Photoprocessing photographic elements comprising water soluble hydrophilic polymers

A method of photoprocessing a photographic element, which method comprises:

• (a) providing an imagewise exposed photographic element comprising a support, a silver-halide emulsion layer superposed on a side of said support, a processing-solution-permeable overcoat overlying the silver-halide emulsion layer, said overcoat having a laydown of at least 0.54 g/m2 and comprising a water-insoluble hydrophobic polymer and a water-soluble hydrophilic polymer, such that at least 50% of the hydrophilic polymer is removed from the layer during the photoprocessing operation, wherein the amount of hydrophilic polymer is greater than 0.1 g/m2;
• (b) developing the photographic element in a developer solution having a pH greater than 7 and containing a nonionic surfactant having an HLB of less than 12 and a solubility at 25° C. of greater than 200 ppm, which nonionic surfactant is in the developer solution at a level less than 1000 ppm, whereby the surfactant substantially prevents the water-soluble polymer from foaming during photoprocessing even after a build-up of soluble hydrophilic polymer from photoprocessing a plurality of photographic elements in the same developing solution;
• and
• (c) drying the photographic element.