Abstract: The present invention concerns a method of making photographic prints on stock from negatives that differ in density range. The appropriateness of the exposure gradient of the stock for the particular negative is ensured by employing stock with a definite "contrast-Schwarzchild-effect" and by so varying the intensity of the light that the negative is exposed to during printing that the gradient is adapted to the characteristics of the particular negative as a function of the accordingly varied printing time.

Abstract: An exposure of a color film is scanned at a multiplicity of points in each of the primary colors. The color compositions of the points are evaluated to identify color compositions characteristic of skin tones, and a color space is created based on these color compositions. Scanned points whose color compositions lie in the color space undergo an examination to ascertain whether or not they actually represent skin. The examination is concerned primarily with the positions of such scanned points within the exposure and secondarily with density differences between the points and specified zones of the exposure, density differences between adjacent points, and the nature of any groups formed by the points, only those scanned points which actually represent skin are considered when calculating the amount of copy light for the exposure in each primary color.

Abstract: A method of automatically controlling exposure when printing from film which is exposed under controlled lighting conditions. The prevailing lighting conditions are determined by photographing a standard subject in the form of a gray-scale board with at least one field of gray and illuminated by the studio lighting. The gray scale is recognized as a standard subject during region-by-region analysis of the film's frames and the results obtained from the gray scale are employed as a film-specific standard in computing the levels of light to use for printing.