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What went wrong?

My slides have a strong colour cast, or the blacks are grey or coloured

Negatives and slides

What you're seeing

Slides are blue, yellow, green, red or cyan overall, or the shadows are one colour and the highlights another. The black film between frames may look grey, brown or green instead of deep black.

Check this first

Check this first

Look at the black between frames on a light box. A neutral deep black with a cast only in the pictures points to light or film storage; coloured or grey blacks point to the chemistry.

Likely causes, most common first

  1. 01

    First developer contaminated with colour developer

    Occasional
    How to tell
    Deep blacks come out grey, reddish-brown or greenish, and slides are lighter than usual. Traces of colour developer, even vapour, can do it.
    Test it
    Mix fresh first developer in a clean container, wash and dry reels and tank, and process a test roll.
    The fix
    Mix the first developer first and close its bottle; keep the two developers apart; wash and fully dry tank, lid and reels after each run, because some plastics hold colour developer.

    Sources Tetenal, Tetenal Colortec E-6 3-Bath Instruction for use (Art. 102035/102036); Eastman Kodak (archived copy at 125px.com), Visual Troubleshooting of Process E-6 (Using KODAK Chemicals, Process E-6, section 12)

  2. 02

    Colour developer contaminated with first developer or fixer

    Occasional
    How to tell
    Crossed colours: light areas are blue-green while dense areas are yellow. No single correction fixes the whole slide.
    Test it
    Process a test roll in freshly mixed colour developer with clean equipment. If the crossover goes, the old colour developer was contaminated.
    The fix
    Mix fresh colour developer and rinse equipment between baths.

    Source Eastman Kodak (archived copy at 125px.com), Visual Troubleshooting of Process E-6 (Using KODAK Chemicals, Process E-6, section 12)

  3. 03

    Colour developer mixed or used wrongly

    Occasional
    How to tell
    An even blue or yellow cast across the whole roll. Kodak links blue to colour developer too hot or poorly agitated, and yellow to colour developer too cold or its parts mismeasured.
    Test it
    Check the colour developer temperature and the measurements of each part, then process a test roll.
    The fix
    Measure each part exactly (Tetenal warns small errors shift the colour balance), hold the stated temperature and agitate as instructed.

    Sources Eastman Kodak (archived copy at 125px.com), Visual Troubleshooting of Process E-6 (Using KODAK Chemicals, Process E-6, section 12); Tetenal, Tetenal Colortec E-6 3-Bath Instruction for use (Art. 102035/102036)

  4. 04

    Expired or heat-damaged film

    Occasional
    How to tell
    The black between frames is fine but every frame has the same cast, and the film was old or stored warm. A fresh roll processed in the same chemistry is normal.
    Test it
    Process a fresh roll of slide film in the same batch. If it is neutral, the old film is the cause.
    The fix
    Correct while scanning. Store slide film cool.

    Source Kodak Alaris, Storage and Care of KODAK Photographic Materials

  5. 05

    Stabiliser or other bath carried into a developer

    Rare
    How to tell
    Green blacks between frames, or general colour fog with wrong colours.
    Test it
    Process a test roll with freshly mixed chemistry and thoroughly rinsed reels and tank.
    The fix
    Rinse reels and tanks with plenty of water after each run and keep a separate jug for each bath.

    Source Tetenal, Tetenal Colortec E-6 3-Bath Instruction for use (Art. 102035/102036)

Avoiding it next time

  • Mix and store each bath in its own labelled container.
  • Rinse and dry reels, tank and thermometer between baths and runs.
  • Measure colour developer parts exactly.

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