In just about every live class I do, I’ll get asked why I don’t use the Histogram to edit with in Lightroom. It’s not that I don’t feel the information in the histogram is useful. Some (not all) of it is. But it’s more about the fact that the information that is useful is just in a more visible and usable place than in the histogram.
About Me
I love teaching and photography... In that order. I feel that enjoying photography, and photo editing can get WAY too complicated. So my personal mission (and favorite thing to do), is to create education that simplifies the process of taking great photos, and how to edit them to get the results you’ve always wanted.
THANK YOU. the histogram is NOT a photograph. it’s literally just a representation of 0-255 in a file. it is not the end all be all of a photo and should not be treated as such! no wonder there’s so much crap photography these days.
Attempted Lightroom A few years ago Didn’t understand how to set up catalog and collections. I have your course now and I want to set up but the pictures that are in there say the file cannot be found. I didn’t set up any folders. How can I find the location of these files?Should I get rid of this old catalog And start over?
Hi Deborah – If you have my course, the section on Importing will show you what to do if LR can’t find your photos. Or it may just be easier to start fresh if you don’t have a lot of work in there. Thanks!
Matt, do you use the histogram on the camera for correct settings?
Hi Bill. Did you watch the video. I talk about that about 60 seconds in 😉
You are missing a little bit of the point of the histogram and the levels adjustment in Photoshop. Those adjustments came in the earliest versions, and they were used by commercial printers (4 color press comes to mind) to make sure that color information wasn’t being sent to the printer — printing press – that the printer couldn’t print.
Photographers’ it might surprise you, are not the only that use Photoshop.
I didn’t miss it John. I actually said that it was an obsolete and redundant tool (for me personally). That said, it is a tool that is at least aimed at (some) photographers because all cameras and photo editing software have decided to include it as well.
Great advice, Matt!
I do go one more level down the pit of laziness, tho.
I use the auto white and black setting. I double shift-click on the white or black slider.
I find myself doing it first thing To normalize the image and last thing to tune it. Then I slide it to taste.
Hi Matt
1-How close to highlights saturation (blinkies) can we adjust the “whites”, when we are printing ?
2- Am I right to believe when we reach for highlights pure whites (blinkies), theses blinkies regions will have no inks on the paper, and we will only see the white paper on which we are printing ?
3- if question 2 is a “yes”, how close to have white blinkies, can we push the “whites “slider to avoid poor print life ?
regards
I’m with you. On some paper the whites or the blacks can look flat. I photograph hunting dogs in the field, so I use it, while continuously changing setting, due to the sun. A lot of times I don’t care if the whites are blown as the main thing is the dog and the flush. The histogram tells me fast where I am. If all you do is post online…ultimately I like to see a good print.
Another great video. Thanks so much Matt for sharing these tips, it makes a huge difference, and keeps us looking at your site 🙂
I rarely look at the histogram while editing my images. I only use it some on camera to verify how many brackets to shoot and what f-stop spread to set and only when needed to get a full dynamic range. While editing I rely completely on the image on screen as I make my adjustments. My impression of the image is the final product that I am trying to achieve, so the histogram has little if any meaning during the edit. The old what you see is what you get is my goal.
David; how are you equating the histogram B&W edges on your viewfinder to gauge the number of stops to increase / decrease exposure compensation for a better or more preferable dynamic range.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge, Matt. Your approach is new to me. Will try it.
Bill Brennan
Thanks, Matt. Another great vid. For years I’ve used the option+b&w adjustment as my go to, but I still kept the histogram open ’cause I thought I should. On a certain level I realized that it was giving me redundant info for what I was adjusting. Thanks for setting me free.
I never thought of trying option + the other tonal sliders. I don’t know why not. It seems obvious after watching your demo. Good tip. Thanks!
Nice explanation, I also do not use but use the slider instead as you do. I tend to leave the highlights & shadow indicator turned on.
Thanks for all you do. As always great information presented clearly and gives individual choices
I am like you on both the Histogram and Curves tool. I have been meeting with a group of very good photographers and the LR curves tool came up. They mentioned that editing using the curves (bringing up the darks for example) seems to add less noise than it does through the sliders (and the sliders do not move when you do it). On some of the images I edited since that meeting, I am inclined to agree. Your thoughts?
I also agree with the above post. You can go a step further and change the file to sixteen bits per channel and even get more subtle color/tonal changes with curves than you can with the sliders.
Hi Ron. That is incorrect. The tones and dynamic range of the photo is what it is. You most likely can’t get the heavy handed-ness of shadows adjustment with Curves which is what would cause it, but if noise is there it’s there.
I agree with the above post. And, I’ve closed it! Space saver!!
Great video, now I feel vindicated
I basically do what you do. I usually start by closing all the categories. I like a clean look. I’ve tried working with tone curve and have been successful. But I really don’t understand it.
if you are using luminosity masks and selection sets then the histogram is a good check to make sure you see what you are actually doing with the particular levels and channels. plus the rgb histogram will let you know if you are blowing out the color channels in any particular area as well, and if they could be increased or decrease in smaller increments for the image. that is why I generally use it as a reference point and self checker.
You can do even better than that by using monitor and printer/paper profiles and using the View option to soft proof you images. Without profiles and soft proofing you really don’t have and concrete reference points, and all the adjustments you are making are almost worthless at worst and just a little better if you have done some monitor adjustments if your intention is to produce prints.
One last thing I forgot above. When you make adjustments with soft proofing turned on, you must have Photoshop manage colors and not the printer.
Fully agree.
Thanks, Matt, for verifying why I have never dealt with using histograms much either. Your answers were clear and reasonable.
Excellent video. I’ve stopped referring to the Histogram myself, but never thought of closing it. Duh!!! Again, great video, as always.