Learn how to use histograms! This video covers setup for Nikon and Canon cameras, what histograms are, how they are generated, how to use them to check exposure, and tips for avoiding exposure clipping.
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32 responses to “Histograms In Photography”
Very few explanations ever discuss the vertical axis e.g. why do you see clipping in this axis at all, and does this demonstrate a problem? Otherwise a great video.
Great video. I also enjoy your 'style' in the delivery of the subject matter. Very informative and relaxed viewing.
In all honesty though, why shoot jpeg in this day and age, especially if image settings absent in camera's processor are a major part of your editing style?
How am I just finding out about you now?!?! Your video's and teaching style is by far the best I've watched/followed on Youtube. But, not only that your photography is simply amazing and I feel much better following the advice from someone who not only can talk the talk but can walk the walk. I will be buying your ebooks, but I sure do wish you had them in print as I'm a very tactile person and love books lol….I'm just curious, do you do workshops?
A few corrections / considerations to think about….
The luminosity histogram displays levels of lightness, not brightness, within the image.
Luminosity and luminance are not the same. Luminance is a measured value, (Candela / m^2) and luminosity is a scalar value which can't be measured by a "device" or tied to a real world physical value.
Back to brightness vs luminosity…
Example: Pure red hue and pure blue hue both are 100% brightness and 100% saturation yet have different luminosity values since our eyes perceive their brightness to be different.
Due to the evolutionary makeup of our eyes we perceive pure blue hue to be darker than pure red hue although they have the same brightness values.
Luminosity ( lightness ) is our eyes perception of a specific color or tonal value when compared to pure white & lit by the same light source.
By comparing all values to pure white we can scale the range of light within a photo and rate it in tonal values, from black to white.
The camera takes the RAW file which is usually 12 or 14 bit ( in current tech ) and displays it as an 8-bit jpeg on the back of the screen, thus producing an 8-bit histogram to match.
2^8 provides the 256 "bins" or tonal values within the 8 bit histogram. Binary base of two raised to the 8th power for an 8-bit jpeg.
Since all of the color and light values are condensed from 14 bit per say, into 8 bit, the histogram gives an approximation of the data that's actually contained in the RAW file.
Headroom is part of the pixel well capacity in the raw file but the blown out highlights shown on an 8-bit histogram don't always correlate to a "fully saturated" white pixel in the raw file.
Often times the 8-bit histogram shows highlights to be "blown out" prior to the pixel exceeding the headroom capacity in the RAW file. This is great because it's a nice failsafe.
This is dependent of the tech driving the camera sensor.
I thought the teaching methods in the video were really good, but science wise some info was misleading, at least in my opinion:)
I'd love to hear what you think? It's nice to see people teaching the technical side of photography:)
Cheers!
Dave
This is actually one of the best explanations of histograms I've come across in a long time. Next time I need to explain histograms to someone I'll be pointing them here rather than mumbling my own explanation.
As for using a flat/neutral picture profile, absolutely, don't worry about seeing a pretty jpeg rendition on the back of your cameras lcd, what you need is to know you got the correct exposure, so the more neutral that jpeg rendition the better and more accurate you will be. First thing I do with any camera body is set the profile to the most neutral I can so I don't get misled by the piddly rear lcd, ambient light, backlight level, or profile rendition.
PS – I have that green shirt too, purchased in UK 10 years ago, and still love it :po
I have my Df setup to see the histogram on playback (and also my previous Nikon DSLRs) but honestly with my GH5 it's much easier because I see the image before I capture in the EVF and the histogram live at the bottom left of my EVF. 😉
a truly excellent tutorial well explained in comprehensive manner. people often miss the impacts of jpeg settings on the camera. the one question I have never found an answer to Is how Nikon's active D settings play into this equation. We
Thank you, Steve
Thanks for delivering us a comprehensive and useful video!
excellent vid as always!! bought your guides too, very helpful!!
Thanks, Steve! Great video! Very informative and understandable!
amazing video. thanks
ma god…you make everything so easy to understand.
Thanks for this vid!! I've been shooting for over a year without actually knowing how to read the histogram,lol. Granted, 95% percent of the shots still turn out okay but this is definitely a time saver from hours of post processing!! Keep the videos coming!
You know, today actually I clearly learned about the histogram for the first time. I've seen many useless videos until this.
Thank you very very much. Always love your videos and the channel.
I'm impressed. I always enjoy your videos but your graphics were particularly good this time. Good job!
Always learn something from your tutorials. Thank you.
your D5 doing great in wild life shooting Steve .. and by the way, beautiful video as usual… but frankly i don't count on histogram always, or i'd rather to say i use it in very rare conditions(still shooting ).
Great job Steve! Thanks
Jim
Hey Steve! I have a question. Would you chose the a6000 with 16 55 or the Canon 7d with 35.f1.8. Why would you chose one over the other? Thanks!
Image quality
Focus speed
Thanks for an interesting and comprehensive video Steve. Best I've seen yet on Histograms. I'll be signing up for the Nikon Autofocus ebook once I can afford a camera with more than 3 autofocus points (using a D40)
Beautifully explained. Thank you.
Enjoyed the tutorial, always good to remind yourself of the basics.
Cheers
Thanks for your great videos Steve, I have learned a lot from you through the years. Big thumbs up…
Great video I know I need to use the histogram more and your explanation helped a lot, thanks Steve.
Steve greatest tutorial on histogram right here. Nailed it as usual. I was teaching my son on understanding histograms and you bro made my life a whole lot easier THANK YOU. Oh and BTW send a link of this video to Ken I think he needs to be reminded how the hell the histogram works….. LOL
Excellent info. Thank you.
I also like to use the blinkies as they will give me a quick indication.
Thank you so much for a very well-done video – I've seen lots and lots of writing/videos on this topic and never had anyone be able to explain WHY we can see clipping evidence on the LCD and yet still be able to recover details in RAW. That in itself was worth the price of admission. BTW: I've been plowing through your Nikon focus eBook – so much [good stuff] to read and try to understand – I cannot even imagine how long it took you to write it! Regards, Alan
Steve, your tutorials are the best on youtube. Others may say the same things, but they don't know how to speak/write well. Your structure is the best, along with a guy named "Maven".
Two additional tips for new Nikon users:
a) the "neutral" is better than the "flat", although in the D810 it doesn't matter (color profiles in the D810 do not affect the actual RAW file at all, even if it looks different on the computer).
b) Capture One or even the Nikon software is incredibly better (I don't say that lightly) for the colors in simple "RAW file conversion to jpg" than LightRoom. Especially on the skin tones.
Thank you very much, good education, Mr. Perry!