GENERATION OF HARD COPY COLOR PHOTO REPRODUCTIONS FROM DIGITALLY CREATED INTERNEGATIVE

摘要

A hybrid multiple color print reproduction scheme for a digital color image photo-finishing system employing a digitally driven high spatial resolution color printer converts a stored digital positive (e.g. RGB-representative) color image into a second digital color (e.g. CYM-representative) image. This second digital image effectively corresponds to a mirrorreversed complement of the positive color image and is digitally adjusted such that its tone and color characteristics optimize reproduction of the positive image via a conventional chemical development process. The complement color image is output to a digital printer (20) which prints an "internegative" image onto a transparency medium (22), rather than the customary print paper. This digitally produced "internegative" (22) is used to replicate multiple copies of the original image (16) using a conventional analog electro-optic system (21, 28) and an associated chemical-based print developing unit (30), thereby providing a substantial savings in reproduction time and costs.