Pentax K-7 K-7 Manual - Page 31

29 Using the Histogram Number of pixels→ A histogram shows the brightness distribution of an image. The horizontal axis represents brightness (dark at the left and bright at the right) 1 and the vertical axis represents the number of pixels. Before Using Your Camera (Dark) ←Brightness→ (Bright) Dark portions Bright portions The shape and the distribution of the histogram before and after shooting tells you whether the exposure level and contrast are correct or not, and lets you decide if you need to use EV compensation and take a picture again. 1 Adjusting the Exposure (p.115) 1 Adjusting the Brightness (p.199) Understanding Brightness When the brightness is correct and there are no overly light or dark areas, the graph peaks in the middle. If the image is too dark, the peak is on the left side, and if it is too bright, the peak is on the right side. Dark image Image with few bright or dark areas Bright image When the image is too dark, the part to the left is cut off (dark portions with no detail) and when the image is too bright, the part to the right is cut off (bright portions with no detail). Bright portions blink red on the monitor and dark portions blink yellow when [Bright/Dark area] is O (On). 1 Playing Back Images (p.78) 1 Setting the Display for Instant Review (p.263)