This invention relates to a poly(ethylene terephthalate)-based photographic film base having improved properties with regard to cutting, perforating, and other finishing or phototofinishing operations. The film base comprises a material in which a specified amount of monomeric units derived from 1,4-cyclohexane dimethanol (CHDM), such that the film base has a specified cutting-related property. The level of CHDM in the PET-based polyester material can be adjusted either by physical blending of polyesters containing CHDM monomeric units or by synthetic incorporation of CHDM monomer units into a PET-based polyester backbone.