Video: Why the histogram is your digicam’s secret weapon

While the rear LCD is an addition we could not dwell with out in trendy cameras, it does have some weaknesses – the foremost one being you may’t depend on it for an correct illustration of your picture’s publicity.

In this sensible video, Jason Row Photography breaks down why the histogram is extra dependable than your digicam’s LCD, and explains how the histogram maps tonal vary, from shadows on the left to highlights on the appropriate, so you may see precisely what is occurring in your picture.

This is particularly helpful in high-contrast scenes, the place the digicam’s metering may mislead you and also you threat dropping essential element. 

Row additionally reveals how one can allow the histogram in your digicam and which kind to decide on. Most cameras provide a luma histogram, which measures brightness, and an RGB histogram, which reveals separate color channels. For on a regular basis taking pictures, the luma histogram is normally sufficient, however RGB helps handle and cease clipping in sturdy colors.

He compares the histogram to a bucket of sunshine. If tones spill over the appropriate edge, highlights are misplaced. If they spill over the left, shadow noise will increase. This is one cause why studying the histogram protects your recordsdata higher than any LCD preview.

Row additionally appears to be like at JPEGs and RAW recordsdata to get a way of how a lot data they maintain. Watch the video above for extra.