We also see some clipping on the right end of the graph, indicating blown-out data in the highlights. Overexposed.Notice how much of the data in the above overexposed version is allocated to the right (highlight) portion of the histogram. These changes can be seen in real-time in the upper right-hand corner of Lightroom's Develop module. ExampleĪs you edit, specifically, as you make global exposure adjustments (exposure, highlights, shadows, etc.), you will notice your histogram changing. However, we do observe highlight clipping here. The above image seemed to present a nice moment, and received a "pass" in my image culling process. You can also use "highlight previews" found in your camera's playback menu, which will actively alert you (via blinking warning spots) to any highlight clipping while you're shooting. The bad news is that, as I mentioned earlier, you can't recover this data. The good news is that with editing software like Lightroom, you can easily turn clipping indicators on, alerting you to any loss of data within a tonal range. Sometimes, clipping is less obvious, showing up as a thin sliver on the very end of a graph. This indicates a loss of data on either end of the luminance spectrum. ClippingĬlipping on the histogram is seen as data touching the very end of either side of the X axis: the left (shadows) or right (highlights) end. Photographic art is not always accurately represented by technical data, and sometimes, technical rules are purposefully broken for dramatic effect. Actually, there’s nothing technically wrong with it. If you were to look at the above image's histogram on its own, you might think the image it represents is underexposed and lacking overall data. If you create a photo that's technically underexposed, the histogram might appear this way: To make this abstract description more palpable, let's begin with an example. The amount of any specific luminance value is represented by the Y axis (up and down). Naturally, the middle of the graph displays mid-tones. The left end of the histogram represents darker (shadow) data, and the right end represents the brighter (highlight) data. The luminance range of such data lies in its placement on the graph, left to right, or on its X axis. To put it in simple terms, a histogram is a visual representation of an image's luminance content, shown as graphical data. That definition couldn't be more obscure and technical-sounding (but that’s why we have photography teachers). In any case, let's first look at Webster's definition of a histogram: "a representation of a frequency distribution by means of rectangles whose widths represent class intervals and whose areas are proportional to the corresponding frequencies." Or you might already be familiar with the histogram, but would like to learn more. Perhaps this little graph has been haunting you for some time, popping up here and there in your camera or sitting quietly in the corner of your Lightroom workspace.
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