ylivalon

Ylivalon is a Finnish term that translates directly to "overexposure" or "overillumination." It is most commonly used in photography to describe a situation where a portion of an image has received too much light, resulting in a loss of detail and a pure white appearance. This phenomenon can occur in both digital and film photography. In digital imaging, overexposure leads to blown-out highlights, where the sensor has captured the maximum amount of light and cannot record any tonal variations. Similarly, in film photography, the film emulsion becomes saturated with light, rendering the affected areas as solid white.

Several factors can contribute to ylivalon. Incorrect camera settings, such as setting the aperture too wide, the shutter speed too slow, or the ISO too high, can all lead to an overexposed image. Poor lighting conditions, such as shooting directly into a bright light source or in harsh midday sun without adequate compensation, can also cause overexposure. Post-processing can sometimes recover some detail from slightly overexposed areas, but severely blown-out highlights are often unrecoverable. Photographers aim to avoid ylivalon by carefully controlling exposure through camera settings, using light meters, and employing techniques like bracketing.