Historical context
Emulsion lifts and image transfers grew out of Polaroid's peel-apart pack films, which Christopher Osborne dates to 1964 and whose best-known lifting film was Polaroid 669 (Osborne). The Italian artist Paolo Gioli transferred the emulsion of Polacolor prints to paper, silk and wood; a conservation study of his "Cameron Obscura" series (1981) identifies Polacolor Type 89 as his film (Gioli study, PMC). Wikipedia's "Polaroid art" page notes that SX-70 Time Zero film was discontinued in 2005. We give no inventor or year for either technique.
Most tutorials online still describe those peel-apart films, which are discontinued (Linders). That matters for you, because the film you can buy today is different.
What it is and how it differs
Two techniques share a name in casual use, but they need different film:
- Emulsion lift (emulsion transfer). You separate the picture layer of a finished print, float it free in water and move it to a new surface. Polaroid's own guidance covers this for current Polaroid film and describes cutting off the borders, soaking the print face down in warm water, loosening the emulsion from the clear plastic with a soft brush and lifting it onto a transparent sheet or a waterproof surface such as wood, glass or watercolour paper (Polaroid blog).
- Image transfer (Polaroid transfer). You pull a peel-apart print apart early and press the still-developing negative onto the receiving paper. Osborne describes peeling after about 10 seconds instead of the usual 60 to 90. This needs peel-apart film.
| Film | Emulsion lift | Image transfer |
|---|---|---|
| Current Polaroid integral film | Polaroid describes it for film from its cameras and Lab; Analog.Cafe covers SX-70, 600 and Go film and finds black-and-white easier than colour | No source found; the film is not peel-apart |
| Old peel-apart pack film (669, 59, 559, 809) | The classic method, but the film is discontinued | The classic method, but the film is discontinued |
| Fujifilm Instax | Wikipedia states it cannot be done | No source found |
We found no source describing transfers with any film on sale now. Polaroid's page does not cover transfers, and we have not tested anything ourselves. Old guides quote water at about 65 °C (150 °F) for 669 film (Linders); do not carry that figure over to integral film.
Materials and chemistry
No chemical recipe is involved: the "chemistry" is the film's own. Sources list the following equipment:
- A fresh print, scissors or a sharp knife, a shallow bowl or deep tray, a soft paintbrush, gloves, and a receiving surface (Polaroid blog; Analog.Cafe).
- Thick watercolour paper, 300 gsm or heavier, is Analog.Cafe's suggestion. Dish soap in the water disintegrated the image within seconds in the author's tests.
- Temperatures: Polaroid says only "warm water"; Analog.Cafe gives no figure; a Polaroid Go test used room-temperature water (Analog.Cafe, Go). Test on spare prints.
What the film is made of: a study of Polacolor (a peel-apart film) describes a multilayer subtractive colour negative with dye developers and a "highly alkaline" viscous reagent gel thickened with cellulose derivatives (Gioli study). The modern integral film is a different product, and we found no safety data sheet for it. Analog.Cafe notes that the white layer you discard contains titanium dioxide.
Procedure
This is the integral-film lift, as Polaroid and Analog.Cafe describe it. Sources differ on details, so treat the order as a guide.
- Choose a fresh print. Polaroid suggests a print made within 24 hours. Analog.Cafe finds film exposed minutes or hours earlier separates more easily than film weeks old, and a Go test found week-old exposures tore at the edges. Older peel-apart guides ask for a print dried for 24 hours (Linders); that advice is for different film.
- Open the print. Trim the white borders, cutting slightly into the image (Polaroid blog), or pare the frame edges and split the border layers with a knife (Analog.Cafe).
- Soak. Submerge the image face down in warm water and loosen the emulsion from the clear plastic with a soft brush, starting at the corners (Polaroid blog).
- Clean. Discard the rigid plastic and the translucent layer, removing as much white pigment as possible. Push the emulsion with the side of the brush, not the bristles (Analog.Cafe).
- Transfer. Slide the receiving paper under the floating emulsion, lift them out together, arrange with a soft brush, and dry flat (Analog.Cafe). Resubmerge to rearrange if needed.
Choosing a receiving surface
Polaroid lists wood, glass and watercolour paper, or a transparent sheet if you want to place the lift over something else (Polaroid blog). Linders adds rocks and lampshades for the old method. Watercolour paper was the most common choice in every source. Sources disagree on texture: the Gioli study chose hot-pressed paper because smoother surfaces capture the image better, while Analog.Cafe found textured paper improved the perceived definition of small Go lifts. Try both.
Polaroid recommends a waterproof final surface for a direct lift (Polaroid blog).
Before you start, set out a tray, a sink with running water nearby, and a clean towel so you can work without leaving wet emulsion on anything else.
Time and handling
The whole job takes about one to four hours including cleanup (Analog.Cafe). Start with your least favourite pictures.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | Remedy |
|---|---|---|
| Emulsion tears at the edges | Print too old | Use a fresher print (Analog.Cafe) |
| Layers will not separate | Colour film is more rigid | Try black-and-white film first; Analog.Cafe reports a hairdryer held close can loosen layers, but slowly |
| Image dissolves | Soap or detergent in the water | Use plain water (Analog.Cafe) |
| Soft-looking Go lifts | Smaller image | Textured paper and repeated lifts improved definition (Analog.Cafe, Go) |
| No lift on old peel-apart film | Water too cool or cold-stored film | One commenter saw no lift between 140 and 160 °F on old 669 (Linders) |
| Colours fade | UV exposure | Lifts on old film faded under bright light, especially UV; keep out of direct sun (Linders) |
Safety
We could not find a safety data sheet for current Polaroid film, so we give no hazard classification for its chemistry. As a precaution, treat the reagent and the white layer as potentially irritating or caustic, because the reagent in the older Polacolor film was highly alkaline: wear gloves, keep your hands away from your eyes, and wash afterwards. Polaroid states these techniques are for adults aged 18 and over and are done at your own risk. Ask Polaroid or your supplier for the current SDS.
- Gloves and ventilation. Analog.Cafe recommends rubber gloves and a ventilated room, noting that titanium dioxide is a suspected carcinogen that can reach the lungs and skin.
- Keep it away from food. Keep the work area away from dishes and cutlery (Analog.Cafe).
- Old film is different. The Polacolor reagent was highly alkaline (Gioli study), which is why we advise gloves for any film.
- Waste water. We have no sourced guidance. Contact your local waste service for advice.
Further reading
Christopher Osborne's pack-film page and Jane Linders' AlternativePhotography.com article are the clearest accounts of the classic lift and transfer methods, but they describe film you can no longer buy.
Polaroid's blog and support pages are the only manufacturer guidance we found.
Sources
- Be even more creative with your Polaroid camera and film, Polaroid
- How to make Polaroid emulsion lifts and transparencies, Dmitri, Analog.Cafe
- Emulsion lifts with Polaroid Go instant film, Dmitri, Analog.Cafe
- Polaroid emulsion lift, Jane A. Linders, AlternativePhotography.com
- Polaroid emulsion lifts: pack film, Christopher J. Osborne
- Photons for photography: Polaroid emulsion transfer on paper in Paolo Gioli's artworks, PubMed Central
- Polaroid art, Wikipedia