ETTR

ETTR, short for Expose To The Right, is a digital photography technique that aims to maximize image quality by exposing a scene so that the histogram is shifted toward the right edge. The idea is that digital sensors capture more tonal information and with less relative noise when more signal is recorded in brighter tones. The data is then adjusted in post-processing to achieve the desired overall brightness while preserving highlight detail.

In practice, ETTR relies on using RAW capture and monitoring the camera’s histogram or highlight warnings. The photographer meters the scene and exposes so that the right side of the histogram is populated without clipping the brightest highlights. After shooting, the image is processed to restore the global brightness, often by lowering exposure in post while retaining the additional detail captured in the shadows and midtones. This approach can reduce noise in dark areas and improve tonal range, particularly in difficult lighting.

How to apply ETTR: use manual exposure or exposure compensation to push the exposure toward the right; check the histogram and highlight clipping indicators to avoid losing detail in bright areas; shoot in RAW to maximize post-processing flexibility; review and compare histograms of multiple frames, and consider exposure bracketing (ETTR+HDR) when scenes have very high dynamic range or moving subjects.

Limitations include the risk of clipping bright areas in high-contrast scenes, increased reliance on post-processing, and potential motion blur for moving subjects. ETTR is commonly used in landscapes and studio photography where scenes are relatively static and highlights can be controlled.