CMYK batch processing, hints and tricks, plz

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tam

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I've just started work in a photolab. I've already quit my other jobs, as this is a step to better understanding the photography field. Taking Photos is one thing, but you also need to have great development.

Before printing photos, we manually process every one for colour correction.

I'm having a little difficulty with this, and am very slow. This is not good for me to keep my job there. I need my job, and I am enjoying it, just this one aspect is hard.

We batch 6 photos at a time, using a CMYK format. Every where I look, gives me %'s to use (like here:
http://www.smugmug.com/help/skin-tone), but our system doesn't use %'s.

We either add or delete CMYK. Darkening or lighting these colours. I know that there are some combinations like adding 3 Cyans, leaving Magenta untouched and taking out 3 yellows, while darkening by 1 can enhance a caucasian babies skin tone, in a washed out picture.

Does anyone have hints like this for me? I need to get a handle on this quickly.

I know how to scan, I know how to use Adobe for re-sizing and even for restoration work. I'm not having difficulties loading negs to be processed. They're satisfied with all that.

Again, their only concern is this processing. When we sometimes get a single Kiosk or e-mail order for 900 photos and have several others and 2 films, and all needing to be processed and developed within 2 hours or less... speed is vital.

In the meantime, I'll be practising on Adobe.

Thanks
 
Tam

It's strange for a photo lab to use CMYK as this is a Litho printing format rather than a photographic one. I suspect what you have are Density, Cyan, Magenta ,Yellow. You may be confusing the density with the K .

Can you tell me what machine you are working on. This may help
 
It's almost exactly what I used to do when I worked in a pro lab. It was done on a picture by picture basis. We used CMY(RGB) and you only add or take away two (if you add all three you're just increasing neutral density).

It just takes time and practise to pick this up but what can help to start with is to do a 'ring around' (this should be done with each new batch of stock anyway). So you take a 'standard' correct (calibration) image and you do a series of prints with +1 red, +2 red, +3 red, then with +1 cyan, +2 cyan, etc and repeat this with the other 4 colours. So you end up with a whole series of prints all with various increments of colour. Stick these up on a wall and when it comes to colour correcting your print you can refer to it to see what is needed.

More info on ring arounds here: http://www.ephotozine.com/article/Making-a-colour-darkroom-ringaround-chart
 
Thank you both... the machine is a computer. I haven't the faintest idea what the programme is, and I've tried very hard to find out. I've tried to find out simply the name, or even who made it, hoping there'd be some sort of on-line tutorial that would help me. I've even tried to look at the programme when no one was in the lab for 2 minutes... and still couldn't find any clues, other than a drawn lady in the left corner. When I've asked... I was told that the name didn't matter, and only this company uses it, so I wouldn't find it for private use anyways.

I know we use a fuji frontier to develop the photos, but it's connected to another pc in the lab (we use 3 in total), and the colour corrections done on that pc are more drastic in nature. You're probably correct in the CMY density thing vs, CMYK.

A "ring around" sounds great... but there isn't any available space where I could put it. the space is very crowded, all wall space is taken, and only 2 chairs, for 3 people, at times.

I did try printing 8 photos, 3 times... once untouched, once where I corrected, and once where another staff corrected. I see the differences, but some are so few as to not matter, and I still can't quite understand how she knows to add or subtract. I think I'm getting better though, but still terribly slow.

It looks like I'm going to get sacked by the weekend. I've only worked 7 shifts (including tomorrow's) in 3 weeks, and they think I should be much faster than I am, and have this down pat by now. They also expect me to know how to sort, price, scan (which I do fine) and re-size photos, change papers, crop with a stupid cutter whose handle falls off, and much more, all in less than 30 hours! In their system, which can be different from person to person...sigh.

Trouble is... I'm 40 not 17, I think. I'm not nearly as fast at picking this up as I once was. I'm already thinking of other ways to earn money, without going back to my old job... too many troubles there which is why I was looking for work, elsewhere.

I think this could be a great job... but they're unwilling to give me the time to learn it and I'm now very discouraged. There is a course to take, but I don't get to take the course until after I've been working for a minimum of 3 months! Personally, I believe you should take the course BEFORE actually working, but I must be wrong, as this works for them.

Thanks anyways... you've both been helpful. It hasn't taken away my pleasure from photography, or what I've learned about labs... just with this company.
 
I was afraid it would happen and it did... I was "let go" today. I worked less than 30 hours over 7 shifts in 2 weeks. I always thought training took a good month at least, if not 3. Well, now to get creative and create my own job.

Thanks anyways, it was greatly appreciated.
 
That sucks. The sort of colour correcting you were talking about takes a good while to master. Surely they should have given you proper training etc?

Anyway, maybe one good thing came out of it.... working at a pro lab for 10+ hours a day really kicked the love for photography I had out of me. After that I didn't pick up another camera or set up my home darkroom for years and years, I just wasn't interested. Sometimes a hobby should be kept as a hobby, doing it for a living can really change your attitude towards it.

Anyway, I wish you all the best in the future ... sounds like you're better off without that lot anyway :)
 
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