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I've recently received a batch of processed film back from the LomoLab of some shots I took with a Sprocket Rocket loaded with Lomography XPro Sunset Strip 100 35mm film.

The film was cross-processed, and I noticed that almost every single shot has a yellow/green tint to them. When I compare this to some shots I took with a Lomo LC-A with Lomography XPro Chrome 100 film, there is a massive difference in the results. There were no tints to the images before, and every colour seemed to pop. Granted, they were taken with two different cameras loaded with different film!

My question is, what factors determine why there are different colour tints to these photos? Is it camera, film, lighting conditions, etc?

Here's a sample of shots:

Sprocket Rocket loaded with XPro Sunset Strip 100 35mm film Sprocket Rocket loaded with XPro Sunset Strip 100 35mm film

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  • \$\begingroup\$ From the product description I read that the Sunset Strip film is precolored, meaning that it's meant to do strange things with colors. Perhaps the result of the cross processing is the overreaction to the precoloring, which is why all of the shots have about the same tint/behavior? \$\endgroup\$
    – Dave Van den Eynde
    Aug 5, 2014 at 14:05
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    \$\begingroup\$ Also, there's different types of cross processing. Perhaps you could enlighten us with the process that was used to develop the film? The film is meant to be processed with the C41 process which is a process for color negatives, which is rare for slide films that use the E-6 process. \$\endgroup\$
    – Dave Van den Eynde
    Aug 5, 2014 at 14:07

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Esten is right. As I'm developing film at home I noticed, that for example the chemistry changes color during development of the Agfaphoto Precisia CT 100 to purple. The film base layer itself is also purple after developing. Inverting purple gives green - the typical green color shift of cross processing this film. It looks like the C-41 chemistry is not capable of removing that dye.

Also the color cast heavily depends on post processing / scanning. If you scan the film in the lab, it depends on the autosettings of the scanner. Thats why you sometimes get different results on the same roll: some images are heavily casted and some hardly - depending on how "good" the software can do an automatic whitebalance. If you scan the film at home (without auto correction of course), you will see that every single foto has an intense color cast (because of the dye form the base layer). Then it's up to you if you will keep it or remove it in post processing.

I did a little research and found an interessting article (allthough i can't agree with everything): Lomography cross processing

Most interessting I think is the chart at the beginning:

Cross Process Color Wheel

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Cross processing (running an E6 film in C41 chemistry) results in different colors based on both the film and the chemistry used to process it. Films are generally known to more-often-than-not shift to one color. Velvia shifts red, Elite Chrome shifts green, etc. But, the intensity of those shifts often depends on the chemistry. The camera has very little to do with it.

There are other factors too, for example, Lomo sells redscale film. While this isn't a cross-process per-se (it's standard C41 film in C41 chemistry, the red color comes from shooting the film backwards, through the anti-halation layer), you're always guaranteed a red/orange color shift.

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