How to read a histogram: photography cheat sheet

Your digital camera’s histogram serves as a guide to help you better underststand your exposure. To this end, it aims to illustrate the range of tones in a scene. On the left of your histogram you’ll find the extreme of dark shadows, while on the far right you will find your bright highlights. But it’s not always that simple to read a histogram (find out What your histogram says about your landscapes).

In the latest of our photography cheat sheet series we’ve compiled this handy guide for explaining how this exposure chart represents the range of tones withing your scene. Simply drag and drop this chart on to your desktop and keep it for a handy reference the next time you find yourself confused as to how to read a histogram.

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Posted on Wednesday, April 18th, 2012 at 7:00 am under Photography Tips.

Tags: histogram, photography cheat sheet