Idiots working at wal-mart photo...

[BadRotation]

I had to take some photos in to the god-forsaken store AGAIN (last time they wouldnt release my photos to me because they said they were copyrighted photos)

I had to get some photos done quick since my sisters boyfriends parents are going back home today (they live out of state) and the local photo shop was closed today.

SO I take some in, and here is an example of what happened.....

They printed the 4X6 EXACTLY like it was supposed to be, but went and cropped the crap out of the 8X10, which should be the exact same (4X6 and 8X10's are the exact same aspect ratio from what I understand)


They cut off the top of his head, and about 1.5" off the bottom of the pic as well...

This really irritates me...


Plus their skin looks reddish/pink compared to the originals.

 

[hobbes28]

If you have time...go to CVS and use their little electronic editor to crop your picture because a 4x6 isn't the same ratio as an 8x10...((4x6)x2=8x12). At least with you having control of the crop and color, you can decide which part of the picture to crop instead of letting someone in the wal-mart lab do it for you.

 

[BadRotation]

If you have time...go to CVS and use their little electronic editor to crop your picture because a 4x6 isn't the same ratio as an 8x10...((4x6)x2=8x12). At least with you having control of the crop and color, you can decide which part of the picture to crop instead of letting someone in the wal-mart lab do it for you.

Yeah, I just found out 8X10 is slightly different. But the local place usually prints them perfect every time.

Wal-mart totally butchers them though. Im never going there again.

 

[Corry]

Yeah...8X10 are going to do some cropping on a 4x6, and places like Walmart do not look at every single picture, so it is not likely they would catch something like that. And as for the pinkish skin...again, with places like Walmart, every machine is going to be different. Some stores might not maintain their machines like they should, or certain calibrations get a bit...off. You get what you pay for...if you want quality, don't take it to a place like Walmart. I work at Walgreens, and I don't even develop my prints there anymore, when I am really looking for quality. I take them to a local place that is quite a bit more expensive, but awesome quality.

 

[ksmattfish]

But the local place usually prints them perfect every time.

Well, the local place apparently knows what you want even when you ask for something else. The guy at Walmart provided you with what you asked for. Personally, I like that in a lab employee. I'm not a fan of the ones that second guess me.

I worked in a pro lab for 4 years. Don't be that customer that expects the lab people to read their mind. Know what you want, or ask questions. They would be glad to do it however you want, if they can.

EDIT:

Plus their skin looks reddish/pink compared to the originals

Did you provide them with a sample to match? I'm not sure if Walmart even offers color matching, but you will get different results from color neg film even from the same professional lab without a guide to match.

 

[tranceplant]

NEVER go to wal-mart for any reasons what so ever!

 

[BadRotation]

NEVER go to wal-mart for any reasons what so ever!

Trust me, I try not to, though this problem with cropping seems to be a bit of my fault (even though the lab tech. is supposed to crop the photos correctly before they are printed.

 

[ShutteredEye]

NEVER go to wal-mart for any reasons what so ever!

Preach on!

I HATE that place.

 

[BadRotation]

Preach on!

I HATE that place.

Me too, but like I said, his parents were leaving for the airport, and they werent gonna be around earlier when the local place opened.

 

[photong]

Yes they are mroe pink in the 8x10.

The ratio isn't the same....8x12 would be more equal. On an 8x10 you lose 2 inches on the longest side. I learnt this the hard way when making prints for my portfolio I have to try and leave a lot of space around my subject(s). Trying to remember NOT to crop in camera is a hard habbit to break. Some of my better pictures couldn't be made as 8x10 because of this. MAYBE 11x14 will be better? I haven't been able to experiment with this yet.

So anyone. The lab tech should have moved the crop up so his head doesn't get cut off. That is...if they have that technology/program to do it. I use one of those Kodak kiosk things. The store prints it with their machines though. The Kodak picture maker thing is just the machine you can load them into, crop, red eye removal, borders, etc.

Too many problems with walmart. If the place I go ever gives me a problem I would take it up their bums so far they'll give me everything for free

 

[darin3200]

I live in a smaller town and all we have for photos is a Wal-Mart. There used to be a small camera shop in town, but that closed before I became involved in photography.
However, the Wal-Mart here seems to be better than the ones described earlier. I brought in some negatives to be made into an 8x10 and when I went to pick up my prints they lady working there had me check the print before I left just to make sure I was okay with the cropping.
I must go there too often because yesterday I went to get some color film developed and the person said working said "Oh, no black and white today?"

 

[Contra|Brett|]

People just don't understand aspect ratios, Whenever doing enlargements in my lab, I always double check the cropping, and if there is any questionable cropping, and the choice is either chopping off part of a head, or cutting too much of the waist off, I always take the time to explain why, then I either suggest another size, or ask which print they like more (if this is the case, i make three prints, one with some head cropped out, one with more waist than i would like cropped out, and one thats a sort of comprimise between the two)

I don't beleive wal-mart color corrects either, which would explain your pink skin tones.

 

[ksmattfish]

There are no lab techs at Walmart and many other econo-labs. The machines are programmed to do the color, and if you tell it to make an 8"x10" from a 35mm neg or 2:3 ratio image file it crops 1" off each side of the length (looks like that's what happened here). The people who work there are trained in customer service, to maintain the machine, push the right buttons, check the chems, and take out the trash. They aren't getting any training in actual photography. They probably didn't even apply to work in the photo lab; they were placed there after applying to the whole company. It's cheap, no frills service. Don't expect anymore than that, you probably won't get it.

Of course there is always exceptions. I met the manager of the photo lab at a Walmart a few towns over, and he was a passionate amateur photographer, and took a lot of pride in the photos his lab turned out. He tried to hire other amateur photographers and photography students. The customers there were getting very nice service for a heck of a deal.

When you pay pro lab prices you aren't paying for the machines and chems, they are almost the same in many cases compared to econo-lab equipment, you are paying to have a human being look at your work, and make thoughtful decisions about how to make it look the best.

 

[mentos_007]

that's why I hate huge photo labs.... I do my prints in small ones where almost every photo is treated with enough care

 

[fadingaway1986]

There are the exception to the "lab workers who know nothing about photography"...

I know my boss maintains the machines to some of the highest standards. On our last "checkup" from kodak. We got a perfect score (300/300). I personally like photography and try to make the prints look best. However - in higher volume labs, it isn't so much that they don't care - it could just be that they are too busy - and people demand having their photos back so fast. At the prices develop & print are at in the higher labs - the stores can't afford to put on extra staff to accomodate, and therefore more pressure is but on the lab staff...

But if you have such a big problem - why don't you go back and ask if they could re-do it. You should take a proof with you and ask them to get it as close to the proof as they can. Be polite - they will be more likely to help you then!