Organize by state, not by pile. Every roll is in exactly one of four stages: fresh, loaded, shot & waiting, or developed. Give each stage a home and a status, and rolls stop falling through the cracks.
The four stages of a roll
Unexposed stock
Boxed film you haven't loaded. Store cool; keep track of stock and expiry.
In a camera
Currently being shot. This is your "which roll is in which body" list.
Shot, undeveloped
Rewound and labelled, waiting for the lab or your tank.
Developed
Negatives filed, scans stored, log kept beside them.
Fresh stock: store it well, track what you have
Unexposed film keeps best cold. The fridge is fine for stock you'll shoot within months; the freezer for long-term storage — just let a roll return to room temperature (an hour or so) before loading to avoid condensation. Beyond storage, it helps to know what you have: how many rolls of each stock, and which are near expiry, so you shoot the oldest first.
Loaded rolls: keep a live "in-camera" list
The rolls currently in your cameras are the ones most easily muddled, especially if you pause a body mid-roll. Keep a short, current list of which roll is in which camera and how many frames are shot. This is the heart of keeping track of film rolls — the moment a roll comes out of a camera, it moves to the next stage.
Shot but undeveloped: the danger zone
Exposed rolls all look the same, and this is where identity is most often lost. Two habits fix it:
- Label every canister the moment you rewind — the roll's name, and its EI if you pushed or pulled.
- Corral them in one place — a single box or bag for "to develop," so none get forgotten in a jacket pocket.
If you're sending a batch to the lab, the labels are what let you reunite each returned strip with the right notes.
Developed: file negatives and scans consistently
Once a roll is developed, give it a permanent home:
Sleeve the negatives
Cut into strips and store in archival sleeves in a binder. Number each page or sheet.
Name scans by roll
Use a consistent scheme — date, stock, roll name, frame number — so files sort and search cleanly.
Keep the log with them
Store the roll's notes (or an exported PDF) alongside the scans, so settings and locations never drift apart from the images.
Index the binder
A simple list of "sleeve 14 = Portra, city walk, May" makes a shelf of negatives searchable.
For lining scans up with your notes after development, see matching film notes to your scans.
How Film Logbook keeps the record together
Film Logbook tracks each roll through these stages: you can see your active rolls at a glance, every roll keeps its camera, film stock, ISO, name and date, and each frame keeps its settings, location and reference image. It all lives privately on your device and your own iCloud, so the record survives a lost phone. When a roll is developed, export it as structured JSON (free) or a printable PDF (with Pro) to file beside the negatives and scans.
Free for up to two active rolls; a one-time €5.99 Pro unlocks unlimited rolls, PDF export and custom icons. iPhone, iOS 15 or later.