Will “Photo Technician” be Replaced By Robots? 🤔

99% Chance of Automation

“Photo Technician” will certainly be replaced by robots.

This job is ranked #694 out of #702. A higher ranking (i.e., a lower number) means the job is less likely to be replaced.

Care to share? Click for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or XING. 👍

Job Description

Perform work involved in developing and processing photographic images from film or digital media. May perform precision tasks such as editing photographic negatives and prints.

Job Details

The SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) code is 51-9151.00
The Mean Annual Wage in the U.S. is $ 31,740.00
The Mean Hourly Wage is $ 15.00
Currently, there are 26,430 people on this job

☝️ Information based on the reference occupation “Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operators”.

Also Known As…

Tasks for “Photo Technician”

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

Related Technology & Tools

Manual photo printers
Artists' brushes
Mechanical air dryers
Drum scanners
Color testing equipment
MultiMediaCard storage devices
Water recirculation pumps
Silver recovery systems
Darkroom thermometers
Measuring cylinders
Leader cards
Photo retouching air brushes
Solid ink printers
Rotary drum processors
Developing spirals
Minilab processors
Darkroom timers
Photo printers
Drying cabinets
Photographic developing tanks
Digital cameras
Secure digital (SD) cards
Film winders
Tape splicers
Digital minilabs
Flatbed scanners
Photographic print enlargers
Mounting presses
Infrared scanners
Ultrasonic cleaners
Chemical stirrers
Film pickers
Film plates
Roller transport film processors
Power mixers
Thermal dye sublimation printers
Water flow meters
Automatic photo printers
Paper cutters
Ultrasonic film splicers
Sensitometers
Darkroom hydrometers
Film developing trays
Barcode scanners
Hand mixers
Photo drying squeegees
Personal computers
Laser photo printers
Film processing tongs
Cement splicers
Photo scissors
Film refrigerators
Contrast filters
Infrared goggles
Universal serial bus USB flash drives
Darkroom beakers
Darkroom densitometers
Daylight splicers

Microsoft PowerPoint
HeliconSoft Helicon Focus
Adobe Systems Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Systems Adobe InDesign
Phase One Capture One
Camera Bits Photo Mechanic
Microsoft Word
MongoDB
MySQL
Microsoft Office
ExpressDigital Labtricity
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Publisher
Microsoft Access