ZONES & HISTOGRAMS

This diagram shows approximately how each zone relates to a histogram. Pixels pushed up against either the right or left edge indicate that parts of the image are beyond the range of the histogram. The spike at the right edge indicates pixels that are overexposed – Zone 8 or higher. Overexposed pixels like this are the main thing to look out for and avoid when using a histogram. Anything at the far left edge is Zone 2 or lower – black. Zone 0: Pure black Zone 1: Nearly black Zone 2: A hint of detail Zone 3: Dark, with good detail but muddy colour Zone 4: Dark tone or colour Zone 5: Middle tone, medium colour Zone 6: Light tone or pastel colour Zone 7: Light, with texture but faded colour Zone 8: A hint of detail, but essentially washed out Zone 9: Nearly white Zone 10: Paper white