A method for manufacturing a thin film, a thin film manufacturing apparatus, a display substrate and a method for manufacturing a display substrate are provided. The method for manufacturing the thin film includes: providing a substrate with a pixel defining layer; forming an ink in a pixel region defined by the pixel defining layer; and drying the ink to form the thin film. The drying the ink includes generating a control electric field that enables a solute in the ink to move away from a boundary of the pixel region and move towards a center region of the pixel region under control of the control electric field.