Zebras @ 70% vs 100% - what do you prefer?

[jase]

Up until now I am using Zebras at 100% and turning exposure down until highlights dont clip anymore, unless i want it.

I always wondered about the different Zebra settings and after researching them I found the idea of setting Zebras at 70% to have optimal exposure for caucasian skin tones quite attractive. Do you guys use that Zebra setting and if yes, do you prefer/like it?

[Mattias Burling]

If its an interview and I don't really care if the background blows or not, then i go 70%.

[BrorSvensson]

7 minutes ago, Mattias Burling said:

If its an interview and I don't really care if the background blows or not, then i go 70%.

agreed, especially if you have a shallow dof and the background is very out of focus i often prefer the look of a brighter/blown out background.

[Guest Ebrahim Saadawi]

In all cameras I learnt one thing, exposing as high up as possible, giving the most light to the sensor, gives the optimal image quality. So 100 Zebras are a huge use for me. 

Shooting anything, I set it to ON, and up exposure just before it appears, now I know I have the best exposure to start grading off. Yes even with non-raw compressed cameras.

While Zebra 70 I only use when shooting for straight out of the camera delivery, just to give me an indication where the skin should be lurking. 

So 100+ has much more use for me. 

[tupp]

Be careful when using zebras at 100%, because the zebras on some cameras are misleading in that they "sum" the color channel levels to determine if the threshold has been reached.  In such scenarios, the zebras don't indicate when a single color channel has breached the threshold.  So, if one sets the zebras to 100%, one (or two) of the color channels could be blown out, and you might not see a zebra.  If the camera also has an RGB histogram, one can get a good idea of how the zebras handle individual color channels.

 

Personally, I tend to set the zebra higher on raw and on some flat/log profiles.  I often ETTR when shooting raw.

[Bioskop.Inc]

For RAW I've started to put them at 100%, it used to be 90% (sometimes still is).

For ProRes, its 90 or 80% - depends how much light there is.

[dbp]

For BMPCC raw, I'll go 90-95%. Pulled back in post, it looks great.

For GH2/GH4, I'll expose closer to how it'll look in the end. Pulled back in post, even if not clipped, does not look great. 

[mercer]

On the G7, I was setting them to 100, but now I dropped it to 95 on zebra 1 and 75 on zebra 2. I assigned the zebras to function 2 and now just cycle through them when necessary. 

[animan]

I found switching to 70% brought a huge improvement in general quality for me, focussing on people instead of some small patch of sky in a window in the corner of the frame (for example) I think gives much better results..

70% zebras plus simple histogram is also a great combination

[jase]

Thanks for the replies. So we agree that when setting Zebras to 70% we get better skintones but might get blown highlights. WIth 100% we dont get those blown, but our skintones might not bet at 70IRE. I was just wondering how do you continue in post? Will you try to get the skintones at 70%IRE, thus adjusting the midtones? But this might change the whole picture... Or do you apply a mask on peoples and just adjust those midtones, leaving the remaining picture untouched?

[hmcindie]

Am I the only one who doesn't use zebras? They're distracting as hell and I can see clipping and skin tones anyway with my own eyes. I do have a histogram on the screen on occasion but rarely really watch that either.

[tupp]

1 hour ago, jase said:

Thanks for the replies. So we agree that when setting Zebras to 70% we get better skintones but might get blown highlights. WIth 100% we dont get those blown, but our skintones might not bet at 70IRE. I was just wondering how do you continue in post? Will you try to get the skintones at 70%IRE, thus adjusting the midtones? But this might change the whole picture... Or do you apply a mask on peoples and just adjust those midtones, leaving the remaining picture untouched?

Exposing skin tones by numbers can get one into trouble.  In the first place, skin tone varies.  Consider a shot in which an exceptionally pale skinned person and a very dark skinned person are standing next to each other in the same frame -- which one's skin do you set to 70% IRE?

 

Secondly, what if the shot is supposed to be low key, with the subject darker than normal?

 

Generally, the exposure should be as high as possible to reduce noise, without undesirably blowing out areas and/or without making it difficult to regain normal looking highlights.

 

Use your eyes (and your lighting skills) to determine the relative values of the subject/set, and use the zebras to determine the highest feasible exposure.

[Bioskop.Inc]

4 hours ago, hmcindie said:

Am I the only one who doesn't use zebras? They're distracting as hell and I can see clipping and skin tones anyway with my own eyes. I do have a histogram on the screen on occasion but rarely really watch that either.

No I use them as a guide to begin with, so I know what's going on. Then I turn them off & adjust a little by sight.

When I got taught to use a camera at the BBC, I was told to use zebras between 70-80% to begin with & then as time goes by you'll just know what's right just by looking. I started to do this again when I began using the BMPCC & now only use Zebras as a reference point - mostly done by eye.

As far as grading goes, if you get it right in camera then there should be no need to mess about too much in post (this is all from a Doc type shooting POV). Recently, I've shot a lot of Black skintones & that is really hard to get right - my fall back is to now take a picture of people with my phone so that i've got a neutral reference guide.

 

[Justin Bacle]

I have my zebras set at 95% on my AF100.
But I do not have that many choices, it is 95 or 70%. As I do not have that much DR to play with, 95% is my only option :s

[jagnje]

For ENG work I use 70% everything else I use 100%.