Expose to the Wrong
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 มิ.ย. 2024
- Why it's wrong to expose to the right. Maarten explains with samples and demos.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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0:00 Intro
1:35 How to Expose
5:14 Expose to the right
6:02 Sample image analysis
7:20 Test chart analysis
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CREDITS
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Producer and Host: Maarten Heilbron
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DISCLOSURE
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This video was produced with the Nikon Z7, on loan from Nikon Canada.
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Maarten is the best photo friend I never knew I needed in my life. Thanks, Mr. Heilbron! A true gentleman and a class production.
It was a pleasure to read your kind words, thanks very much.
LMAO! "Random, generic advice from strangers . . ." Maarten, you consistently nail that bone dry humor that I so thoroughly enjoy. Thanks! 😂
Always nice to know my regular viewers share my sense of humour. Thanks for commenting.
I’m an amateur photographer. I’ve read about “exposing to the right” several times, and I can say, very proudly, that I came to your same conclusions just from experience. Great video, as usual.
Good work, thanks for the real-life confirmation. And for your kind words.
Thank you Maarten for this amazing tutorial lesson...
Glad you liked it! I appreciate your kind words, thanks.
Thank you Maarten. Amazing video with valuable information I never found anywhere else. Liked and subscribed.
Awesome, thank you! Always nice to know my videos are appreciated.
Thank you for another great teaching. Comparing to clipping in audio make it so clear.
You are welcome! Always nice to hear that an analogy makes the concept clearer.
This helps a lot. Can't wait to try this out. So glad I came across this while bing watching your videos.
Always glad to know my videos are inspiring you to go out and take photos.
You make such lovely videos. Very educational and well put together.
Thank you very much! How kind of you to comment.
Maarten, you have the best photography videos. Thanks for your devotion to this art.
Wow, thank you! A pleasure to read your kind words.
Always refreshing and insightful listening to you.
Thanks! A pleasure to read your kind words.
Well done as always Maarten! Thank you for your insight and your ability to teach a hobbyist, like myself, in a very straightforward and entertaining way!
Thanks, a real pleasure to read your kind words.
Hi Maarten, just found your channel and although I am principally a video rather than a stills shooter, I found this so clear and helpful that I instantly subscribed. Looking forward to enjoying more of your videos here!
Thanks, always nice to hear I have a new fan. Thanks for subscribing.
Thank you so much for your kind generosity in sharing your wisdom.
It's really my pleasure, thanks for your kind words.
Excellent video Maarten I always gain watching your work.
Many thanks! So nice to hear from an appreciative viewer.
Excellent tutorial as always. Thank you.
Glad you liked it! And glad you took the time to comment.
Your videos are always so well thought out, well produced, and full of great info. Although I think I may know the subject I will watch every minute of your videos and I always pick up a nuget or two. Thanks. Cheers.
Wow, thank you! I appreciate the kind words.
Calm, clear and informative, maybe most informative presenter here.
I appreciate that! Thanks for taking the time to post your kind words.
Although this is a topic that I've seen many times, this is a solid explanation Marteen. Nice to see these kind of videos.
Glad you liked it! And thanks for stopping by to say so, appreciated.
Thanks Maarten, loved the way you presented this.
Glad you enjoyed it, always nice to read kind words from my viewers.
Thanks Maarten for your valuable insights.
Always my pleasure - and also a pleasure to read your kind words.
Interesting video. Thank you for your time and work.
Glad to hear you think so, thanks for commenting.
This is really very interesting - and brilliantly explained!
Glad you think so! Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Sir, I always learn something from you. Thank you.
Thanks very kind, thanks for taking the time to comment.
Great video Maarten! I wish this was available when I started in photography quite a few years ago, you would´ve saved me from a few headaches and missed shots. Thank you for sharing and keep up the good work! Stay safe!
Sadly, there will always be missed shots - but we continue to learn and improve. Thanks for your kind words.
Thanks Maarten. I appreciate the effort that you've put into this video. Anyone who watches this will have some homework to do, even if they've done it before.
Thanks for that! Always nice to read that my videos are appreciated.
Thanks Maarten, another well paced, informative piece. The ETTR vids have been on my mind.
I loved the final advice, I will keep shooting until the battery runs out (memory card takes a bit longer).
A pleasure to read your kind words, thanks. In my case, it's often the memory card. Should buy bigger cards.
So well balanced. Thank you for this.
You're so welcome! Thanks for your kind words.
As a musician, it's Interesting to hear the audio analogy. I never really consciously thought about how similar light exposure would be to audio levels. Interesting stuff, and good video!
Glad that diversion made it clearer for you, thanks for commenting.
Just brought to mind the issue of poor signal to noise ratio in recordings made at too low a level, and also the advice to record sound at the highest possible level which avoids clipping, which is analagous to ETTR in photography. But as we conclude from your interesting video ‐ don't go too close to the limit! Thank you for your thoughts. Philip
@@photonomist6345 Glad to be of assistance, thanks for the kind words.
Thanks always for all this great information Maarten!!!!! Always great to watch your videos!!!
It was a pleasure to read your kind words, thanks for commenting.
Thank you. I learned photography from an online instructor and now friend who taught expose to the left. Recently I have been doing watching a lot of TH-cam videos and so many say ETTR.
Glad it was helpful! Expose to the right only if "right" has the meaning "correct". Thanks for commenting.
Best ETTR discussion on the net! Keep it rolling!
Thanks, it's nice to know that some viewers agree.
Thanks a lot for the interesting content and the inspiring presentation style
That's very kind, thanks for commenting.
Another excellent tutorial/analysis Maarten 👌
I appreciate your kind words, thanks for commenting.
I generally expose a tad to the Left -- 1/3 stop under, to try to keep highlights decent. And speaking of analogies, hue is like pitch.
Good technique, I find that helps make colours just a little richer. Thanks, I'm sure there are more audio/photo analogues.
mattslaboratory Yep, me too.
Very well and appreciated.
So nice of you, thanks!!
I never understood expose to the right except for that time I accidentally wandered into a leather bar. But, personally, I prefer under exposing a stop or two in video. No recovering that sheen on my forehead. Perfectly exposed video.
Ah, as Frankie Howerd used to say as he pranced onto the stage "Ewww - Nothing in its right place tonight". Yes, I also find that colours are slightly improved with a slight underexposure. ETTR is, of course, a stills technique.
Great video as usual. I love having these tutorials available. If you can do more, i think a lot of folks would appreciate learning how to shoot better / be more confident rather than drooling over the next hot camera or lens. Well done!
Thanks for the kind words - please feel free to suggest specific topics along with click-baity titles!
Thanks Maarten for the important lesson on how to properly expose an image ! Scarboro
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for taking the time to comment - always nice to hear from my friends.
Absolutely Brilliant!! the whimsical smile has me subscribed. I slightly shoot to the right, knowing my camera's histogram is based on the JPG output so when I bring my RAW file into LR, the histogram is the RAW output, thus more latitude with highlights and shadows adjustments.
Thanks, I appreciate whimsical, your kind words and your subscription. I meant to debunk the term for photographers who might consider it sage advice - clearly, your thinking is beyond this glib catchphrase.
Thank you Maarten.
My pleasure! Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Big fan here. I have blown highlights on more than one occasion, thanks for the informative video. I will expose to the wrong for here on out.
hehe, thanks for the kind words and the chuckle. Always nice to hear from an appreciative viewer.
Thnx for making me reconsider Maarten.
Always happy to help.
I second that. I understand the why and I have seen for myself it indeed works, but as you say, at the cost what? It clearly helps when you are photographing a 12 stop dynamic scene. But how many people do that? As these cameras continue to get better at recovering shadow detail I can’t help but think this concept is already losing steam. The you for also making me reconsider. I will be doing my own tests with my own kind of images.
@@jiggyb21 Good plan - best to understand how your camera reacts to these settings.
Outstanding. Subscribed. Thanks.
So glad to hear you enjoyed my video, thanks for commenting and subscribing.
Good tips. I'm still learning how to set the exposure and what buttons to use to do so on my camera. Sometimes I get it right, sometimes I get it wrong but with practice I am getting better! Thanks for sharing.
That's great. Thanks for letting me be part of your learning journey. I appreciate your kind words. If I may - don't be intimidated by the controls - the camera is prepared to do a lot of stuff for you with auto settings - take advantage of those.
Good lesson..
Thanks! 😃
Excellent analysis.
Thanks, always nice to see that my viewers appreciate my work.
I am sure that ETTR has its suitable application as all techniques do, but I haven't run into them. Thank you for making such clear and straightforward videos
Oh - the "damning with faint praise" gambit. Thanks for adding your thoughts and your kind words.
Interesting video once again and as always very detailed
Thanks, always nice to read your kind words.
Thanks Maarten, great tutorial!.
I appreciate your kind words, always nice to know my videos are appreciated.
@@MaartenHeilbron Have a great day, Maarten.
@@anujasharma9677 Thanks, I'll do my best.
Very informative!!Thank you!!🌹🌹
Glad it was helpful! Always nice to read that viewers appreciate my videos, thanks!!
Great video!
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for the kind words.
So clear thank you
That's very kind of you, thanks for commenting.
Great info Maarten thanks😄
My pleasure! Always nice to know my videos are appreciated.
Very good. Thank you.
Always a pleasure to read kind words.
I like the ISO/volume analogy!
Thanks - that's what it is, you are increasing the amplification of the signal from the sensor.
Spot on Maarten, I've always found that exposing to the right usually flattens the colour depth somehow, leaving the colour palette lacking contrast and integrity that cannot be got back by editing the raw file. I do agree about getting a correctly exposed jpeg if possible as a lot of the time this is more thank good enough and usually better than I could do editing a raw file. This applies to both my fujifilm xt2 and Ricoh grii cameras and isnt brand specific as it has applied to past cameras that I have owned such as Lumix, Nikon and Olympus. Thanks for a really good video. Cheers Ian.
Thanks, it was a pleasure to read your kind words - and I completely agree with your approach.
Maarten, Great information ' as a 50+ Professional Photographer . Thank you for making it clear. Cheers
Glad you enjoyed it, always nice to read that my videos are appreciated.
Thank you very much for this very helpful and amazing video. So the exposure to the right or left whether it is done manually or by the camera auto bracketing is primarily through shutter speed right?
Use any of the exposure settings you like. There's always a tradeoff. In auto, try using the exposure compensation.
I mentioned this on a photography FB page once and it caused a bit of histogram hysteria ‘nope you must expose to the right especially for landscape ..’ . I take your stance on exposure and that’s what they didn’t like, maybe I didn’t explain as eloquently as you. Anyway, I’ve closed my FB account now, not for the reason above I might add! I’m with you on this topic.
Sometimes it takes a while for people to shed their old bad habits. I'm off FB too, also not for the reasons you mentioned.
Thank you Maarten. You have a good way of explaining things. Just a few days ago I was thinking of just this topic. But since I am an electronics engineer, my eqvivalent comparison with the sound is the transistor. If you push the volume/gain you will get clippings that you cannot recover later. Whereas the low volume/gain you could adjust it later, with only (some?) noice as a defect. Just like you said with distorsion! So I was a bit supprised that just saw your video about this topic.
I hope that you are all well - take care and stay safe!
Thanks - yes, it is the effect of any digital amplifier and applies to both sound and images. Digital signal paths tend to accumulate less noise than analog ones. Thanks for your kind thoughts and wishes - same to you. Stay safe!
Very cool video thanks. :)
Do you also have an input on ETTR and video recording when you can't shoot raw files?
I mean dosen't it gives you more advantage while shooting video?
Thanks for your kind words. With most consumer cameras that record video, it's really best to get the exposure and colour set correctly in camera, as making adjustments in editing can be much more difficult than with stills. For video, expose correctly, not rightly.
Another great one. I've had this debate a few times with others.
Thanks, it can be dependent on philosophy and equipment.
I normally start with overexposure + 1.3 EV (set in custom settings). In the viewfinder I have overexposed pixels converted to intense orange and underexposed converted to intense blue. So it is easy to avoid overexposure - just rotate the dial to the left until almost all orange dissapears and that's it. This technique significanlty reduces noise especially when using smaller sensors and when printing very large. Of course exposure time or aperture should be changed - not ISO. For small prints or internet: just forget it.
Thanks for sharing your exposure details.
Thank you for the information, Maarten. I'd like to ask if Exposure adjusting would also work for 4k MP4 video files like they do with RAW image files. And if not, is there a good way to make 4k video files as flexible as possible for colour/exposure adjusting when editing? Is MP4 even the best format for flexibility in post-production? Thank you again for the informative videos.
Naz
Video tends to be very compressed, so it's less easy to made adjustments - best to get exposure right in camera. Slightly under is best. I'd use a flat or neutral profile, possibly turning down the highlights/shadows and colour saturation.
The file extension (like .MP4) is pretty irrelevant - pretty much all cameras use the H.264 compression (with the .MP4 or .MOV extension). Just use the highest possible data rate you can for best results. Thanks for the kind words.
Very interesting Video Maarten
Thanks. I'm hoping that's a compliment.
Hey Maarten, Loved the tips. Anything to help improve my photography is always a good thing. Thanks 🙏
Thanks, always nice to know I've provided useful guidance, I appreciate your kind words.
Dear Maarten, Another wonderfully explained video. I agree with what you're saying especially since you can shoot a jpeg and a RAW image at the same time. Moreover, testing each camera with a chip chart, like the one you use, is really important to gain confidence in the decision one winds up making. 'Hope you are still doing well!
Nice to see your comments, thanks! We are still well, thankfully - and thanks for your wishes. Same to you - stay safe.
Excellent video as usual. I have a question. How do you know if you shoot your exposures according to what you see in the viewfinder or monitor according to what you like, that when you get back home the picture is not under or over exposed? Because they say that that’s what the histogram is for. I set my exposure according to the histogram at 3/4 on a snowy day, then turned on my flash and took the shot. The background came out dark. I’m not sure why. Maybe you could tell me why? And also how to make sure that the monitor or if you find her gives you the exposure that you like when you look at them
On mirrorless cameras, what you see in the viewfinder before you take the picture should correspond to the image recorded. You could review them in the camera to make sure.
The histogram is a tool to assist you with exposure, if you use it correctly. I don't understand "set ... the histogram at 3/4". However, it sounds as if the flash is either not needed or set incorrectly if those are the results.
Thanks a lot Maarten :)
Always my pleasure, thanks for the kind words.
This was an excellent explanation 👍🏼
Glad to read that you enjoyed it, thanks!
Greetings,. Marten. I am writing on a different subject matter since you made a comparison with audio in the video. I am recording worship sessions for our church with my X-T3 and just last week on the X-T4. I used Rode wireless mic to record the audio. I have problems balancing the vocal with the music accompaniment that comprises a guitar and keyboard. How can I improve the overall audio quality especially the musical instruments? I used Premiere Pro's Multichannel Compressor currently. Do you have any videos on my subject matter? Much appreciated your time and energy to share your experience with us.
You should try using an external mixer.
There is a hype on the internet telling you (telling me) to ETTR... expose to the right, I watched nearly 25 videos about this so I decided to give a try myself and I don't just like it at all, I think in some cases, doing ETTR using exposure compensation +1/3, +2/3 or one full stop is killing the highlights and I lost some important details, mostly in the sky and white clouds. I tried this "technique" on my Z6, D610, D750, FUJI X-PRO2 and X-T3, even on my Canon 5D MKIII and finally I decided NOT to use this recommandation anymore. I am doing mostly the opposite, I tend to under expose my pictures -0.3 or -0.7 stops, particularly with the D750, all the other cameras I have are ok. Thanks for the useful information and I am happy not to be alone ! ;-) Regards.
Thanks for the confirmation. It takes time to figure out that it's questionable advice.
Exposing to the right doesn't always mean adding more exposure. Sometimes the camera's autoexposure likes to overexpose the sky, so I have to decrease the exposure, but the histogram is still to the right.
@@Verdoux007 Yes, for anyone who's actually experienced enough the term is effectively meaningless.
The ETTR technique must be applied in some situations, it is not always valid, but above all captain if you need to work the shot with a good margin of work in closing the lights ... having said that I realize that this technique has no values " fixed ", my personal experience, but always used / combined with a" zebra "detection function during the shot for clipping and" burning "the last useful details. For example with Sony A7r3, Sony A9 this technique is very usable without losing "zebra" details at 109+ on the scale to be applied and excellent results are obtained. But it should always be considered whether to look for the limit or act in post, they always talk about RAW shots.
@@PierGiorgioZuccaro Thanks for adding your thoughts, appreciated.
Thank you. Even on topics I thought I knew all about, watching your videos teaches me something new or something I had not thought about before. If I’m shooting a landscape scene, I’ll often expose 1 stop to the left, so that I can recover more detail and toning in the sky. But I always shoot in RAW. Another trick I do on my Nikon is to have the default meter mode as matrix but have a function key set to switch to spot metering. This is useful in high contrast situations where I can double check the localised exposure in the darker parts of the image by just pressing the function key. Often matrix say ok as an average but double checking with spot says too dark where my subject is.. Anyway, thanks again
Clearly you are a photographer with skills and understanding beyond anything that a phrase like "expose to the right" offers. Thanks for the kind words.
Very educational
Thanks, I appreciate your kind words.
Hello Maarten...A new subscriber here. Thank you for this video, thoughtful and considered. I will try to apply this information to my own Photographs. Thank You...
Thanks for the kind words, and the subscription - both are kindly appreciated.
Great Video. On my D850, I have the bottom front button mapped to the highlight meter mode. In sunny16 conditions, I will hold that down and adjust the meter to 0-1/3 over. When I let go of the button the meter will read like its under exposed, but the photos come out nearly perfect every time. I LOVE your meter mantra, "you're not a slave to the meter". 🤠
What a great suggestion, thanks! Also appreciate your kind words.
In one of your videos I heard you mention Leophoto, which I have been researching on their tripods and heads. They have lots of tripod heads. In terms of the ball size, in watching videos, the size 40 seems to be the best. They have a 4-way pan/tilt head, leveling base, video head, panoramic head, another head for architectural images. I have contacted B&H, but they did not help and are not that familiar with Leophoto. I noticed you had a video head on one video. Do you use a leveling base for either a pan/tilt head or video head? Do you know of a head that can be used for panoramic/video/still? I am thinking a leveling base with a smooth pan/tilt (4 way) could do. What are your thoughts?
I have never, ever mentioned Leophoto, and know nothing about the company or its products.
Thanks Maarten. This was an eye-opener for me. :-)
I appreciate your kind words. Let it be a starting point to explore on your own.
Thanks, for another informative video. Can you please consider doing a video on the multi-exposure mode?
Thanks for your kind words and your suggestion. Although I appreciate the discipline of those who work within the extreme limitation of in-camera multi-exposure capabilities, I don't have the creative vision or need to be able to do such a video appropriately.
Hey! New intro! Now to learn this one...
You noticed. First clue, it's not created with a guitar, and I did engage a professional composer to make it for me. He threw in the closing theme.
Marteen you are the best teacher by almost 3dB! From now on I will follow your advise instead of the Instagram... ehm Histogram
Thank you, I appreciate your kind words.
Yes, like audio, a hot signal, but not too hot !! ... we could say a reasonably hot signal.... thanks for the excelllent video
Like Goldilocks - just hot enough.
Your videos are always informative. I have noticed with my Fuji xt2 if I expose more in camera than raise the exposure in Lightroom the image is much cleaner. If the subject is already illuminated there is not as much noise but if the subject is in shadow and I raise the exposure or increase shadows the noise comes in fast. I am under the impression that a full frame camera would give cleaner results but I have not tried one side by side to compare. Thank you for the video Martin.
Hmmm - not sure that was my experience. Particularly with X-trans sensors, there always seems to be lots of information and Lightroom retrieves a stop and sometimes more without adding noise. Thanks for the kind words.
Thank you so much for this video. ETTR to me has an emotional aspect as well. Michael Reichmann, RIP, coined the term many years ago when he founded and ran the luminous landscape. I got to know Michael through his website, blogs and videos, and was lucky to travel with him to Antarctica. I will have to admit that ETTR made sense to me back then, and I have used it extensively. That said, over time I started to ”properly” expose my photos especially when I’m sharing JPGs OOC with friends and family. Typically those files transfer to your phone or iPad in a much smaller format that does not lend itself to dynamic range recovery, I found myself sharing truly overexposed photos with others when I ETTRed. I wonder if when MR came up with ETTR, if most cameras had a more limited dynamic range than current cameras, and sharing was done through Lightroom and other computer platforms after the RAW files have been “developed” which gave time to recover those highlights and open up those shadows. Todays video opened up the shadows of my memories remembering fondly a friend and mentor and of course learning a thing or 2. Thank you so much, please stay safe and keep on sharing.
Thanks for sharing your memories and thoughts. It clearly is a technique that had more value in the past. It was also a pleasure to read your kind words and wishes. Stay safe in these challenging times.
Consider me sub'd. This is a very interesting topic Maarten, and one that resonates with me...particularly your comparison with audio. I have played with audio for many years now (live music and recording). On the other hand, with my photography I only really started to consider histograms and purposely over/under exposing in the past year or two, and it's been (and continues to be) a revelation.
Your comparison with audio levels is good I think, and this is how I am guided with regards to exposing 'to the right'. When recording audio or simply using microphones etc, the aim for me has always been to have the highest possible signal through the path - until the final mix down. This is done to provide the greatest capture of detail (if it's digital, for example, then you may as well be using all of the bits that you can!), and the lowest comparative noise (after all, if your audio signal is only marginally higher than the noise floor, it's going to sound ugly). Of course, the quality of the equipment used helps a lot, and I think this is analogous to the quality of the camera equipment you are using in photography.
Pushing the limits on audio can result in compression of the signal though, even before clipping. This could result in a loss of detail (though can be desirable) in terms of variance in the level, and I wonder if this also happens with sensors. I also wonder, will it happen more so with one sensor than another?
I shoot with a Pentax KP and an Olympus E-M5ii. I have observed, quite recently, that the Pentax is much better at recovering details from the shadows - as everybody tells you when you shoot micro four-thirds - and if you push those whites too high, you will lose tone and detail as you have said. As a result, I try to be careful just how much I push those highlights if I want to retain any ability to bring back the colours and smooth tonality in those areas of the exposure. I was shooting the same way with my E-M5ii, when an Olympus rep told me that those cameras are quite good at recovering blown out portions of the shot. Well...I started pushing things a little more with the Olympus and - wow - yes it does indeed recover the highlights well...much better than my Pentax KP can.
So, is this some un known and unsung advantage (finally) of smaller photosensor sites inherent with micro four-thirds...or maybe just the underlying electronics. I wondered if the different sensors simply 'compress' the highlights differently as clipping is approached? Maybe it's simply down to the histogram information each camera presents, and my interpretation of that! Either way, this has resulted in me approaching the exposure a little differently in each camera - the Olympus now goes hard right sometimes (maybe often, but not always), whereas with the Pentax I am a little less worried about losing the shadows (I expose to the right, but...gently?).
Not sure I agree that there is no analogue for aperture and shutter speed in recording. If you get a little abstract, then maybe distance to subject, and microphone type and placement can be thrown into the mix as a replacement for aperture/shutter (moving closer to your target with a camera doesn't necessarily make the shadows brighter, but with a microphone, it will certainly increase the sound level vs noise floor)! Ok, it's a stretch. I suppose you could consider that audio recording is like using a bunch of prime lenses with fixed apertures!
Thanks for the video!
Thanks, and welcome to our humble and select group. Always nice to make a new friend.
Excellent
Thanks for your kind word.
Another competent video. I need to try to remember to evaluate the histogram more often. Still, I shoot raw and am mostly quite happy with the results when processed. Difficult lighting situations would benefit from bracketing, though. Thanks again.
Competent! Exactly what I was going for. Right, bracketing can be useful - but if your camera has a dynamic range extension tool, or HDR, those can be useful too.
Hi Maarten. Thank you I so enjoy your informative and considered views and reviews. So refreshing in this internet age which seems to be governed by sound bytes. I spent my early days in trying to expose to the right only to end up moving more to the left. As someone who tends to see in black and white rather than color I tend to go to the” dark side”. I am sure you would have been asked this before but if you have time ( and the inclination) would it be possible to do a video on the dark art of dynamic range and particularly as it relates to the Fuji X system. Please stay well and once again thank you for all the information. Regards from the Desert. Steve. Dubai.
Thanks for the very kind words. Good suggestion - let me think about what that might be - I tend to cover those issues in my reviews, but I think that would be worthwhile and useful. Please say hello to all my friends in Dubai - if you can do so safely.
Thanks for the mythbuster tip!
Any time! Always nice to hear my choice of topic is appreciated.
Like usually very informative and visually very well done, thank you Maarten. I prefer using highlight alert on my 1DX for work and viewfinder/screen on my Olympus E-M1 for personal stuff to determine exposure.
Good approach. Thanks for the kind words.
ETTR has it's uses, and yes, it's not meant to be used for every photograph or camera. The key is to understand your camrea (I believe it used to be for Canon's you would expose to the left, whereas with Nikons, to the right to protect highlight details). Second, I see that some people talk about blowing the highlights. Since the histogram is based on the JPEG, the RAW is a bit more foregiving (so even if you do clip slightly (although no clipping is preferred - turn on clipping/highlight warning) but I still observe the histogram and the highlight warning before moving onto the next shot, and usually I'll do two ETTRs, one that's pretty close to the right, and one that's toned back a bit, maybe 1/3 of a stop, just to be safe (although I have had more luck with ETTR as some cameras will tend to underexpose images even though the light-meters regardless of mode, may indicate a good exposure... my Fuji did this, would always underexpose by 1/3 of a stop most of the time; over exposing slightly helped result in a better quality image). Of course if you're shooting in JPEG then ETTR isn't as practical because it is a processed image (you can adjust later, but you lose some of the information). The reason that ETTR is pushed and widely adopted is that it holds more highlight detail than a normal exposure, both in the highlights and shadow areas). And many go by the mindset of "you can always throw away data you don't need, but it's hard -- if not impossible -- to get back data you never had, like in the shadows and darks/blacks). So let's say if you did ETTR which resulted in a 2-stop over exposure, I have found that if I had taken a regular exposure (where the exposure meter reads 0 -- so "perfect" exposure) and then did ETTR, I had more flexibility with ETTR. Yes the shadows and blacks look more gray, and herpahs the highlights look overblown, but once I decreased the exposure a bit (by almost 2 stops) I felt the ETTR image retained better quality than the regular exposure. Again, though, ETTR is not feasible for everything and it should be used with a bit of caution. It may take a few shots to figure out where you are (even if you use a live-histogram on the EVF/LCD) and I'd say find where highlights tend to clip, and then back off another 1/3 of a stop to be safe, even though, like I said, the RAW is more foregiving and if the histogram shows a tiny bit of clipping (which is based on the JPEG) you may not have actaully clipped the highlights in the RAW, but just to be safe. The reason this is pushed a lot is that there is more image data stored on the right-half of the histogram, than there is on the left. I would suggest people read this article and decide for themselves: photographylife.com/exposing-to-the-right-explained
Well, yes. However, my video was produced for those who might be confused or wondering if they should practice this technique. My thesis was that most modern cameras, and most novice photographers will not benefit.
This is mostly aptly summarized in the second paragraph: "This is not for beginners ..."
Many find the techniques of exposure to be needlessly complex and off-putting. I intended to provide a simple answer, with demonstration.
Probably, like many others, I’ve read and watched lots about ETTR and experimented quite a bit too. Shooting more wildlife than anything else and doing so mostly in manual with auto ISO, I am always riding my exposure compensation but I agree with you in that I’m more prone to blow highlights if overcooking my exposye, than to be unable to recover details from shadows in slightly darker images. Great video and very useful. Thanks.
Glad to hear that you've seen this in real life shooting, thanks for adding your observations.
I tried the whole ETTR thing several years ago. And while it sounds good in theory and the math checks out I came to the same conclusion as you. No matter how hard I tried I could see no meaningful difference and this was with a camera from 2008. My preferred strategy mostly is to try to get the exposure I want in camera and then make small adjustments. Sometimes I will expose for the highlights and then adjust the shadows. I highly recommend the book “Understanding Exposure” by Bryan Peterson to anyone who would like to learn more about exposure and how it relates to their photography.
Thanks for sharing your experience and tips, appreciated.
Superb.
I appreciate the kind word.
The information on this video is correct... for a camera with ISO invariance (like the Nikon you are using with a Sony sensor). It's not the same if the camera has a different sensor technology.
Historically (as this may change) Canon cameras benefit a lot from ETTR shooting as long as you don't clip the highlights. With a scene that does not demand all the dynamic range of the sensor (think a winter and snow scene), you will get much more adjustment latitude (cleaner final image) if the histogram is more to the right, even if the picture looks "too bright" out of the camera.
For ISO invariant cameras (Nikon, Sony, Fuji...), it's the same to brighten the image in the RAW development than increasing the ISO in the camera, so it makes sense to underexpose a little to protect the highlights.
ISO invariance (which is now fairly standard on most cameras) does make it even more unnecessary, the point I'm trying to make is that the small improvement one might observe from an extra stop in shadows isn't worth the potential offsetting negative effect. While I appreciate that a knowledgeable photographer understands how to properly expose an image - which sometimes includes a histogram that's shifted to the right, this is information that can easily lead novices to unwanted results.
I agree. I’ve tried using this theory of ETTR numerous times but it never really worked for me since I shoot a lot of animal portraits and over exposed highlights on fur can ruin the image. But the highlight weighted metering feature usually under exposes too much too. It pays to get to know how your camera handles different lighting situations and adjust accordingly. Thanks for another informative video!
Yes, always best to learn your camera and its specifics. Thanks for your kind words.
thanks Maarten, very interesting. I've always tended to underexpose my digital images and then lift the shadows in post to protect highlights.
Good plan, and thanks for your kind words.
I greatly appreciate this video. After learning of the ETTR approach, when I applied it in practice I found that the images produced were almost always over-exposed for my purposes and tastes. I like rich shadows and good contrast in images more than I care about "proper exposure".
For that reason I don't really think about it unless I'm in an HDR scenario, where I'm having to choose what to preserve because the camera simply can't get everything. My general rule is "keep the bulk of the histogram away from both extremes unless it's what I'm going for.
Also, FWIW, I find my XT3 tends to expose things a little "hot" for my personal tastes, so unless I'm in full manual I usually have exposure compensation bumped down 1/3.
I agree, and not just about rich shadows - I find even skies have a better hue when slightly under- exposed.
I agree with you about the X-T3, I think the X-trans sensor can be a little too contrasty. I usually turn the highlight down and shadow up.
I think most of the issue with the rule is that people get it wrong. The point of it is that you shouldn't have a bunch of flat space on the right-hand side with no pixels being recorded there, you should expose towards the right to keep that as small as possible and then darken it up during conversion later if that's too bright for you. That should result in the most possible detail at any level of brightness without harming the highlights. If you've got a spike at the right and a bunch of empty space in the middle, you're basically stuck either accepting it, or HDR with bracketed shots.
Obviously, if for any reason you need to have the images directly out of the camera, then the rule should just be junked almost entirely as it's not relevant.
@@SmallSpoonBrigade Thanks for sharing this insight.
Hey Maarten,
I generally only use ETTR with astrophotography when under heavy light polution. I have noticed marked reduction in noise using this method and can recover all the data as long as it isn't clipped. Can you touch on why I should not use ETTR for this style of photography and what other methods you would suggest? Obviously I could go to a darker area, but let's leave that as out of scope for this discussion as I am looking for an alternative to ETTR in my current bortle 6 location. (The reason I'm looking for an alternative is that ETTR images take far longer to post process than normally exposed images.) Please note that I still want the highest reduction of noise possible. My current equipment is a D750, 35mm f1.4 prime, star tracker and intervalometer. Current exposure settings are iso 6400, f2, 15s. I usually stack 400 lights, 150 darks, 100 flats, 100 dark flats, 100 bias. (About 2.75 hours of photography in one night starting at 11pm.)
Thank you
Ricky
I have no reason to discourage you from using a technique that works. My comments are general in nature, and meant for novices.
Thank you very much for a very informative video tutorial. I have always wondered about the principle of exposing to the right. This video shows that I was correct in preferring to slightly under expose and manage exposure correction in post. Can you please do a video on using exposure values to create a consistent exposures that match over a sequence of images?
Thanks for the kind words. An interesting request. If that's your need, I'd probably recommend automating a setting - most likely the ISO.