Black-and-white negative · ISO 400
Ilford HP5 Plus 400 Grain Look
What Ilford HP5 Plus 400 grain looks like, and a free recipe that recreates its texture and tone on digital photos in your browser.
Published October 3, 2026 · Updated October 3, 2026 · Written by Maximilian Braun
Original
Processed with imagegrain
About Ilford HP5 Plus 400
Ilford HP5 Plus is an ISO 400 black-and-white negative film from Ilford, made in England. It is a common choice for learning to develop film because it is forgiving of exposure and development errors.
Ilford states it can be pushed to EI 3200, which makes it popular for low-light and event work. At box speed it has moderate contrast, which leaves room to add contrast when printing or scanning.
Grain character
HP5 Plus grain is visible and fairly even. It is often described as a little softer and less gritty than Tri-X at the same speed, with gentler contrast; pushed, it becomes much coarser and punchier.
Ilford HP5 Plus 400 grain recipe
| Intensity | 38% |
|---|---|
| Grain type | medium |
| Grain size | 4px |
| Roughness | 14% |
| Softness | 40% |
| Color grain | 0% |
| Shadows / midtones / highlights | 88% / 100% / 65% |
| Fade | 12% |
| Warmth | 0% |
| Vignette | 18% |
| Black and white | On |
| Seed | 500500 |
Why these settings
- Medium grain with lower roughness and more softness than the Tri-X recipe gives a smoother, more even texture.
- Slightly higher fade lifts the blacks to suggest HP5's moderate box-speed contrast.
- A lighter vignette keeps the look restrained.
- For a pushed-to-1600 look, raise intensity to about 52%, roughness to 22%, and lower fade to 5%.
What this recipe cannot do
Like any digital recipe, this cannot reproduce HP5's exact tonal curve or its response to colored lens filters. It reproduces the grain texture, black level, and framing.
Best for
- Learning-style everyday black-and-white
- Events and low-light work
- Portraits that need softer contrast than Tri-X
Ilford HP5 Plus 400 FAQ
HP5 Plus vs Tri-X: which should I emulate?
Choose Tri-X for a grittier, higher-contrast documentary look and HP5 Plus for a slightly softer, more even texture. Both recipes are free and can be tuned further in the editor.
How grainy is HP5 Plus pushed to 3200?
Very. Pushing that far produces coarse, high-contrast grain and thin shadows. Raise grain size to 5–6px and intensity above 65% to suggest it.
Is HP5 Plus good for beginners?
Yes. Its wide exposure latitude and tolerance of development variation make it a common first film for home developing.
Ilford and Ilford HP5 Plus 400 are trademarks of their respective owners. imagegrain is not affiliated with or endorsed by them; recipes are digital approximations of grain and tone, not film-stock emulations.