Abstract: Photographic materials, such as films and papers, include a support and coatings on the support. The coatings often contain hardeners which cause gelation cross links in the binder in the coating. The extent to which the cross-links have formed at the time of processing of the film or paper affects the appearance of the image produced by processing. Conventionally the cross-links have been allowed to form with time in normal atmospheric conditions. According to the invention, the formation of the cross links is accelerated to substantial completion by a process including incubating the material at a temperature above the glass transition temperature of the coating and below the melting point of the coating in an atmosphere having a relative humidity which causes a moisture content of the coating of 0.1 to 0.25 for a period of time sufficient to substantially complete the hardening, that is, the formation of the cross-links.