Film In A Digital Age

[mike goldberg]

🙄
Yikes!... What to do?

My first photo uploaded to RFF is a lovely sunset shot at a Tel Aviv beach on Fujicolor 100. I ordered prints, and they had to be done over several times, as the tones were not warm... like in the 9 x 13cm test print. ALL the good labs here in Israel, print from Digital Media, and the tones are cooler.

I was told, "It can't be helped; we live in a digital age."
Any ideas, friends?
Thanks & ciao,
Mike

 

[jlw]

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "all the good labs...print from digital media."

Do you mean they scan your Fujicolor negative and then make a print from that? If that's the case, they shouldn't have a problem. The whole point of the "profiling" and "calibrating" that's done to digital printing equipment is to make the output predictable: they should have a standard profile that produces a neutrally toned print from a Fuji 100 negative, and then should be able to use that as a starting point to adjust the output of your negative to produce results that match the warmth of your test print.

(It probably won't be an exact match, because of something called "curve crossover," which causes one tone to be pulled away from its target value as you bring a complementary tone closer to its target value. But they should still be able to get a good match to the general appearance of your sample print.)

People in the color-reproduction trade do this kind of adjustment all day, every day -- so if your lab isn't doing it, it's just because they don't want to bother, not because it can't be done.

 

[sf]

sounds like a load of junk. Sounds like those labs are staffed by people who don't wish to put forth the effort to please the customer. If they are "all the best labs", they have the ability to affect the color balance and curving in those prints. I could even do that on the old Noritsu I used to run at the local drugstore. The new million dollar machines can do that, and them some, and then some.

 

[mike goldberg]

Thanks so much, jlw...
1. I took the trouble to look at that gorgeous B & W shot of the ballet dancers in motion.
WOW! When a picture takes my breath away, it will stay in my personal "picture making db," having a beneficial influence on who I am photographically, and what I do next.
2. Your technical explanation, as to what happens in the commercial labs, when they transfer film data to digital media [usually CD] is very clear. "Aha!... now I understand."
3. Please look at my color shot of the Tel Aviv seashore sunset; I'm Mike Goldberg. The better labs will eventually get the tones the way I like in printing.
Thanks & Ciao
Mike 🙂

 

[Michael I.]

I am from Israel and heard that from some lazy minilab owners while others worked harder and produced fine prints.just look for another lab