In-camera Histogram

I've started noticing that my in-camera histogram will tell me that highlights are clipped, but when I import into Lightroom I find that there is still some dynamic range left.

I'm under the impression this is because the camera is looking at the JPEG rendered from the RAW file, and Lightroom is using RAW data.

Question: how do I get my in-camera histogram to more accurately match what Lightroom is going to give me?

Using a Canon T3i.

You would want to set your Picture Style to most closely match your Raw data.

I set my Picture Style to Neutral (although some prefer Faithful) and then I set my Contrast and Saturation to -4, the lowest points. This reduces the in-camera processing.

I 'googled' your question...not sure this helps, but it was interesting to find that others are experiencing/experimen​ting with your collective issue.
http://photo.net/digit​al-darkroom-forum/00YQOE

Nevermind, I see that Tony has answered your question...

What version of LR are you using? LR is going to apply it's default preset, which is not going to be what your picture style in camera is.

Thanks for the fast feedback Tony and Rob!

Windpig - I use LR4 currently

Smitty, hang around here and you will learn some good stuff!

For example, if you set your camera to shoot Raw, you can set your exposure a bit "light", we call it "Exposing to the Right", to where your in-camera histogram makes it look like you are "clipping" some highlights, but if you open your Raw shot in a decent Raw processor you can pull those highlights back to show detail that would be missing in an out-of-camera jpeg!

Look for UniWB on this forum, for instance : https://photography-on-the.net …t=1237319&highl​ight=uniwb

yb98 wrote in post #16165231
Look for UniWB on this forum, for instance : https://photography-on-the.net …t=1237319&highl​ight=uniwb

The Uni-WB method is good and I am a strong advocate and use it constantly; however, it is not for everybody because of the strong green cast it causes and the need to start all processing with the application of a more conventional WB.

But there is a good alternative. The Uni-WB is based on the fact that the single greatest cause of the departure of the jpg based histogram from Raw reality is that WB greatly inflates the red and blue channels. The Uni-WB prevents the inflation by making the multiplier used by the camera 1.0 (unity, hence the name "Uni"). Because the camera is most sensitive to green light, that leaves the green channel dominant, just as it is in the Raw capture data. So if you would rather not use Uni-WB, you need to keep in mind that normal WBs change the green channel from its Raw state very little and usually not at all, even while they are altering the red and blue considerably and making them unreliable for judging the Raw exposure. When checking the camera histogram simply disregard the red and blue histograms and use only the green.

Disclaimer: While it is true that the sensor is most sensitive to green, there has to be a green element in the light for it to be most sensitive to. So the method of trusting only the green histogram refers to any normal wide-spectrum lighting but won't work in special cases where the light is mono-chromatic (and non-green) like red LED lighting in a club or on a stage or when shooting a frame filling macro shot of a rose.

Smitty2k1 wrote in post #16164927
I've started noticing that my in-camera histogram will tell me that highlights are clipped, but when I import into Lightroom I find that there is still some dynamic range left.

The in-camera histogram is based on the jpg preview created in camera, so depends on parameters like contrast, saturation, picture style and color space.
The histogram in LR is based on the Raw data as edited in LR, and is in MelissaRGB color space (a whole lot bigger then sRGB)

http://www.getcolorman​aged.com …management/clip​warninglr/

In LR4, you can soft-proof for sRGB to get an accurate clipping warning for sRGB.

I tried uni-wb, but found the upside of capturing full DR wasn't enough to compensate for not being able to use the LCD for chimping, especially when shooting outdoors with flash where dialing in rations are a factor. What works for me very well is to set my picture style in camera to neutral and everything else to zero or -4. That gets me the best unbiased histogram (highlight alert is spot on). When I shoot, I either shoot at 5K or a resonable choice of WB, but not auto WB. If possible I put a white target in frame or look for a white target that's not specular. I shoot, check the histogram for blinkies. I back the expsure to 1/3 under the white target blinking.

I also use an incident light meter a lot, along with sunny 16. It just depends on what and how I'm shooting.

Proper WB is very important when trying to squeeze your exposure. To see the difference, open an image in LR with some highlights and set what you think is a good exposure, then move the temp slider and watch the histogram and higlights.

Another thing with regard to LR4 is that, unlike LR3, LR4 tends to knock down highlights when imported using the default profile and tonal curve. When I used LR3, I would use the exposure slider to move the complete exposure up or down. With LR4 I have to set my mid tone, then set my white point and black points. It's taken some time to get used to, but it's nice once I got the hang of it. Exposure in LR4 is more of a mid tone adjustment.