As the digital camera replaces its film cousin, there are many predicting the demise of the humble darkroom. Similar claims could be made for other hands on technologies including lithography, etching, and the art of painting itself when photography first came along. In fact the unique characteristics of the way light affects silver nitrate and other useful processes mean that darkrooms are likely to survive within the studios of the artistic photographer and other fine artists even if they disappear in the commercial world.