Each film square contains three layers of silver halide crystals. This light-sensitive compound is made of silver (Ag) plus an element from group 17 of the periodic table, such as bromine (Br) or iodine (I). Each layer darkens in response to a specific color of light: blue, green, or red.
The film is ejected from the camera. As it slides out, rollers break open a pod of chemicals in the white band at the bottom of the frame and spread them through the interior layers. One of these chemicals blocks additional light from affecting the film, and another alters the film’s pH, or acidity. That controls the length of time it takes for the film to develop.
In areas where silver halide crystals weren’t exposed to their target color of light during the shutter click, a chemical from the pod makes dyes in the film dissolve. They move upward to become visible at the photo’s surface. Yellow dye is released from the blue-light-sensitive layer, magenta from the green-light-sensitive layer, and cyan (blue-green) from the red-light-sensitive layer. In exposed areas, a developer chemical from the pod sets off reactions that keep the dyes locked in place, so they remain unseen.