Method of producing photographic prints

Abstract

A methodology for handling photographic film in which a video image of each frame of film is acquired on a diskette as the frames are originally being processed in the photographic laboratory, the diskette is transmitted to the photographer's studio, along with the proof prints, for viewing by the photographer / subject, the photographer / subject makes further desired corrections or adjustments of each frame by viewing the video image of each frame on a computer monitor, the farther corrections or adjustments are recorded on the diskette for each frame, and the revised diskette is returned to the photographic laboratory where it is used in conjunction with the film to produce final photographic prints. The final photographic prints thus graphically and objectively reflect the precise desires of the photographer / subject.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to methodology for handling photographic film and more particularly to a methodology for producing final photographic prints from exposed photographic film.In a common photographic process, encountered for example in scenarios involving portrait, wedding, and commercial photographic assignments, a series of photographs are taken in a photographic studio, the exposed film is sent to a photographic laboratory, the film is developed in the laboratory, the film is put through an editing and analyzing process to perform corrections with respect to each frame of the film, a proof of each flame is made at the photographic laboratory utilizing the corrections developed during the editing and analyzing process, proofs are sent back to the photographer's studio where the photographer, typically in conjunction with the subject or subjects, views the proofs, and the proofs and then sent back to the photographic laboratory with or without instruc...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

According to the invention, exposed film including at least one frame is provided; the exposed film is developed; a video image is acquired of the frame of developed film at a first work station and the video image is stored; the video image of the frame is displayed at a subsequent work station utilizing the stored video image; corrections are performed with respect to the frame utilizing the video image and the corrections are stored; and photographic prints are produced utilizing the stored corrections. This methodology, in a scenario where the first work station is a photographic laboratory and the subsequent work station is a photographic studio, provides a means of conveying desired corrections back to the photographic laboratory from the photographer's studio in a precise objective format so as to ensure that the final photographic prints produced at the photographic laboratory accurately reflect the corrections desired by the photographer / customer.

According to a further feature of the invention, the video image is stored on a storage device, the storage device is transported to the subsequent work station for use in displaying the video image at the subsequent work station, the corrections performed at the subsequent work station are stored on the storage device, and the storage device is transported to the first work station for use in producing prints. This arrangement allows a storage device; such as a diskette, to be transported between a photographer's laboratory and a photographer's studio to facilitate the making of corrections at the photographer's studio and to ensure that the corrections made at the photographer's studio are accurately conveyed to the photographic .laboratory for use in producing the final photographic prints.

According to a further feature of the invention, the methodology includes the further step of providing a proof print of each frame at the first work station and transporting the proof print to the subsequent work station. This methodology, whereby a proof print of each frame may be transported from the photographer's laboratory to the photographer's studio allows the proof print to be utilized in conjunction with the video image of each frame to facilitate analysis of each frame at the photographer's studio to determine the desired further corrections for each frame.

Problems solved by technology

This interpretation of the corrections is necessarily a subjective process and as such is subject to considerable error in the sense that the photographer / customer's precise wishes are not carried out in the course of producing the final photographic prints.

Images