Image Histogram Viewer
Choose a picture to see its histogram, brightness and how much of it is pure black or white.
Drag a picture here or choose one
Dark tones are on the left and light tones on the right.
About Image Histogram Viewer
A histogram is a chart of the tones in a picture. The left side stands for black, the right side for white, and the height shows how many pixels have that tone. It tells you at a glance whether a picture is too dark, too bright or flat, which is hard to judge by eye on a screen with different brightness settings.
Switch between the red, green and blue channels together or a single brightness view. The table beside it gives the average and middle brightness and the share of pure black and pure white pixels. Large amounts at the very ends mean detail has been lost in the shadows or highlights.
How to use Image Histogram Viewer
- Choose a picture.
- Pick the colour channels or brightness view.
- Read the shape of the chart and the figures below it.
- Edit the picture elsewhere if the tones need correcting, then check again.
Common uses
- Checking a photo is not under or over exposed
- Comparing two shots of the same scene
- Finding a colour cast where one channel is too strong
- Checking a scan or screenshot for clipped whites
Frequently asked questions
What should a good histogram look like?
There is no single right shape, but it should not pile up hard against either edge unless the scene is very dark or very bright, such as a night scene or a snow scene.
What does a pile on the left mean?
The picture has many dark tones. If it touches the left edge, some shadow detail may be lost.
What is pure black or pure white?
Pixels with a brightness of exactly 0 or 255. Many of them mean detail was lost and cannot be recovered by editing.
Why look at red, green and blue?
If one colour sits far to one side, the picture has a colour cast, such as a yellow tint under indoor lights.
Are see-through pixels counted?
No. Fully transparent pixels are left out of all the figures.