Analog.Cafe › Film and Darkroom › 9 min read by Dmitri. Published on April 23, 2025. Lomochrome Turquoise is a false-color negative film created by Lomography, designed to produce striking orange, cobalt, and marine hues. Although this emulsion is inherently distinctive, it can be enhanced further for an even more rare and eccentric appearance. Below, I will detail the two color palettes that can be achieved by redscaling Lomochrome Turquoise, as well as the scanning and editing techniques to achieve the colors displayed in this article. In this article: What is “bluescaling”? Redscaling, greenscaling, and bluescaling color films. Exposure settings. Scanning & color correction. Is it worth doing again? Support this blog & enjoy premium features with GOLD memberships!
What is “bluescaling”? Redscaling refers to a technique in film photography where the emulsion side of the film is positioned away from the camera during shooting. This results in most color films producing rich red hues with reduced greens and nearly absent blues. More information about redscaling can be found here. For Lomochrome Turquoise, redscaling—or bluescaling—involves loading the film inside-out into another film canister in complete darkness. This method ensures the emulsion side faces away from the lens, causing the film layers to receive light exposure in reverse order, thus altering the colors towards blue in Lomochrome Turquoise.
However, Lomography’s Lomochrome Turquoise is not a conventional color-negative film. Straight from the package, it generates vibrant orange and blue-dominant colors, as its internal layers lack a typical arrangement or sensitivity. Consequently, when shot backward (i.e., redscaled), Lomochrome Turquoise transforms into a blue-dominant film. Reds and bright greens appear green, while blues may remain or shift to orange, depending on their brightness. Since the Turquoise turns blue rather than red, I find it more engaging and fitting to refer to this process as bluescaling. Turquoise is an exception; most color films turn red when loaded inside-out, but it's not the only one: there is a film you can greenscale (though it can be quite pricey).
Redscaling, greenscaling, and bluescaling color films. Typically, most color films operate similarly: they contain three color-sensitive layers, which, after development and scanning, produce complementary colors on the screen. The blue-sensitive layer is positioned externally, facing the lens, while the green-sensitive layer is behind it, receiving less light due to the blue layer’s filtration. To achieve a balanced color output, manufacturers enhance the sensitivity of the green-sensitive layer over the blue. The red-sensitive layer, located at the back, gets the least light and must be the most sensitive of the three for color balance. Redscaling reverses this order, upsetting the delicate balance of color sensitivity. Consequently, the red layer, now in front of the lens, captures the most light, resulting in images that predominantly feature red on most redscaled color films. (Learn more.)
The color layers in Lomochrome Turquoise differ from the norm. They may be arranged differently, and they can produce non-complementary colors (for example, blue appears as orange). This variation is why loading it inside-out shifts the colors towards blue instead of red. As far as I am aware, Lomochrome Turquoise is the only film that undergoes bluescaling. Another false-color film from the same brand is Lomochrome Purple, which, when loaded and shot normally, exhibits a purple and blue-dominant palette. Unfortunately, loading this film inside-out does not significantly alter the colors—it merely becomes more pink. The only film capable of greenscaling when loaded inside-out is Aerochrome. This film is quite expensive and somewhat rare, but it can produce some of the most stunning and unique colors when used inside-out.
✪ Note: Shooting black-and-white films inside-out will not affect their color (obviously), using a lens filter will not replicate the effect of loading film inside-out, and applying digital filters may also not adequately imitate the effects.
Bluescaled Lomochrome Turquoise. Exposure settings. Lomochrome Turquoise is marketed by Lomography as an “extended range” emulsion, meaning it can capture images across a broad spectrum of exposure settings. Out of the box, it can be used as an ISO 100, 200, or 400 film. The colors will vary based on film exposure, but this does not impair the film's quality, which is already unusual. The colors of bluescaled Lomochrome Turquoise can change dramatically depending on exposure. All redscaled color films exhibit decreased sensitivity compared to their standard versions, and Lomochrome Turquoise is no exception; instead of its original ISO range of 100-400, it will be more sensitive in the range of ISO 25
Lomochrome Turquoise is a false-color negative film created by Lomography to produce unusual orange, cobalt, and marine color schemes. This emulsion is already remarkably distinct right from the package, but it can be enhanced further for an even more exceptional and striking appearance.