The shape and the distribution of the histogram before and after shooting tells you whether the exposure level and contrast are correct or not, and lets you decide if you need to use EV compensation and take a picture again.

1Adjusting the Exposure (p.104)

Understanding Brightness

When the brightness is correct and there are no overly light or dark areas, the graph peaks in the middle. If the image is too dark, the peak is on the left side, and if it is too bright, the peak is on the right side.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dark image

 

Image with few bright

 

Bright image

 

 

 

or dark areas

 

 

When the image is too dark, the part to the left is cut off (dark portions with no detail) and when the image is too bright, the part to the right is cut off (bright portions with no detail).

Bright portions blink red on the monitor and dark portions blink yellow when [Bright/Dark area] is On.

1Playing Back Images (p.72)

1Setting the Display for Instant Review (p.222)

Understanding Color Balance

Distribution of color intensity is displayed for each color in the RGB histogram. The right side of the graphs look similar for images that have White Balance adjusted well. If only one color is lopsided to the left, that color is too intense.

1Setting the White Balance (p.159)

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1

Using Before

Camera Your