As an experiment, we took a photo using two rolls of 35mm Fujifilm Pro400H film, a standard roll, and one exposed to heat in a car for two days. As suspected, heat does have an effect, and below is an example of a test we did.
The Darkroom’s tips and important information on how to store film
Film can be in the heat without being ruined, but long periods of exposure will greatly affect it. As you can see below, the heat muted the colors, brought the contrast down, and had a significant impact on overall quality. As someone pointed out on our Facebook, it looks like an Instagram filter was applied. See below for other interesting reactions and comments from our Facebook post.
Photos were taken with a Canon EOS 3 / 85mm.

Old & expired film
With over 45 years of developing film, The Darkroom will professionally develop your old film and color, contrast and density adjust every frame
Some interesting reactions from our Facebook post
But that’s what people want it to look like these days for some reason, add a light leak and some dust and you’ve got yourself an Instagram winner 🙁 – Burien Y
Baked film can be beautiful. Baked film can be ugly. Lol. In this case I prefer the degraded values. – Brandon W
I am shooting the last package of 16 year old Kodak Pro-400 that has been stored cool, seems fine after the C-41…be careful with low temp storage, don’t open the pack until it reaches room temp or you get condensation… -Jon A H
People pay good money for that effect. And I live in Phoenix, what am I to do? -John B
[…] Source […]
[…] If you’d like to see this effect first hand, The Darkroom did an excellent experiment showing exactly how film changes when it’s exposed to heat. They left one roll in the car for two days, and shot it at the same time as a fresh roll. See more about their experiment, here. […]
[…] See what effect heat can have on a roll of film – The Darkroom […]
[…] be able to handle the heat of a single day or even a series of days, but prolonged exposure can damage it. If a photographer refills the water bottle with cold water every day, then film can always be kept […]
[…] be able to handle the heat of a single day or even a series of days, but prolonged exposure can damage it. If a photographer refills the water bottle with cold water every day, then film can always be kept […]
[…] be able to handle the heat of a single day or even a series of days, but prolonged exposure can damage it. If a photographer refills the water bottle with cold water every day, then film can always be kept […]
[…] be able to handle the heat of a single day or even a series of days, but prolonged exposure can damage it. If a photographer refills the water bottle with cold water every day, then film can always be kept […]
[…] be able to handle the heat of a single day or even a series of days, but prolonged exposure can damage it. If a photographer refills the water bottle with cold water every day, then film can always be kept […]
[…] Heat Affect Film […]