QUality control and Kodak Photo CDs

David Y Allen (mailto:DYALLEN@CCMAIL.SUNYSB.EDU)
Fri, 24 Mar 1995 09:14:11 -0500

Message-Id: <mailto:199503250508.XAA29027@library.wustl.edu>
Date:         Fri, 24 Mar 1995 09:14:11 -0500
From: David Y Allen <mailto:DYALLEN@CCMAIL.SUNYSB.EDU>
Subject:      QUality control and Kodak Photo CDs
To: Multiple recipients of list IMAGELIB

               State University of New York at Stony Brook
                       Stony Brook, NY 11794-3331

David Y Allen Library-Reference 516 632-7110 24-Mar-1995 09:12am EST FROM: DYALLEN TO: Remote Addressee ( mailto:_imagelib@listserv.arizona.edu )

Subject: QUality control and Kodak Photo CDs

The attached message is in response to my earlier posting on quality control problems with Kodak Photo CDs.

Received: from ccmail.sunysb.edu by ccmail.sunysb.edu (PMDF V4.3-7 #5424) id <mailto:01HOGVRPT2SYR8S0QC@ccmail.sunysb.edu>; Thu, 23 Mar 1995 08:18:44 EST Received: from doolittle.ycc.Kodak.COM (129.126.74.2) by ccmail.sunysb.edu (PMDF V4.3-7 #5424) id <mailto:01HOGVRMUD68R8S08N@ccmail.sunysb.edu>; Thu, 23 Mar 1995 08:18:41 EST Received: from godzilla.ycc.Kodak.COM by doolittle.ycc.Kodak.COM with SMTP id AA17566 (5.67b/IDA-1.5 for mailto:DYALLEN@CCMAIL.SUNYSB.EDU); Thu, 23 Mar 1995 08:16:52 -0500 Received: from [129.126.81.175] (osuch_mac.ycc.Kodak.COM) by godzilla.ycc.Kodak.COM with SMTP id AA21474 (5.65c/IDA-1.5); Thu, 23 Mar 1995 08:18:58 -0500 Date: Thu, 23 Mar 1995 08:18:58 -0500 From: mailto:osuch@kodak.com (Bill O'Such) Subject: QUality control and Kodak Photo CDs X-Sender: mailto:osuch@godzilla.ycc.kodak.com Resent-to: mailto:DYALLEN@allin1.cc.sunysb.edu To: mailto:DYALLEN@ccmail.sunysb.edu Cc: mailto:paulgs@kodak.com, lund@pcd.kodak.com, KR25.LRJA00@KODAKO.KODAK.COM, mailto: mailto:osuch@kodak.com X-VMS-To: IN%"mailto:DYALLEN@ccmail.sunysb.edu" X-VMS-Cc: IN%"mailto:paulgs@kodak.com", IN%"lund@pcd.kodak.com", IN%"mailto:KR25.LRJA00@KODAKO.KODAK.COM", IN%"osuch@kodak.com" Content-type: text/plain; charset˙s-ascii"

Dave

I'm not a subscriber to this listserver, so could you post this response for me ?

Re: Quality control and Kodak Photo CDs

As with optical printers, mass market transfers to Photo CDs will suffer the same price/value tradeoff. In most cases you pay for what you get. The labs charging more money per transfer are generally doing a better job though there are some exceptions. Unfortunately, I can't advocate one lab over another. You may want to post to mailto:photo-cd@info.kodak.com or within Compuserve (GO KODAK). Several labs lurk there and will probably respond directly to you.

We're in the midst of a training effort for all US labs to give them the knowledge and verify the setup of their equipment. However, it will be up to the labs to follow through on this effort. It is very difficult, both legally and economically, for Kodak to "police" the industry.

For reversal film scans or properly exposed reversal films, the labs should be using the Universal E-6 film term for E-6 processed film and the Universal K-14 film term for K-14 processed with NO adjustments made unless the customer requests it. We've had many "added value" situations where the lab has done more harm than good. To verify if the right film term was used, use either the Kodak Acquire Module of the KCMS plug-in and hit the "Info" button. The product and gen code of the film term is given. For E-6 films, this should read 052/55 while for K-14 films it should display 116/22. For reversal films with widely varying exposure errors, there are associated "auto balance" terms that the lab should use.

Among the recommended procedures which help maintain good reversal film scans are: regular cleaning of the scanner lens and proper cleaning of the film.

Some quick items. If you're shooting negative film and place a 20% grey card in the scene, the aim C1 and C2 values should be 156 and 137 respectively. Make sure your scene does not have any wide variations in color, lightness, etc. that may fool the automatic algorithms. The best way is to minimize those variations is to move the camera close to the grey card and create a full frame exposure. Since the algorithms being run are statistical in nature, don't expect perfect values each time but they should be within a few code values. Also, at ftp.kodak.com, there is a list of the product and generation codes for the various film terms. Using the "info" tools mentioned earlier, you can verify that the right film term was used.

I'm aware of no broad trade surveys. There have been small ones done in various areas including the Rochester Institute of Technology. Unfortunately, I have no direct access to electronic versions of that information.

Hopefully, the upcoming training efforts improve all the lab's performance. If you obtain any other information, please email it to me.

Have a nice day !

Bill O'Such Eastman Kodak Company Internet: mailto:osuch@kodak.com; Compuserve: 72662,27