Insert Emulsion Side Down?

[Alex Steffler]

I just bought a pack of negative sleeves and am storing 35mm negatives.
It says insert emulsion side down - which side is the emulsion side?

[Dirk J. Bakker]

Hi Alex,

The emulsion side is usually duller when you hold it to a light and look at it
at an angle. The base side will be considerably shinier. Also if your negs have
any sort of a curve along the short side to them, the concave is the emulsion
side.

HTH,

Dirk

[EDGY01]

When you view negatives through the backing side, you see the proper left-right
orientation. When you look thorugh them and get a mirror image of the
original, you;re viewing through the emulsion side. The shiny side is opposite
the emulsion side.

[Sean Golden]

Alex:

I have a negative scanner which says the same thing, the "emulsion side"
is supposed to go "down" when I insert it.

The best way I know to do this is to look at the lettering on the edge of
the film. For example, if you can read "kodak 100" or whatever, then you
are looking at the "back" of the film. The "emulsion" side is the other
side. From the emulsion side, the lettering will appear as in a mirror.

If you want to look at the film itself, the emulsion side appears a bit
more "dingy" when you reflect a bright light off of it. The "back" of the
film will have a sharper reflection.

[JHENRYMCJ]

The emulsion side is usually dull in appearance, compared to the shine on the
back.
In the darkroom the test is done by inserting the tip of the film between the
lips. The emulsion side sticks to a moist lip.

[MDDESKEY]

>The emulsion side sticks to a moist lip.

yes, but why would you do it ?

[Wapoorme]

usually the emulsion side is the side with the least gloss on the film that I
use ( illford the emusion is rather dull looking the the light if you go for
the dull side you will never go wrong also when you look at a negitive you can
read the frame number correctly that means the the emulsion side is on bottom.
Hope that helps you.