How to become a Photographic Process Worker or Processing Machine Operator

Official title: Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operators

Also called: Digital Printer Operator, Film Processor, Film Technician, Lab Technician, Photo Lab Specialist, Photo Lab Technician (Photographic Laboratory Technician), Photo Printer, Photo Specialist, Photo Technician

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.

Main tasks

• Select digital images for printing, specify number of images to be printed, and direct to printer, using computer software.
• Create prints according to customer specifications and laboratory protocols.
• Produce color or black-and-white photographs, negatives, or slides, applying standard photographic reproduction techniques and procedures.
• Set or adjust machine controls, according to specifications, type of operation, or material requirements.
• Review computer-processed digital images for quality.
• Operate scanners or related computer equipment to digitize negatives, photographic prints, or other images.
• Fill tanks of processing machines with solutions such as developer, dyes, stop-baths, fixers, bleaches, or washes.
• Measure and mix chemicals to prepare solutions for processing, according to formulas.

How to become one

Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent

Ways in

• Apprenticeship: Colorist, Photography.
• Apprenticeship: Projection Printer.
• Apprenticeship: Reproduction Technician.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $40,610 a year The middle half earn $35,170 to $50,150.
• About 5,300 people work in this job now, and about 5,000 are projected by 2035. (-5.6%)
• People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Related jobs

• Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders
• Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
• Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
• Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand
• Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
• Cutters and Trimmers, Hand

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Photographic Process Worker or Processing Machine Operator?

Ways in include: Colorist, Photography.

How much does a Photographic Process Worker or Processing Machine Operator earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $40,610 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $35,170 to $50,150.

Is a Photographic Process Worker or Processing Machine Operator a growing career in the US?

Employment is projected to fall 6% by 2035, from about 5,300 to about 5,000 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Photographic Process Worker or Processing Machine Operator?

Usually. 68% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a Photographic Process Worker or Processing Machine Operator?

People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Sources

• Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.