The other end has a knob for rolling the film. Don’t open the canister from this side. If you’re taking the film out to develop it, make sure you’re in a dark room. You’ll have to feel around so you can tell which side is flat and which one has a knob.
It might be tough to find the canister edge in the dark. Feel around a little and you’ll be able to catch the edge of the lid with the notch on the bottle opener.
Only touch the edges of the film when you take it out. Otherwise you could ruin the pictures. [4] X Research source
If you’re using a reusable canister, then don’t get rid of it. You can refill it with fresh film and take more pictures.
Make sure you’re in a dark room if you took pictures with this film. It’s pretty easy to feel along the canister and find the ridge in the dark. Some reusable film canisters don’t have this ridge. In this case, pop the lid off with a bottle opener or your fingers instead.
You could also use a bottle opener for this method. Tuck the notch under the ridge instead of the canister lid.
This takes some strength, so don’t be afraid to pull hard! You’ll also need a good grip on the canister with your other hand, so hold tight.
The canister will be broken after this, so recycle it when you’re done.
It might be hard to hear this click, so hold the canister up to your ear if you’re not hearing it. If you’re trying to get out film that you took pictures with, make sure you’re in a dark room so the photos aren’t ruined.
If you don’t have water, you could also lick the film. There are also tools you can buy to get trapped film out of the canister. This is just a DIY trick.
You might feel a bit more resistance when the two pieces of film meet, so you’ll know the film is in far enough.
If the film isn’t moving, then the pieces may not have come into contact. Pull the film out and re-wet it to try again.
Don’t pull the film slowly. The two pieces could detach before the trapped one comes out. Always let the film dry before loading it into a camera or developing it.
