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What went wrong?

My slides are much too dark, or much too light

Negatives and slides

What you're seeing

Whole E-6 slides are too dark (heavy, murky) or too light (washed out), not just one or two frames.

Check this first

Check this first

Look at the black film between frames and at the edge printing. If the blacks are deep and the lettering is normal, suspect exposure; if the whole strip, edges included, is off, suspect processing.

Likely causes, most common first

  1. 01

    Exposure

    Common
    How to tell
    Density varies from frame to frame with the scene. The unexposed black between frames is deep black and the edge printing looks normal.
    Test it
    Shoot a short bracketed test roll at the box speed, one stop over and one stop under, and process it with your next batch. Compare against a meter you trust.
    The fix
    Check the meter, ISO setting and shutter, and meter carefully for slide film.

    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)

  2. 02

    First developer time or temperature wrong

    Common
    How to tell
    Every frame on the roll is darker (short or cold first developer) or lighter (long or hot) by a similar amount. More than one roll from the same session is affected.
    Test it
    Check your thermometer against a second one at 38 °C, and check you used the time for that use of the chemistry. Process a test roll with the corrected time.
    The fix
    Hold the first developer at the kit's temperature (38 ± 0.3 °C for the Tetenal kit), prewarm the tank or prewash, and adjust the first developer time in small steps (Tetenal suggests 15–30 seconds).

    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)

  3. 03

    First developer exhausted, over-used or too gentle agitation

    Occasional
    How to tell
    Dark slides that get worse with each reuse of the chemistry. The first films through the batch were fine.
    Test it
    Process one test roll in fresh first developer alongside a roll in the old batch, with the same agitation.
    The fix
    Stay within the kit's capacity (pushing uses it faster), extend time for second and third use as the kit says, 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

    Bleach-fix missed, exhausted or too short

    Occasional
    How to tell
    Very dark overall or in random patches. Kodak also links inadequate bleaching or fixing to a yellow cast.
    Test it
    Put one spare dark frame back through fresh bleach-fix (or bleach then fixer) for the full time, then wash and stabilise. If it lightens clearly, bleaching or fixing was incomplete.
    The fix
    Rebleach and refix the roll in fresh solutions, then wash and stabilise. Keep the bleach-fix within capacity and time.

    Sources Eastman Kodak (archived copy at 125px.com), Visual Troubleshooting of Process E-6 (Using KODAK Chemicals, Process E-6, section 12); Kodak Alaris, Using KODAK FLEXICOLOR Chemicals (Process C-41)

  5. 05

    Film fogged by light before or during processing

    Rare
    How to tell
    Light, washed-out slides with weak blacks, including in the black film between frames.
    Test it
    Check the black between frames: on fogged film it is grey or coloured too. Process a scrap length of the same film unexposed: correctly processed unexposed slide film comes out black with the edge printing visible.
    The fix
    Load reels in total darkness and check the tank lid seals.

    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)

Avoiding it next time

  • Prewarm the tank before the first developer.
  • Check your thermometer against a second one.
  • Log how many films each batch has done.

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