Histogram

[rickp1]

Thanks guys for all the replies and info. At least now I feel like I have a small base to understanding the histogram. Now I'm going to start taking shots and building on that base.

R.

[Joey the girl]

Originally Posted by inkista

No.

It depends on the image. There's no such thing as an ideal histogram, any more than there is such a thing as an ideal image.

Remember what the histogram is doing. It's just showing you the data of the image. The histogram can indicate if you're blowing out highlights, or losing shadow detail. But having the hills be in the middle is not a good goal all the time for every image--this is why auto-exposure gets it wrong--by trying to set the average value to middle grey all the time. Think about it.

Try this article on Luminous Landscape. It makes it a little bit clearer. Then look at this tutorial on Levels and Curves, and realize that you can manipulate the histogram to your heart's content in post-processing. Basically, you're using the histogram to check the dynamic range of the scene you captured. All you really want to do is avoid having "shoulders" at the edges of the histogram (or start learning HDR when you can't avoid them). But that's about it. And if you want to overexpose or underexpose, then you do want the shoulders.

I know this is an older thread, but I just wanted to throw out my thanks for these tutorials. I thought I had a good grasp on the levels and curves tool, but this greatly expanded my understanding! I really appreciate those who share their knowledge with us who are still learning!