Julia Massari smoothed her hair and grinned Monday as she sat on the floor, lined up with the rest of her fourth-grade class at Benjamin Franklin Elementary School in Bethel Park.

Julia's teacher, Diane Polis, walked by with a bag of blue combs and handed one to each child.

"Combs are one thing we don't share," Ms. Polis reminded her students.

"I practiced my smile for my mom last night," said Julia, 9, while she and her classmates waited to take their turns before professional photographers during her school's annual picture day.

School portrait season is in full swing, with students around the region taking time out of classrooms to "Say cheese." Today's school picture day has evolved into a high-tech experience in which students and parents are offered an array of options and specialty products.

Some schools have added spring portrait sessions in which students are permitted to bring in props for their photograph.

And most elementary schools now offer students an annual yearbook, something formerly reserved for high schools. Rather than trade wallet-sized photos of each other, students now sign photos in yearbooks passed out during the last days of school.

"Picture day is a kid-friendly experience now," said Ben Franklin Principal Shirley Dickinson.

"Back in the day, you got pictures with your eyes closed or chocolate milk stains on your shirt. We have parent volunteers [who] come in to help comb hair and see to all of those things nowadays."

Digital technology also ensures a better picture. Photographers can check a pose on a small display after each shot, allowing for adjustments.

When Susan Falce began teaching, she said some students were fearful of the results of picture day.

"Now, it's really not a big deal,'' said Ms. Falce, who teaches kindergarten at South Park Elementary Center. "They ask to see [their photos] on the digital screen. With the technology, [photographers will] even take a second picture if it doesn't turn out."

Parents also can purchase options such as soft-focus, retouching and multiple color backgrounds, which improve chances of a good outcome. More than 70 different package options, ranging in price from $8 to $44, were offered to the students photographed Monday at Ben Franklin.

"It's amazing. It's as if you've brought the portrait studio into the school," Dr. Dickinson said.

That kind of convenience is the reason the school picture business continues to succeed, said Bill Ripcho, president of Ripcho Studios Inc., a Cleveland-based school portrait company that's been in business for 66 years. The company provides portraits of students in the Mt. Lebanon School District and many others across Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Mr. Ripcho said technology allows him to offer new products, as well as online payment options and quicker turnaround time. Portrait jobs that once required four to six weeks now can be wrapped up in four days, he said.

"This is a McDonald's drive-through society,'' he said.

The struggling economy is prompting parents to spend less, he said, but his company's growth "is through the roof" as he continues to add schools to his client roster.

New products bearing student photos, such as personalized wipe boards, mugs, key chains and locker magnets, are commonplace on order forms these days, Mr. Ripcho said. Other offerings include personalized pages that can inserted into yearbooks and mailed directly home.

Schools typically receive varying commission rates from studios for portrait sales each year.

St. Joseph Regional School in McKeesport offers fall and spring portraits to its students. School secretary Diane Lundberg said students are allowed to bring in props, such as softball mitts or favorite stuffed animals, for spring portrait day.

"They can even dress in their dance outfit if they want," Ms. Lundberg said.

Students at St. Joseph, a Catholic school, usually wear uniforms each day. On picture day, they're allowed to "dress up" in clothing they choose, Ms. Lundberg said.

Schools also are moving away from traditional class photos in which students line up on risers or platforms with their teachers. Now, most schools provide a composite picture that digitally combines individual student photos on one page.

Mt. Lebanon remains one of the few local districts to still provide a traditional class picture. Many studios no longer offer it, Mr. Ripcho said, because it requires more experienced photographers and extra time to compose.

Kate Schaefer, 10, a fourth-grader at Howe Elementary in Mt. Lebanon, recalled the extra time needed to complete her class picture last year because of "bunny ear" pranksters.

This year, Kate said, she and her sister Jane, 7, a second-grader, wore dresses they selected for Howe's picture day. Their father, John Schaefer, helped with morning preparations on picture day last week.

"I was feeling lots of pressure with the hair. It was the first time I ever heard of a flat iron," Mr. Schaefer said, describing the device used to straighten and smooth wavy locks. "I figured it out, though, and I didn't burn myself or their hair."

Like the Schaefer sisters, most children get excited about picture day, said Michele Hughes, a fourth-grade teacher at Howe. Most boys, however, opt to wear sports jerseys instead of the suits and ties they sported in past years.

"The girls wear lots of glittery, shiny stuff," she said. "[But] the shoes are neatly shined, the hair is combed and there's a certain buzz to the day."

Mrs. Falce agreed, saying that picture day remains a strong tradition because "Your friends when you're young are such a big part of who you are and who you become."