difference is negative or if it is less than a predetermined positive value exposure control 10 determines that the negative does not contain a backlit scene and proceeds with further classification and identification procedures if the negative is classified as containing a backlit scene the amount of negative density correction is dependent upon the value of the backlit difference as will be described in further detail later the present invention provides a user controlled sensitivity control through keyboard 20 and display 22 which controls the threshhold at which exposure control 10 identifies a negative as containing a backlit scene and controls the values of backlit difference required to provide various minus density corrections fifth exposure control 10 uses signals from sensor array 18 to determine whether the negative contains a vertically oriented scene which otherwise could be improperly identified as a subject density failure if exposure control 10 classifies the negative as a vertically oriented scene the negative is printed as a normal negative using integration to gray fig2 b illustrates one of the two tests which are used by exposure control 10 in identifying vertically oriented scenes as shown in fig2 b exposure control 10 uses the left column of sensor signals designated x 1 x 2 and x 3 and the right column of sensor readings designated y 1 y 2 and y 3 exposure control 10 derives a side to side difference value based upon the following relationship in addition to the side to side difference exposure control 10 also uses the number of 34 snra points 34 which is a value previously derived by exposure control 10 during the process of determining whether the negative contained a snow beach scene the number of snra points is the number of density readings from.