Histograms

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Key points

1. A histogram is a graph showing brightness values – black on the left, white on the right, mid-tones in the centre.
2. Tall bars = more pixels at that brightness.
3. Graph pushed left = underexposure (lost shadow detail).
   Graph pushed right = overexposure (blown highlights).
4. Data lost at either edge cannot be recovered.
5. Aim to avoid clipping unless deliberately going for very dark or very bright styles.
6. Shooting RAW preserves maximum data for editing.

View the transcript on YouTube: Open video, then ••• → Show transcript

1. The video suggests aiming for a “mountain in the centre”, but this is misleading. The correct histogram shape depends on the scene — e.g. a night photo will naturally lean left, and a snowy scene will lean right. What matters is avoiding clipped blacks or whites (unless intentional).

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Text Nit-picking Feedback

Key points

1. Histograms show the distribution of tones from black (left) to white (right) and help check for clipping in shadows or highlights.
2. Zebras overlay striped patterns on areas of the image that exceed a chosen brightness level, helping you protect highlights.
3. On Sony cameras, setting zebras to 100+ gives a practical way to expose for highlights while keeping as much shadow detail as possible.
4. For high dynamic range scenes, bracketing exposures can preserve both highlight and shadow detail.

View the transcript on YouTube: Open video, then ••• → Show transcript

1. The video suggests aiming for the histogram “in the middle” for good exposure. This is misleading — correct exposure depends on the scene. For example, snow scenes will lean right, night scenes lean left. The key is to avoid clipping, not to centre the graph.

Please let us know if you have any feedback on this video, if you spot any issues that aren't already highlighted in the Nit-picking section, if you know of a video that could teach this section better, or if you think we need to produce our own version. If you particularly like it, please also leave a comment in the original YouTube video so the creator knows.

We'll be updating the current email option with an anonymous feedback form when time permits.

Extra Thoughts

1. A histogram is a graphical representation of the tonal range within an image, showing the distribution of pixels from the darkest shadows to the brightest highlights.
   • The left side of the histogram represents shadows (black point), the middle represents mid-tones, and the right side represents highlights (white point).
   • Tall bars indicate a greater number of pixels at that particular brightness level.
   • A histogram pushed to the left suggests underexposure and a loss of detail in the shadows. A histogram pushed to the right suggests overexposure and ‘blown out’ highlights.
   • Clipping occurs when data is lost at either end of the histogram, meaning details in the darkest shadows or brightest highlights are unrecoverable.
   • An image with low contrast would have a histogram with all its data concentrated towards the middle, lacking true blacks and whites. A high key image would have most data pushed to the right, and a low key image would have most data pushed to the left.
2. Learning to interpret histograms is essential for identifying tonal issues and ensuring images have an appropriate tonal range for the selected approach. Shooting in RAW format preserves maximum data, offering greater flexibility for correcting tonal issues in post-production.

Exercise

1. Get a histogram on your camera (or in editing software) and play around so you can see:
   1. When the bars start creeping up the left side - to show it’s underexposed and shadows are being crushed
   2. When the bars start creeping up the right side - to show it’s overexposed and highlights are being bleached out
   3. What well exposed dark, light and average images look like
2. Set up Zebras on your camera and determine how to use them to get good exposures without needing to always check the histogram
3. Write down your reflections on exposure tools and how you intend to use them going forward