About The Histogram - Canon MARK II EOS 5D Instruction Manual

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About the Histogram

The brightness histogram display shows the exposure level
distribution and overall brightness. The RGB histogram display is for
checking the color saturation and gradation. The display can be
switched with the [4 Histogram] menu.
[Brightness] Display
This histogram is a graph showing the
distribution of the image's brightness level. The
horizontal axis indicates the brightness level
(darker on the left and brighter on the right),
while the vertical axis indicates how many
pixels exist for each brightness level. The more
pixels there are toward the left, the darker the
image. And the more pixels there are toward the
right, the brighter the image. If there are too
many pixels on the left, the shadow detail will be
lost. And if there are too many pixels on the
right, the highlight detail will be lost. The
gradation in-between will be reproduced. By checking the image and
its brightness histogram, you can see the exposure level inclination
and the overall tone reproduction.
[RGB] Display
This histogram is a graph showing the distribution of each primary
color's brightness level in the image (RGB or red, green, and blue). The
horizontal axis indicates the color's brightness level (darker on the left
and brighter on the right), while the vertical axis indicates how many
pixels exist for each color brightness level. The more pixels there are
toward the left, the darker and less prominent the color. And the more
pixels there are toward the right, the brighter and denser the color. If
there are too many pixels on the left, the respective color information will
be lacking. And if there are too many pixels on the right, the color will be
too saturated with no detail. By checking the image's RGB histogram,
you can see the color's saturation and gradation condition and white
balance inclination.
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Sample Histograms
Dark image
Normal brightness
Bright image