Marco Sebastiano Alessi |
January 27, 2025
Many techniques in color film development are widely used for creative purposes in photography and cinematography, and bleach bypass is a popular one that many have tried to replicate in post-production.
Today, we'll examine this technique, its definition, and how to replicate it digitally with your favorite video editing software using the Continuum plug-in BCC+ Bleach Bypass.
Let’s dive in!
What is Bleach Bypass?
Bleach bypass processing, also known as skip bleach or silver retention, is an effect used in film photography that happens when partially or entirely skipping the bleaching during the processing of color film. In this way, the silver and color dyes are preserved in the emulsion.
During normal processing, bleach is used to wash away the silver halide. Skipping bleach during the process creates a black-and-white image over a color image, with less saturated colors and high contrast.
In movies, bleach bypass was pioneered by Japanese cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa in the 1960s film Her Brother by Kon Ichikawa. Since then, the technique has been used for a myriad of films. The most popular films that use bleach bypass are 1984, Fight Club, Saving Private Ryan, and Minority Report.
Nowadays, with digital cameras and a lot of work done in post-production, the bleach bypass effect can be achieved with color grading by adjusting saturation, contrast, and highlights in most professional post-production software by colorists and video editors. This allows many filmmakers to create the same looks as their favorite movies with more control and precision without using the traditional chemical process.
When Do You Need to Use Bleach Bypass?
Bleach bypass is used to add style and a creative look to an image. In feature films and television, bleach bypass achieves a colder image and reduces color in war, noir films, and documentaries.
Original image:
Image with bleach bypass applied:
If you want to use the bleach bypass technique but don’t have the right tools to do it at home, digital post-production offers many alternatives. In the next section, I’ll show you how to replicate the bleach bypass process using a plug-in.
How to Use Bleach Bypass with BCC+ Bleach Bypass
With digital cameras, we need a way to replicate the bleach bypass effect in our video editing software of choice. We can achieve this effect with tools like the color grading features in software such as DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro, and more. However, other specialized plug-ins, like BCC+ Bleach Bypass, aim to replicate the popular film lab technique to produce images with reduced saturation and increased contrast more quickly and efficiently.
BCC+ Bleach Bypass is part of the Continuum. You can download the free trial to follow this tutorial.
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Step 1: Download and Install BCC+ Bleach Bypass
First, you must have Continuum installed on your computer. Download the Boris FX Hub and install it. Launch it, and here, you can activate your license or proceed to install the trial version. Select Continuum from the products list and then choose your host to download and install Continuum for your chosen host.
Once installed, open your host software and set up your video project with the media files where you want to recreate the Bleach Bypass effect.
Keep in mind that Continuum is compatible with all popular editing programs, such as Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe After Effects, Vegas Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Avid, and many more.
For this specific example, we'll be using Adobe Premiere Pro, one of the world's most versatile and well-known editing programs.
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Step 2: Apply BCC+ Bleach Bypass Filter
Open your effects library, where all the Continuum filters can be found in your host. Navigate to the BCC Film Style category and search for the BCC+ Bleach Bypass. Click and drag the BCC+ Bleach Bypass filters to the desired clip in the timeline.
You’ll notice the effect is instantly applied to your image with the default settings.
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Step 3: Explore Presets in the FX Editor
Go to your effects controls, and before diving into the parameters you can adjust here, let's click the FX Editor button to explore everything you can find there. In the following window, you have a preset library with bleach bypass categories divided into normal, cool, and warm. You can use and modify these presets or create new ones.
Select one from the list and preview it in the viewer. The filter parameters are on the right side of the window, where you can modify them. Try a few presets to find one you like for your footage or use as a starting point.
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Step 4: BCC+ Bleach Bypass Parameters
If you modify a preset, you can do it from the FX Editor or click the Apply button to return to your host and edit it from your host effects controls. All changes realized in the FX Editor will transfer to your host application.
Whether you start from scratch or edit in the FX Editor, BCC+ Bleach Bypass is easy to set up to get your desired effect. However, if you want to create a specific look, such as cool or warm colors, starting with a preset can make the process quicker by doing a few tweaks that fit your project. BCC+ Bleach Bypass has a few parameters that I’ll explain now.
The Amount slider controls the strength of the bleach bypass effect in general. You can reduce it to slightly affect your image or increase it for a stronger effect.
Next, you have three sliders to individually control color saturation, contrast, and temperature. It provides you more control over where you want to take the colors in your image and create unique looks that fit your style.
When you have created a look you want, you can save it as a preset for future projects. Open the FX Editor if you're not editing there. Enter a new name in the label box and click the button on the right to create a custom preset. You can also mark them as favorites to find them more easily. Select the preset and click the star icon in the top toolbar.
To see only your favorite or custom presets, click the category drop-down menu at the top left corner in the Presets window and choose Favorite, Custom, or the group you want to filter.
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Step 5: Refine Your Image with PixelChooser
BCC+ Bleach Bypass and almost all Continuum effects feature PixelChooser with Mocha planar tracking to select the pixels that will be affected by the filter in the image. It allows you to create masks on parts of the image to apply the BCC+ Bleach Bypass filter. With Mocha, you can track those masks to hold the effect on an object or subject.
Click Mocha Mask to launch the integrated Mocha interface (you don't need to install the standalone version of Mocha Pro). Mocha automatically imports your media, so you can start drawing the shape mask in the image and track it if necessary.
Click File > Save and close the Mocha UI to return to your host. Under the PixelChooser parameter, you have settings to adjust the mask, gradient, and matte.
Final Words
If you want to try bleach bypass in your projects but don't have enough experience with color grading tools, a plug-in like BCC+ Bleach Bypass can be an invaluable tool. It offers immediate results, many presets ready to click and apply, and provides enough parameters to fine-tune the result.
If you're a professional colorist, BCC+ Bleach Bypass can help you achieve the effect and combine it with the tools you already use or other plug-ins available in Continuum to enhance the resulting image. Besides, creating custom presets of the filter is helpful when working with big teams. Everyone in the team can share and use them to stay consistent in the project.
Boris FX Continuum offers BCC+ Bleach Bypass and other creative filters you can start using in your projects. Get the free trial today to learn more about Continuum.
FAQ
Is Bleach Bypass Reversible?
The traditional bleach bypass process is reversible. If photographers and videographers who use the technique don't like the results, they go back to the bleach step and apply the bleach solution to remove the retained silver halide. In digital post-production, the bleach bypass effect can be undone in your NLE editor by removing the filters and color grading adjustments.
