Drop Calculator vs ProFilm Meter

“Drop Calculator for Alternative Process Printing” is a handy tool for artists printing with the cyanotype, platinum/palladium, kallitype, or really ANY process where components of the light sensitive emulsion are measured in drops. Simply enter the dimensions of the area to be printed, and “DropCalc” will show you the total number of drops you’ll need, as well as a break down of the number of drops for each part. DropCalc allows the artist to customize the drop count, choose two or three part processes, create and save user presets, and choose between Metric or Imperial measurement systems. Feature Details: We understand that artists all tend to coat paper a little differently, and that drop counts will vary. In addition to different types of paper, the type of brush used varies substantially, with some artists even using a glass “puddle pusher”. We support these differences by allowing the artist to change an “adjustment factor”, which influences the drop count calculated by the app. If you find that you need MORE emulsion to cover a given area, adjust the slider towards the right, and for less emulsion, adjust it towards the left. Note: This setting can be saved for future use with a user preset. Some processes may require more than two parts. For example, some of the platinum/palladium processes use a contrast agent. Typically this third component is a constant number of drops, regardless of print size. To support this, we allow for a third part that is always a set number of drops. This feature could also be used by those that like to add a bit of “tween twenty” to the emulsion. Note: This setting can be saved for future use with a user preset. Many artists will want to work in multiple process, or perhaps they simply like to use a variety of paper types. Either way, it’s likely that they will want different settings for different occasions. This is where the artist presets come in handy. Create a preset for each paper type, each different process, or both! DropCalc allows the artist to work with a measurement system that is the most comfortable for them. The “settings” page allows the artist to select between Metric and Imperial (U.S.) measurement systems.

ProFilm Meter is the most complete light meter and exposure toolkit for film photographers. From 35mm to 8×10 large format, dry plates to tintypes, it handles every calculation you'd normally reach for three separate tools to solve — all offline, all in real time. LIGHT METERING Your phone's camera becomes a precision reflected-light meter. Choose spot, center-weighted, or average metering and dial in exposure with ⅓-stop, full-stop, or any combination of increment sets running simultaneously. A live RGB histogram keeps highlight and shadow zones in view at all times. Native per-frame ISO, shutter, and aperture capture at ~10 fps Multi-point metering: average 2–4 scene readings into one exposure value Tap-to-focus and multi-lens camera selection Adaptive EV smoothing adjusts for scene changes automatically Screen stays awake during active metering sessions CALIBRATION Two-point guided calibration locks each camera to a trusted reference. After calibration, a fine-tune step lets you match any external meter in ⅓-stop increments. Uncalibrated cameras are gated with a full-screen prompt so you never shoot on an unmeasured body. FILM STOCKS & RECIPROCITY An on-device film stock library covers 35mm, 120, and large format emulsions — including the full Zebra Dry Plate collection. Every stock carries its own reciprocity profile. Eight built-in profiles (Acros II, T-Max, HP5+, Portra, Fomapan, Zebra, and more) plus full custom profile creation, including Schwarzschild p-factor and optional threshold. Add custom film formats and reciprocity profiles inline, without leaving the film stock screen. COMPENSATIONS Reciprocity failure — corrected automatically for exposures beyond threshold Bellows compensation — calculated stop-for-stop from draw and focal length RA4 Color Reversal — estimates scene color temperature and gives you Mired-shift filter corrections for color positives; works in both ambient and flash mode Spectral sensitivity — metering coefficients adjusted for panchromatic, orthochromatic, and blue-sensitive emulsions Lens filters — ND (1–10 stops), polarizer, yellow/orange/red/green contrast filters, R72 and deep IR, plus custom filters Positive/reversal process — +0.5 stop compensation, auto-enabled for tintype stocks UV/environmental compensation — adjustable for altitude and atmospheric conditions IR Light Estimator — dedicated tool for infrared exposure estimation FLASH Flash metering detects incident flash via fast polling with peak-hold and sticky arming. A built-in flash trigger supports Optical Slave (fires the LED torch to trip slaved units) and Cable Sync (audio click for USB-C to PC-sync adapters). VIEWFINDER A lens-independent viewfinder zoom gives consistent framing regardless of which physical lens the phone uses. Overlay your chosen film format frame lines and compose like you're looking through a director's viewfinder. FIELD JOURNAL Save any exposure to the journal with one tap. Each entry records ISO, aperture, shutter speed, EV, reciprocity correction, RA4 and spectral corrections, GPS coordinates, and a cropped preview photo. Entries are exportable and shareable. EXTRA TOOLS Depth of Field Calculator — for any format and focal length Zebra Exposure Guide — zone-system reference for dry plate work Alternative Processes Meter — cyanotype, platinum, salt print, and more Step Wedge Tool — exposure planning for contact printing Rolling Shutter Calculator — flash sync safety for focal-plane shutters 20 FILM FORMATS 35mm · 6×4.5 · 6×6 · 6×7 · 6×9 · 4×5 · 5×7 · 8×10 · 9×12cm · 10×10 · 10×12 · 11×14 · 12×12 · 13×18cm · 20×24 · Sixth Plate · Quarter Plate · Half Plate · Whole Plate · custom dimensions 7 LANGUAGES English · Slovenian · Spanish · French · German · Japanese · Simplified Chinese PRIVACY All metering and calculation runs entirely on-device. No account required. No data leaves your phone.