To maintain the composition of a processing liquid a so that stable processing performance can be exhibited by starting the replenishment of the processing liquid with a delay equivalent to the transportation feed time of the photographic sensitive material consumed in the way from a prescribed position of a first processing tank to a prescribed position of the corresponding processing tank.

Even the area of the film F to be processed attains a set value for replenishment and the replenishment to the development processing tank N1 is started, the replenishment of the processing liquid to a bleach processing tank N2, the fixing processing tank N3-2 and a stabilization processing tank 4-3 is not yet carried out. Namely, when the replenishment to the development processing tank N1 is started, the replenishment of the processing liquid to the bleach processing tank N2 is started at a beginning point 40 or at the point of the time the portion of the film F arriving at the liquid level on the inlet side of the development processing tank N1 arrives at the liquid level 41 on the inlet side of the bleach processing tank N2. The replenishment of the prescribed amount of the corresponding to processing liquid is started at the point of the time the portion of the film F arrives at the liquid levels 42 and 43 on the inlet side of the fixing processing tank N3-2 or the stabilization processing tank N403.