Cover Photo: Manhattan, New York City, 2009 by Thomas Claveirole, ( CC BY-SA 2.0 ), Taken on Kodak Tri-X 400 on a Leica M6
There’s no denying the rising popularity of film photography; Kodak’s film production has more than doubled in the last four years. And while the production of film may be increasing, that doesn’t necessarily mean that photo labs are following suit.
One Hour Photoshops and film developing in your local drugstore are becoming harder and harder to find in most parts of the country. Luckily for New Yorkers, there are still plenty of places to get film developed in NYC.
Whether you’re a Manhattan local or just visiting, you’ll have no problem finding a place for developing 35mm film, 120 medium format film, or disposable cameras in NYC. Keep reading to check out the list and find a map of our favorite spots.
If you find yourself across the East River, you can check out our guide to the Best Places for Film Developing in Brooklyn.
Our Favorite Places to Develop Film in NYC
Picture House + The Small Darkroom
Neighborhood: Chelsea
Location: 437 W 16 St, New York, NY 10011
Picture House + The Small Darkroom is a fantastic place to get your color and black and white film developed. Established in 1996, they have years of experience as one of the premier destinations for film developing in NYC.
Picture House provides a level of care and detail that is hard to find; dip and dunk processing for C-41 color and black and white film processed by hand. 35mm, 120, and large format sheet film are all processed on-site.
Prices are definitely on the higher side compared to the rest of the labs in the city, but for those who need the best possibly quality, they shouldn’t let this be a deterrent.
It’s also worth checking out their Instagram Page where they hold photo contests with the winner receiving credit for film developing!
Learn more at Picture House + The Small Darkroom
Duugal Visual Solutions
Neighborhood: Chelsea
Location: 43 W 24th St, New York, NY 10010
Duugal Visual Solutions may be the oldest place for developing film in all of NYC. Founded in 1963, the companies founder designed and built the world’s first-ever dip and dunk film processing machine.
They have stayed at the forefront of film developing, providing dip and dunk processing for all film, and offering developing for color, black and white, as well as E-6 slide film. Unless you shoot odd/outdated film formats, Duugal should have you covered; 35mm, 120 medium format and large format film can all be developed.
The list of services offered goes well beyond developing film. Duugal is truly a one-stop-shop for any of your personal or business-related visual needs.
Check out more information on their lab services at Duugal Visual Solutions.
LTI Lightside
Neighborhood: Gramercy
Location: 34 E 30th St, New York, NY 10016
If you’re looking for film developing in Gramercy, you’re in luck; LTI Lightside is one of the best places to develop film in NYC.
They provide 6-hour service for developing C-41 color film and 12-hour service for black and white film. Most film formats can be processed, whether you have 35mm, medium format, or large format.
LTI Lightside caters to museums, galleries, art collectors, and ad agencies, so you know that the quality of work will be extremely high. They also provide professional retouching services and custom framing.
Information on their film processing can be found at LTI Lightside.
Color Resource Center
Neighborhood: Midtown
Location: 16 E 38 St, New York, NY 10016
Color Resource Center, also known as CRC is one of the most centrally-located film developing services on our list. Their midtown location makes them extremely accessible to anyone looking to develop film in NYC.
They handle 35mm and 120 color, black and white, and E-6 film at their East 38th street location.
You’ll also be able to get high-resolution scans and darkroom prints of your photos.
Learn more at Color Resource Center.
The Color House
Neighborhood: Soho
Location: 177 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10013
The Color House is a full-service photo lab located in Lower Manhattan. Their services should cover most of your film developing needs, offering 35mm, 120, and large format processing of color, black and white, and slide film.
As well as developing film, The Color House provides printing services (digital and inkjet), as well as mounting and laminating services.
More information on their film processing can be found at The Color House.
My Own Color Lab
Neighborhood: Chelsea
Location: 18 W 27th St # 3, New York, NY 10001
My Own Color Lab is an exhibition printing lab with a client list full of galleries and well-regarded artists. While their focus is mostly on high-end printing, their facilities may still be of interest to film photographers.
This is a spot for more advanced film shooters who know how to develop their own film but may not have the facilities available to them. My Own Color Lab offers darkroom rental, as well as digital workstation rental to the public.
Setting up your own darkroom is difficult enough, before you consider the size of most NYC apartments. If you’ve ever thought about getting your hands dirty in the darkroom, My Own Color Lab may be just the place to make those dreams a reality.
You can learn more about the facilities at My Own Color Lab.
Bleeker Digital Solutions
Neighborhood: Lower Manhattan / Bowery
Location: 85 Kenmare Street, Store #4 Ground Floor, New York, NY 10012
With expertise in a wide array of visual products, Bleeker Digital Solutions is one of our favorite places to get film developed (and a whole lot more).
They’ll be able to develop your 35mm and 120 film whether it’s C-41 color, black and white, or E-6 slide film.
The services offered at Blekker Digital don’t stop there, though; they also have video digitization services for Super 8 and 16mm video film, printing solutions, and super-high-resolution scanning.
For more information on all of the services they offer, check out Bleeker Digital Solutions.
Pro Image Photo
Neighborhood: Upper West Side
Location: 289 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10023
2510 Broadway, New York, NY 10025
One of the only places for film developing film in Upper Manhattan is Pro Image Photo. They have two locations, making them the go-to spot to develop film on the Upper West Side.
Aside from developing 35mm film and printing photos, you’ll be able to produce any number of photo projects, from photo books to coffee mugs and everything in between. Medium and large format photographers will need to look elsewhere though, as 35mm is the only film format that is processed at Pro Image.
If you happen to be a student interested in film photography, Pro Image offers a student discount of 10% on their services; if you shoot a lot of film, your savings would add up quickly!
Check out their website for more information on their film processing services at Pro Image Photo.
Luster Photo and Digital
Neighborhood: Alphabet City
Location: 121 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009
If you’re in need of film developing near the iconic Tompkins Square Park, look no further than Luster Photo and Digital.
Not only do they develop color, black and white, and E-6 slide film for both 35mm and 120, they offer same or next day service. High-quality printing and scanning options make Luster Photo a great option for film shooters.
Their prices and a full list of services is available at Luster Photo and Digital.
Map of the Best Places to Develop Film
More Places to Develop Film in NYC
With the amount of film photographers in NYC, it makes sense that there are a lot of places for film developing. While we recommend the spots above, there are still more options available. We’ve listed the remaining places to develop film in NYC below.
Trilogy Photo Lab
Neighborhood: Tribeca
Location: 111 Chambers St # A, New York, NY 10007
Sammy’s Photo Lab
Neighborhood: Lower East Side
Location: 27 Essex St, New York, NY 10002
Quick Color Custom Photo Lab
Neighborhood: Chelsea
Location: 119 W 23rd St #503, New York, NY 10011
Website: Quick Color Custom Photo Lab
Imaging Coliseum
Neighborhood: Gramercy
Location: 115 E 31st St, New York, NY 10016
Website: Imaging Coliseum
86 Street Photo
Neighborhood: Upper East Side
Location: 233 East 86th St, New York, NY 10028
Website: 86 Street Photo
Eliz Digital
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Location: 77 Elizabeth St, New York, NY 10013
Did We Miss Anywhere?
Do you know any other places for film developing in NYC? Let us know in the comments!
Even in this age of photoshop, it is always nice to shoot a film. NYC does offer great places to develop films. Your article is informative as it provides names of places to develop the film and shows their location. Thank you.
I am looking forward to getting such information in future also.
Thanks, Luca!