Under expose Images Vs Over expose Images

[BrianJoseph]

hey everyone just a quick question is it better to underexpose a image or overexpose i use ACR in photoshop and i always shoot RAW so i know i can adjust it in post what is the best method from my understanding i always heard its better to under expose then to over expose because you wont lose any details if you lighting underexpose a photo input on this anyone. thank you all

 

[fmw]

As long as the underexposure is not extreme, it is easier to correct than an overexposure as you say.

 

[BrianJoseph]

As long as the underexposure is not extreme, it is easier to correct than an overexposure as you say.

I always make sure that there is detail I can see in the back of my dslr screen I never let the histogram go all the way to the left.

 

[photo1x1.com]

As with many things, I´d say that depends on what you want to shoot and how you want it to look like.
Underexposing usually gives you more options in post (especially if the highlights in an image are very important). But blown highlights aren´t necessarily a bad thing. It works really well with a lot of images.
So in my case my choice changes from shooting to shooting and from image to image whether I underexpose or overexpose - well, and of course correctly expose if I get the chance to and it fits the purpose of the image .
I have seen lightroom tutorial videos on youtube from images that were 2.5 stops underexposed and people creating wonderful high key images out of it. Sure, there is a lot of grain in those, but you won´t realize on a canvas print when you watch from a distance. Plus some people like the grainy look.
Here is one of my images that I totally overexposed and brought back most highlights in post:

And here is one of very few images I ever underexposed to have more control over the highlights and skin in post:

You see, totally different images need a totally different approach

 

[robbins.photo]

Well from a technical perspective if the idea is your underexposing or overexposing on purpose the idea behind it would be to preserve details of a scene in the resultant photograph that you can then recover later using software.

If that's your goal then whether or not it is "better" to overexpose or underexpose would be based entirely on the scene and the details your trying to preserve.

A man wearing dark clothing in a dark hallway for example.. if the image is overexposed then when you get it into post you'll have a better chance of being able to recover some of the details in the shadows.

A woman wearing a white dress outdoors on a bright sunny day might be a completely different story. By underexposing such an image you prevent the highlights from being "blown out" and make it easier to recover certain details that you might not have gotten if the photograph had been overexposed or properly exposed.

So really it's determined a lot by lighting, and which parts of the scene your trying to preserve that detail.

 

[BrianJoseph]

Well from a technical perspective if the idea is your underexposing or overexposing on purpose the idea behind it would be to preserve details of a scene in the resultant photograph that you can then recover later using software.

If that's your goal then whether or not it is "better" to overexpose or underexpose would be based entirely on the scene and the details your trying to preserve.

A man wearing dark clothing in a dark hallway for example.. if the image is overexposed then when you get it into post you'll have a better chance of being able to recover some of the details in the shadows.

A woman wearing a white dress outdoors on a bright sunny day might be a completely different story. By underexposing such an image you prevent the highlights from being "blown out" and make it easier to recover certain details that you might not have gotten if the photograph had been overexposed or properly exposed.

So really it's determined a lot by lighting, and which parts of the scene your trying to preserve that detail.

thank you so much for this now i understand it alot better haha

 

[vintagesnaps]

I'm not sure why people do either (unless as our friend the ape talked about when there are specific circumstances). I usually go for getting a proper exposure.

There seems to be a popular trend to do what I think of as overly bright somewhat washed out images, then sometimes overphotoshop the people so they look like cardboard cutouts! which might be due to the subjects being way more processed than backgrounds. I expect that trend will change and then those people will probably have to learn how to get proper exposures (unless they know how but just don't).