Harman Launches Azure: A Kaleidoscopic Film That Switches the Colors Around

Mar 05, 2026

Matt Growcoot

A pink-tinted photo shows train tracks beside an RV and trees, overlaid with a teal film box and a woman with bright makeup, green apples on her head, and blue accessories.

Harman has announced a funky new film called Switch Azure where the colors swap around — rendering blues as oranges, yellows as blue, and reds as purple.

The ISO 125 film comes in 35mm and medium format 120. Azure follows other radical releases from Harman, including Harman Red and Harman Phoenix 200, as well as more prosaic ones like Kentmere Pan 200 and Harman Phoenix II.

A roll of HARMAN AZURE film, wrapped in white paper, sits next to its turquoise box labeled "HARMAN PHOTO AZURE ISO 125 CREATIVE FILM" with branding and website details.

A roll of Harman Azure ISO 125 creative film stands next to its matching turquoise box, both labeled with "HARMAN SWITCH AZURE" and branded with Harman Photo logos and website.

Harman, based in Cheshire, U.K., notes that the scanner used on the film also affects the color: Fuji scanners appear to make the colors more intense, while Noritsu makes the blues more faded. It’s developed via the standard C-41 color negative film process.

Two photos of a cloudy sunset sky, labeled “Above Fuji Scan” and “Below Noritsu Scan,” showing the same scene with different color tones; the top is cooler and bluer, the bottom is warmer and more orange. — Calvin Carey

“By ‘switching’ two of the three color couplers around, this creates a differing contrast response to the individual channels which can render blues as orange, yellows as a vibrant azure and reds as hues of purple/blue,” says Giles Branthwaite, Harman Sales and Marketing Director.

Harman Switch Azure is available today. Visit the company’s website for more information.

PetaPixel’s Tests

I took the 35mm film with me to shoot a soccer game. It perhaps wasn’t my best idea, but where I stumble others can learn. Here’s what stood out:

The Color Switch is Dramatic

I hadn’t fully grasped just what the switch would do to my photos. As Harman notes, it really does turn skin colors blue, kind of like The Smurfs. Even a dog turned slightly blue in one of my photos. So if you are thinking of shooting portraits with this film, bear this in mind.

A man in a winter hat smiles while holding a small dog dressed in a coat. They are outdoors, with a blurred stadium crowd in the background. The image has a warm, vintage tone. — Skin turns blue and blues turn orange.

A person with curly hair wears a crown made of green grapes and holds two bright blue, spiky decorative spheres near their face. They have bold teal eyeshadow and a neutral expression. — Photographer Miles Marie captured this interesting portrait on Azure Switch, but I think the hue was likely edited in Photoshop, which brings me to my next point.

You Can Play With the Film in Post

Since the colors this film captures are so avant-garde, you can spin the hue wheel in Photoshop. The soccer team I went to shoot is nicknamed Blues, so I was hoping for a blue tinge. I ran them through Photoshop to make them more blue, but there were unintended consequences: like the field that was green in the initial captures became a kind of purple. Green, by the way, stays largely untouched during normal capture.

Football players in blue jerseys walk across a red-tinted field in a stadium filled with spectators. Some staff members are present, and a scoreboard is visible in the background. The atmosphere appears energetic. — I got the jersey back to blue in Photoshop but it turned the field a kind of purple.

This Film is Perfect for Someone

While my decision to bring Harman Switch Azure to a soccer game was, in hindsight, not my best idea, I can see this far-out film working at a music festival or in unorthodox landscape photography. In the examples provided by Harman, photographer Vitor Lopes Leite captured a striking architectural shot with a burning hot sky and green foreground.

A modern building with a curved, reflective roof stands over a shallow pool under an intense orange sky, creating a surreal atmosphere. The structure features geometric lines and a minimalist design. — Vitor Lopes Leite

A street sign reading "CRICHTON STREET" stands in front of a blue brick building, with a tall modern apartment building and an orange-tinted sky in the background. — Jan Gotweiss

The Film Performed Well, Even on a Gloomy Day

Harman advised me not to push the film, as the company says Azure performs best at box speed. I was a little worried, but I needn’t have been as even when I was shooting in the rain I managed to get a decent enough exposure.

A bearded man wearing a cap stands outdoors with a red and white scarf draped over his head and shoulders. The image has a warm, vintage filter and blurred background with indistinct people and trees. — The rain was pouring when I took this. I believe the red marks are raindrops.

The rain appeared to show up on the film as little red marks, which makes sense given that the blue becomes orange/red. But I wouldn’t advise shooting in the rain with this film, better to shoot it on a bright, sunny day.