Graph displaying the distribution of brightness or color values in an image.
Definition
The histogram displays the distribution of tonal values within an image. The X-axis represents brightness (black on the left, white on the right), and the Y-axis represents the frequency of each value.
Practical Application
Essential tool for exposure control. Clipping at the left/right edges indicates loss of information. RGB histograms display each color channel separately for color balance analysis.
Technical Details
8-bit: 256 values on the X-axis. 10-bit: 1024 values. Parade display shows RGB superimposed. Luminance histogram shows only brightness. Live histograms on camera monitors are standard.