How To Use Exposure Compensation

Digital cameras, from DSLRs to your phone, are constantly making it easier to get better pictures, but that doesn't mean we always get perfect results. There are still situations that tin fool our cameras, leading the images that come out too vivid or as well dark.

Fortunately, there'south an easy style to correct this fifty-fifty if y'all don't sympathize manual exposure settings cheers to a tool chosen exposure compensation. It may audio complicated, but exposure compensation is actually an easy manner to accommodate brightness on most whatsoever camera, including your phone.

What is exposure compensation?

But put, exposure compensation is a quick fashion to accommodate the exposure value (EV) of your photographic camera's metering system. When you increase the EV value, you are making an prototype brighter; decreasing information technology volition make an image darker. Exposure bounty doesn't tell you how the paradigm is made brighter or darker, just that's the whole point: Y'all don't have to worry about shutter speeds, f-stops, or ISO settings.

For cameras that offering manual controls, note that exposure compensation doesn't actually bear upon your images if you are already shooting in manual manner — but information technology will work in both shutter and discontinuity priority.

Photography 101

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It's important to understand that exposure compensation isn't the same as setting exposure manually or using exposure lock — your exposure is withal automatic and the camera may make adjustments from shot to shot as the light changes. But if you are in a situation where you know your camera is prone to underexpose or overexpose, using exposure bounty will tell the camera to sway from what it thinks is right to what you think is correct.

If, for case, you're trying to photo something indoors in front end of a bright window, your photographic camera may want to betrayal for what's outside the window, causing your subject to be too nighttime. Adding +i or +2 EV of exposure compensation can fix this.

Where is the exposure compensation setting?

On a telephone, the location depends on the specific app y'all are using, but you can generally notice exposure compensation in the default camera app simply by holding your finger down on the screen. This volition lock focus and exposure on that area of the frame and allow y'all plough the brightness up or downwardly merely by dragging your finger. You've probably washed this already, without realizing it was called exposure compensation.

An example of an exposure valuation scale. — An instance of an exposure valuation calibration.

On dedicated cameras, exposure compensation is always represented by a sliding scale with a zero in the middle. Some cameras may have dedicated dials for exposure compensation, while others will have a button or menu option. Both in a camera's bill of fare and on a button, exposure compensation is identified by a universal "plus/minus" symbol (some phone camera apps may utilize this symbol, also).

Depending on the camera, you can adjust your exposure in ane/2 or 1/3 stops. Going to +1 or +2 means you're making your exposure one or two full stops brighter. Negative numbers point that yous're making the exposure darker.

Note: A "terminate" represents a doubling or halving of exposure; an image shot at +1 EV will have twice the light as ane shot at 0 EV. Conversely, setting exposure compensation to -ane EV will result in half that amount of calorie-free of 0 EV.

When should I employ exposure bounty?

Modernistic cameras have the power to meter perfectly fine exposures most of the fourth dimension, but there are instances when y'all'll want to have exposure control into your own easily.

Like the aforementioned instance of photographing a subject in forepart of a vivid background, the opposite state of affairs tin can also phone call for exposure compensation. A brightly lit subject in front end of a shaded groundwork could flim-flam your camera's meter, which will endeavour to burnish upward all the background darkness, but to result in overexposing your subject. In this state of affairs, move your exposure compensation meter to the minus side to brand the photo darker. The end issue is that the main subject area of your photo will be properly exposed. Yous may have to experiment with varying levels of compensation to find the perfect exposure.

On live-view cameras like smartphones, bespeak-and-shoots, and mirrorless cameras, you can see the upshot of exposure bounty on the screen as you make adjustments. When using the optical viewfinder on a DSLR, you obviously won't be able to encounter the consequence until yous play back the picture. Particularly in this instance, it is important to remember to turn exposure compensation off earlier you move to a new location. Otherwise, y'all may accidentally shoot your kid'southward entire soccer game at +3 EV and finish up with a set of hopelessly overexposed photos.

Exposure compensation also tin't set up every type of exposure problem. If you're trying to expose properly for a dark subjectand a vivid background, it can't help y'all. Here, y'all'll need other techniques, like high dynamic range compositing or fill up flash.

Especially for beginners or phone photographers, exposure compensation is a very piece of cake way to assist you lot go bang-up images in challenging lighting situations without worrying about what's actually going on under the hood.