Color film arrived in the 1930s, but didn't become common until the 1960s

Autochrome, the first color process that worked in a regular camera, came out in 1907. It used a glass plate coated with colored starch grains and was slow, expensive, and produced muddy colors. Most photographers stuck with black and white.

The real shift happened after World War II. Kodachrome film, introduced in 1935, gave much brighter, more accurate colors than Autochrome, but it was complicated to process and cost several times what black-and-white film did. Ektachrome, released in 1946, was easier to develop and faster to shoot. By the 1950s, color film existed and worked—but it was still expensive enough that most people, most newspapers, and most professional photographers used black and white.

The 1960s marked the turning point. Color film became cheaper, faster, and more reliable. Kodak and Fujifilm competed on price and quality. By the late 1960s, color film cost only slightly more than black and white, and cameras designed for color became standard. Newspapers and magazines began printing color photographs regularly instead of as rare special editions.

Key Takeaways

  • Autochrome (1907) was the first color process that worked in a camera, but produced dull colors and was expensive.
  • Kodachrome (1935) and Ektachrome (1946) offered much better color, but remained too costly for casual photographers through the 1950s.
  • The 1960s saw color film prices drop sharply as competition between manufacturers increased, making color the standard rather than the exception.
  • Black-and-white photography remained dominant in newspapers and professional work until color printing technology caught up in the late 1960s and 1970s.

Why black and white stayed dominant so long

Cost was the main barrier. A roll of Kodachrome in 1950 cost roughly three times what black-and-white film cost, and processing added another significant expense. For a newspaper or magazine, printing color required separate plates and inks for each color channel—a process called color separation—which meant color photographs took longer to prepare and cost much more to print.

Black and white was also faster to work with. A photographer could develop black-and-white film in a darkroom in minutes. Color film required either mailing it to a lab (which took days) or using expensive in-house processing equipment. For daily news, speed mattered more than color.

Habit and tradition played a role too. Readers were used to black-and-white photographs. Many editors and art directors believed black and white looked more serious or professional. Color photographs were often seen as novelties or reserved for special features.

How color film technology improved through the decades

Early color films were slide film (also called transparency or reversal film), which produced a positive image directly on the film. Kodachrome was slide film, and it stayed the standard for professional work through the 1970s because the colors were so accurate and stable.

Negative color film, which worked more like black-and-white film and required a print to be made, came later but became more practical for everyday use. It was more forgiving of exposure mistakes and didn't require special handling. By the 1960s, negative color film was catching up to slide film in quality.

Film speed also improved. Early color film was slow—ISO 10 or 20—which meant you needed bright light or a tripod. By the 1960s, ISO 100 and 200 color films were common, making it possible to shoot indoors or in cloudy weather without special equipment.

When newspapers and magazines switched to color

Most American newspapers did not print color photographs regularly until the 1980s. The technology existed in the 1960s, but the cost of color printing was still high enough that many papers reserved it for Sunday editions or special sections. National Geographic had been printing color since 1910 (hand-colored at first, then color photography), but it was an exception.

Magazines switched faster than newspapers. Life magazine, Look, and other weeklies began using color photographs in the 1950s and 1960s because their readers expected higher production values and they had more time to prepare pages. By the 1970s, color was standard in magazines.

Television news accelerated the shift. When color television became common in the late 1960s, viewers expected to see the world in color. Newspapers felt pressure to match that expectation, and printing technology improved enough by the 1980s that color became economical for daily use.

The difference between color slide film and color negative film

Slide film (Kodachrome, Ektachrome) produced a positive image—what you saw on the film was what you got. Photographers could project it or scan it directly. The colors were vivid and stable for decades. The downside: if you got the exposure wrong, the slide was ruined. There was no second chance.

Negative color film (like Kodacolor) worked the opposite way. The film showed colors inverted, and a print had to be made from the negative. This meant the lab could adjust color and exposure during printing, so mistakes were forgivable. Negative film was also cheaper to process. By the 1970s, most casual photographers used negative film because it was more practical.

Professional photographers often preferred slide film because the colors were more predictable and they could see exactly what they had shot. But as negative film improved and printing technology advanced, the gap narrowed. By the 1990s, negative film had largely replaced slide film for everyday use.

Why some photographers kept using black and white

Black-and-white photography never disappeared, even after color became cheap and straightforward. Many photographers preferred it for artistic reasons—black and white forces you to think about light, shadow, and composition without the distraction of color. It also ages differently; a black-and-white photograph from 1970 often looks as fresh as one from today, while color film from that era can fade or shift toward yellow or blue.

Black and white was also more forgiving of poor lighting. Color film could look sickly under fluorescent lights or mixed lighting, while black and white straightforward rendered tones. For documentary and street photography, this made black and white practical even after color was available.

Professional photographers in fields like fashion and advertising switched to color because clients demanded it. But photojournalists, fine-art photographers, and some commercial photographers continued to shoot black and white by choice, and many still do.

Frequently Asked Questions

Was color photography invented before 1900?

Yes, but not in a form that worked in a camera. Scientists understood color theory and created color photographs using chemical processes in the 1860s, but these required long exposures and special equipment. Autochrome in 1907 was the first practical color process for a regular camera.

Why did Kodachrome cost so much?

Kodachrome required a complex multi-step development process that only Kodak's labs could do properly. You had to mail the film to Kodak or an authorized lab, and the process involved precise chemical baths and timing. Ektachrome, introduced in 1946, could be developed by any lab, which helped bring costs down.

Did professional photographers use color before the 1960s?

Some did, especially in advertising and fashion, where color mattered. But most professional photographers, including photojournalists and studio photographers, worked in black and white through the 1950s because it was faster, cheaper, and what clients expected. Color became standard in professional work during the 1960s and 1970s.

When did color film become cheaper than black and white?

Color film never became cheaper than black and white—it has always cost more. But by the mid-1960s, the price difference shrank enough that casual photographers could afford color. A roll of color film might cost 50 percent more than black and white, rather than 300 percent more as it had in the 1950s.

Could you get color prints from black and white negatives?

Not directly. You could hand-color black-and-white prints, which was done for decades, but this was slow and expensive. Color prints required color negatives or slides. Some labs offered services to colorize black-and-white photographs, but the results were often artificial-looking.