Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operators
Tasks
Core Tasks Include:
- Create prints according to customer specifications and laboratory protocols.
- Examine developed prints for defects, such as broken lines, spots, or blurs.
- Fill tanks of processing machines with solutions such as developer, dyes, stop-baths, fixers, bleaches, or washes.
- Insert processed negatives and prints into envelopes for delivery to customers.
- Load circuit boards, racks or rolls of film, negatives, or printing paper into processing or printing machines.
- Load digital images onto computers directly from cameras or from storage devices, such as flash memory cards or universal serial bus (USB) devices.
- Maintain records, such as quantities or types of processing completed, materials used, or customer charges.
- Measure and mix chemicals to prepare solutions for processing, according to formulas.
- Monitor equipment operation to detect malfunctions.
- Operate scanners or related computer equipment to digitize negatives, photographic prints, or other images.
- Operate special equipment to perform tasks such as transferring film to videotape or producing photographic enlargements.
- Produce color or black-and-white photographs, negatives, or slides, applying standard photographic reproduction techniques and procedures.
- Read work orders to determine required processes, techniques, materials, or equipment.
- Reprint originals for enlargement or in sections to be pieced together.
- Review computer-processed digital images for quality.
- Select digital images for printing, specify number of images to be printed, and direct to printer, using computer software.
- Set or adjust machine controls, according to specifications, type of operation, or material requirements.
- Clean or maintain photoprocessing or darkroom equipment, using ultrasonic equipment or cleaning and rinsing solutions.
Supplemental Tasks Include:
- Immerse film, negatives, paper, or prints in developing solutions, fixing solutions, and water to complete photographic development processes.
- Operate machines to prepare circuit boards and to expose, develop, etch, fix, wash, dry, or print film or plates.
- Place sensitized paper in frames of projection printers, photostats, or other reproduction machines.
- Retouch photographic negatives or original prints to correct defects.
- Set automatic timers, lens openings, and printer carriages to specified focus and exposure times and start exposure to duplicate originals, photographs, or negatives.
- Apply paint, using airbrushes, pens, artists' brushes, cotton swabs, or gloved fingers to retouch or enhance negatives or photographs.
- Dry prints or negatives using sponges, squeegees, mechanical air dryers, or drying cabinets.
- Examine drawings, negatives, or photographic prints to determine coloring, shading, accenting, or other changes required for retouching or restoration.
- Examine quality of film fades or dissolves for potential color corrections, using color analyzers.
- Produce timed prints with separate densities or color settings for each scene of a production.
- Shade negatives or photographs with pencils to smooth facial contours, soften highlights, or conceal blemishes, stray hairs, or wrinkles.
- Splice broken or separated film and mount film on reels.
- Thread filmstrips through densitometers or sensitometers and expose film to light to determine density of film, necessary color corrections, or light sensitivity.
- Upload digital images onto Web sites for customers.
The data sources for the information displayed here include: O*NET™. (Using onet28)
