camera LCD histogram ? = cs3/lightroom

magicpic

for some reason my camera LCD histogram matches almost perfect to the histogram in lightroom and not cs3...I shoot in raw can anyone tell me what there experience is thanks janis

ziggy53

Janis,

Not to worry. The "histogram" is both a "relative" measurement and subject to interpretation, both literally and figuratively.

Many cameras use a luminance histogram, some use a green channel histogram and the most advanced cameras show the three color channels as separate histograms.

Additionally, the histogram can be generated with several different algorithms.

So what is a person to do?

Since it is at best a relative visual tool, no numbers to read, you need to learn what "your camera" displays as histogram information.

Review what your camera shows against what the software programs show and interpolate that information while viewing the actual image.

Review images with lots of color and then images with almost no color. Review images with lots of highlights and then images with lots of shadow tones.

It won't take long for you to learn the actual meaning of your camera's histogram and what it means in your shooting situation.

I use my histograms all the time, but they really mean something because I took the time to interpret the results for my cameras. ( Canon XT/350D, 1D MKII, Minolta A2.)

Here is a previous comparative sample:

http://dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=666259&postcount=9

magicpic

ziggy53 wrote:

Janis,

Not to worry. The "histogram" is both a "relative" measurement and subject to interpretation, both literally and figuratively.

Many cameras use a luminance histogram, some use a green channel histogram and the most advanced cameras show the three color channels as separate histograms.

Additionally, the histogram can be generated with several different algorithms.

So what is a person to do?

Since it is at best a relative visual tool, no numbers to read, you need to learn what "your camera" displays as histogram information.

Review what your camera shows against what the software programs show and interpolate that information while viewing the actual image.

Review images with lots of color and then images with almost no color. Review images with lots of highlights and then images with lots of shadow tones.

It won't take long for you to learn the actual meaning of your camera's histogram and what it means in your shooting situation.

I use my histograms all the time, but they really mean something because I took the time to interpret the results for my cameras. ( Canon XT/350D, 1D MKII, Minolta A2.)

Here is a previous comparative sample:

http://dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=666259&postcount=9

I looked at the information in raw file..not levels I have 30d canon that do not show the colors So if my photoshop has more highlights than my camers does that mean that I go wheel up on my camera..trying to understand janis

ziggy53

All you know so far is that Lightroom agrees better with your camera, so they probably use the same method and algorithm (or very similar). That does not mean that PhotoShop CS3 is wrong, just different in measurement and shape.

It's kind of like my gas gauge in my car. When it shows 1/2 full, or 1/2 empty (when I'm feeling down ), it is not really 1/2 full, as I have learned through years of ownership. What it means is something else and I learned what it meant and now interpret the results of the gas gauge intuitively.

In my case the gas remaining is less than indicated, so I know that when it shows 1/4 tank I need to be looking for a gas station because I'm down to 50 miles or so.

Since I can't see your histograms, I cannot reliably tell you what they mean, but if you follow my advice and my procedure you will discover for yourself what the histogram means for you and your situation, camera or software.

colourbox

magicpic wrote:

I looked at the information in raw file..not levels I have 30d canon that do not show the colors So if my photoshop has more highlights than my camers does that mean that I go wheel up on my camera..trying to understand janis

That depends on how you have set Camera Raw! In CS3, at the bottom of the Camera Raw dialog box there is blue underlined text. If you click it, you can set the color space. When you change the color space, you see different clipping levels in the histogram. For example, an image that is almost clipping in ProPhoto RGB will definitely be clipped in sRGB.

So first make sure Camera Raw is set for the color space you want to use for editing. Then run some tests to see the difference in clipping between your camera histogram and Camera Raw (and Lightroom). Then you will know how much headroom you really have in the camera histogram.

Glenn NK

magicpic wrote:

for some reason my camera LCD histogram matches almost perfect to the histogram in lightroom and not cs3...I shoot in raw can anyone tell me what there experience is thanks janis

Well, I envy you; I've adjusted my in camera contrast to -2 in an effort to compensate (recommended elsewhere), but I'm still struggling to avoid clipping high-lights in Lightroom.

Considering that the camera LCD is based on an in-camera JPEG, and you shoot RAW, I'd say you are fortunate. There was quite a long thread on POTN a week or so ago, and a general lament was the lack of consistency between the camera's histogram and that in CS3/Lightroom. I've found the same thing with Elements 6.0.

Now tell me what your settings are Janis.

Glenn NK

colourbox wrote:

That depends on how you have set Camera Raw! In CS3, at the bottom of the Camera Raw dialog box there is blue underlined text. If you click it, you can set the color space. When you change the color space, you see different clipping levels in the histogram. For example, an image that is almost clipping in ProPhoto RGB will definitely be clipped in sRGB.

So first make sure Camera Raw is set for the color space you want to use for editing. Then run some tests to see the difference in clipping between your camera histogram and Camera Raw (and Lightroom). Then you will know how much headroom you really have in the camera histogram.

Yes, yes, yes.

Menu / "blue" group / Histogram / Set button / select RGB.

The reason - examples: A closeup of a red flower may easily blow out the Red channel, with the Blue and Green channels well below being blown out, and a blue sky won't have much effect on the Red and Green channels.