billgdyoung Loc: Big Bear City, CA

We read about ETTR, but how far to the right? A click? 2 clicks? Jammed against the right edge? Your comments, please.

BebuLamar

As you increase your exposure the brightest part of your image would start to lose details. ETTR is giving your image as much exposure as possible without losing any details.

billgdyoung Loc: Big Bear City, CA

thanks...

jackpinoh Loc: Kettering, OH 45419

You will need to look at the histogram on the back of your camera. If the right edge of the histogram touches the right edge of the histogram window, you are overexposing. If the right edge of the histogram is some distance from the right edge of the window, you can increase the exposure (ETTR) until the diagram is close to, but not touching, that window edge.

billgdyoung Loc: Big Bear City, CA

got it... thanks...

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

To the right edge of the histogram but not into the "blinkies," unless you know exactly how much you can push the histogram based on your camera model. You do not want to over expose and lose detail in the highlight areas.

billgdyoung Loc: Big Bear City, CA

thanks..........

Bill_de Loc: US

I thought that shooting raw you could expose beyond what is being mentioned above. Blinkies shouldn't necessarily be a problem.

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TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

This is a subject of endless (and sometimes heated) discussion on the Hog, and often morphs into a discussion on "ISO invariance" Nikon vs Canon sensors, dynamic range and how a given camera body implements its ISO control. In general, to use the maximum dynamic range of your body, you want to expose as far to the right as possible, without blowing out highlight detail. How much "headroom" you leave to prevent overexposure is the matter of debate, as is the accuracy of the histogram for judging. My suggestion is to get to know your particular camera. Shoot a series of controlled photographs of known subjects (especially those with high dynamic range) and try to correlate that to your histogram, "blinkies" and of course the results, particularly the highlight areas. Only then can you decide how far you can go or how much headroom to leave without adding unnecessary noise in the shadows. You're basically trying to balance non-blown highlights against noise in the shadows. Personally, I shoot a FF Canon (which, depending on whose definition you adopt, is not "ISO invariant"), so I don't want to underexpose and the bring up in post which just limits my DR and adds noise. From long experience with this body, I have a feel from looking at the "blinkies" and histogram, how far I can go. I also use Magic Lantern, so I actually have a raw histogram which is arguably more accurate. A Nikon shooter may have a completely different set of priorities and technique.

jackpinoh Loc: Kettering, OH 45419

The histogram you see on the camera is based on the camera's JPEG. The JPEG histogram is usually more conservative than the RAW histogram, but not under all circumstances, and in any case, you can't tell how much more conservative until you view the histogram in the Lightroom Develop module. And if you guessed wrong, it will be too late. Do you feel lucky?

canon Lee

Hi Billy .. I take picture day for youth sports clubs. Ages run from 3~12. I shoot in manual to have complete control. I use mono lights umbrellas & backdrops. It is most essential that I check the histogram with each shot as uniforms and skin colors change. Since most are very young and lack skin tone, (some almost like porcelain) I under expose for skin tone ( aperture adjust) . I set my lighting so that the right edge is not touching the extreme end but actually leave a small gap. Under exposing can be adjusted in PP, while skin tone can be tweaked. This is my technique I have used for decades.

billgdyoung Loc: Big Bear City, CA

thanks mucho for your "real world" experience... :-)

Uuglypher Loc: South Dakota (East River)

The point of "Expose Beyond the Right" / EBTR ( which is commonly confused with "Expose To the Right/ ETTR) is to expose raw image data to produced the brightest image possible with out clipping highlight detail...but coming as close as possible without doing so.

This requires that the camera's entire raw-accessible dynamic range be used in the exposure ( leaving un-used DR "sitting on the table" results in significant forfeiture of tonal and color spectra.)

The "headroom" of extra DR varies from 1/3 stop beyond the clipping warning for a JPEG file to two and 2/3 stops (or more.) Each camera must be tested by a series of test exposures to determine how much extra DR there is beyond the "right" side of the JPEG histogram frame (where "ETTR" got its name). However, EBTR is the means of using your camera's full complement of raw-accessible dynamic range to capture the highest possible image data quality.

Dave

johneccles Loc: Leyland UK

I have experimented with ETTR and I consider the best method to test how far you can go is to use bracketing.
Set the EV at as many values as your camera will allow and then check your shots for the most appropriate one.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Billy, this becomes rather camera specific. Not brand, not model, etc. It is specific to your individual camera. It takes testing to see just how far you can push the exposure before you can no longer retrieve details in the brightest part of the image. I spent a considerable amount of time with a Macbeth color chart spot metering on the white square and then increasing the exposure. When I got to the point that I could no longer retrieve an image of the chart that looked correct, that was the step too far.

I suggest that you do your testing in a scientific manner. If you don't wish to purchase a color chart, at least get pieces of black, gray, and white paper. Include all of them in the image and meter off the white paper. I'd also suggest that you use both ISO 100 and whatever ISO you are most likely going to use most of the time.

You might want to peruse this post: http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/user-page?upnum=1628
And then check out these posts. Keep in mind I'm also using unitary white balance coupled with ETTR. Regardless you'll see the exposure pushed to the right and then the post processed image.
http://static.uglyhedgehog.com/upload/2015/10/11/1444601010698-d700_2015091301_012_sooc.jpg
http://static.uglyhedgehog.com/upload/2015/10/11/1444601010978-d700_2015091301_012.jpg

--Bob