for temperature guidelines as well as information about how much time film should be left in the developer. Agitate the tank while developing to ensure that the chemicals reach all parts of the negatives evenly.
  
  Film developer is not the same as print developer, so make sure to use the correct chemical.
  
  

Stop Bath

• Stop bath is a yellow, acidic chemical that quickly neutralizes the film developer and stops the developing process. This chemical is essential for avoiding over-development of negatives. Depending on the film and processing procedures you are using, the time you'll need to leave the negatives in the stop bath will vary, but it will usually be about 15 to 30 seconds. Stop bath can stain clothes and cause irritation to skin, so wear gloves during processing.
  
  

Fixer

• The fixer removes any remaining light-sensitive silvers from the film to "fix" the image so that you can safely view and work with the negatives in the light. The fixer step in film processing typically requires the most time. Dried fixer can stain negatives, so wash negatives with specialized bleach fix before continuing to the final water wash.