Anderson VMC DPH31G

UNDERSTANDING HISTOGRAMS

Histograms are a graphic representations (a picture) of the tonal value for each pixel in your photo.

The horizontal axis of the histogram corresponds to a gradient of increasing lightness from black to white (left to right)

The height of the histogram represents the number of pixels within a given lightness value.

WHAT ARE HISTOGRAMS?

Most images should show a distribution of tones across the full range of the histogram.

The locations of peaks and troughs (highs and lows) will vary depending on whether the image contains mostly light or dark tones.

READING HISTOGRAMS

The on-camera histogram is the most accurate gauge of your exposure.

Normal histograms will show peaks and troughs within the margins of the histograms. This data can be edited after exposure (Lightroom, Photoshop, iphoto).

Abnormal histograms have cliffs (no data/detail is detected) in highlights or shadows. This typically cannot be corrected in editing.

CAMERA VERSUS EDITING SUITE

When in doubt, slightly overexpose.

Expose to the right

This is because the camera’s sensor does not give equal weight to all tones. Digital sensors are heavily weighted to the brightest areas in your photo.

The sensor lumps all the shadows on top of one another making for a choppier greyscale.

COMPENSATING +/_ EXPOSURE KEY