How to article: Using an 18 percent Grey Card. This article discusses using in-camera reflectance metering with an 18% grey card. This article applies to both film and digital cameras. Article revisited and edited. Original Nov, 2011.
Grey cards are literally a grey rectangle made of cardboard, plastic or cloth, and can be purchased from any camera store for about $15 to $30. What they all have in common is they are made of a photographic neutral shade, averaging 18% grey. Ideally, you want one that can be folded or cut so it fits in your camera bag.
Contents:
- Using a Grey Card
- Why use a grey card (the proof)
- Interpreting the results
- Grey Card reading + 0.5 stops
- Dark Subjects, night scenes overexposed
- Light and backlit subjects
- Controversy and exceptions
When photographing a mostly white scene, increase the exposure by 1.5 to 2.0 stops to compensate for the camera's mis-reading of the scene -- counter-intuitively overexposing. This is true with all cameras, film, digital SLR, and cell phones.
When photographing a mostly dark scene, decrease (underexpose) the scene by 1.5 to 2.0 to preserve the "darkness" of the photograph, again, counter-intuitively.
When photographing a mostly dark scene, decrease (underexpose) the scene by 1.5 to 2.0 to preserve the "darkness" of the photograph, again, counter-intuitively.
Prove this yourself by taking a photograph of a white sheet of paper. This is not obvious when previewing the photo on your cell phone, but it will be obvious when opened in your photo-editor.
Why a Grey Card?
With your camera, do this 1-minute experiment:
1. Place a dark sheet of paper or a dark magazine on the table-top, then cover it with a white sheet of paper.
2. Using the camera, focus on the white paper so it occupies most of the frame.
3. Meter the scene with an auto-metered exposure, noting the camera's recommended shutter speed and aperture.
4. Remove the sheet of paper and re-meter the darker scene. Note the different exposure.
5. Take a photo of the white paper and review it in your photo editor. The sheet will be dark gray. See an example of this here: https://pleasex2.blogspot.com/2024/09/days-inn-victoria-british-columbia.html
6. Take a photo of the dark paper and remarkably, it will appear gray too!
Questions:
- ? Knowing both subjects were in the same lighting, why does the meter reading change with a differently-colored subject? Is not the subject in the same quality and quantity of light?
- ? Which meter reading should you use if both the dark and white subject are in the same scene?
The Answer: Neither the white or black-paper reading is correct.
If you were to actually take the photographs, you would see the white paper looks grey, not white, and the dark paper will look grey, not black. The issue is this: The camera meter is fooled by the color of the scene and misreads the exposure.
The Camera Meter is Usually Wrong
When a majority of a scene is "whiter than normal" (snow, concrete, light colored walls, backlighted), or "darker than normal" (black subjects, theater stages with dark curtains, night shots), all cameras meter incorrectly.
But here is the surprise: It turns out with almost any scene, any subject, under any lighting, the camera's meter is wrong, to some degree. This is true with landscapes, portraits, and still-lifes. Granted, an average scene meters reasonably well and will get an acceptable picture. But almost always a better exposure can be made with a grey card.
Examples of missed exposures are shown below.
Better exposure means less post-processing. Better exposures give better colors, with better shadow details. This is true with film and digital.
(For reasons that are too complicated to explain here, all cameras, film and digital sensors are calibrated for 12 to 14% grey, depending on the manufacturer. Grey Cards are calibrated at 18%, for black-and-white printing -- meaning the grey card is not quite right. This article explains how to work around this. The world really needs a 13% grey card.)
Buying a Card:
Grey cards are inexpensive, and they can be made of cardboard, plastic, or cloth -- but I found plastic too glossy and instead I use cardboard. Being cardboard, I can cut it to size to fit in the camera bag. Mine is about 6x8" -- in retrospect, a tad too small. The back of the card should be white, which can be used for White Balancing. Because it is not waterproof, expect to replace it every few years.
(Credit-card-sized cards are useful for post-processing and are too small for in-camera metering.)
Using the Card
For in-camera metering, follow these steps
- For simplicity, set the camera to Av mode (aperture preferred), or Tv (shutter preferred). Avoid fully-automatic program modes -- too hard to compensate because too many values change at the same time.
- Hold the grey card in the image area.
It does not need to be accurately focused but it must be in the same quality of light as the subject.
- It should occupy most of the view-finder.
- Angle the card between the lens and the main light source so it does not glare.
- Try not to cast a shadow on the card.
- Note the exposure (Shutter speed and aperture). This is the exposure that should be used, plus 1/3 to 1/2 stop, as explained below.
Interpreting the Grey Card:
1. While metering the card, note the exposure.
(This is the exposure that should be used.)
2. Remove the card and re-meter the scene.
3. *If* the exposure changes (either the shutter speed or aperture changes), then exposure compensation is needed.
With the card removed, use exposure compensation to adjust the meter reading until it matches the grey-card reading, then add +1/3 to +1/2 stop (one click of the dial). You can return the camera to a Program or other Auto-exposure mode, leaving the compensation in place. Use the grey-card's reading for the final exposure,
I
find it easiest to set the camera in either Aperture Preferred (Av) or Shutter Preferred (Tv) mode. This way, only one meter value changes
as the card is removed. For example, if in Av mode, the aperture stays
fixed and only the shutter changes.For example:
With the card:
In the viewfinder illustration above, the grey card metered at
125 @ f5.3 (the grey card's recommended exposure, in AV mode/fixed aperture).
Without the card:
250 @ f5.3,
indicating a +1 stop (+1.0EV) over exposure is required.
Because the grey card is 18% grey, but the camera is calibrated to approximately 13%, add an additional +1/3 to +1/2 stop to the grey-card reading. The variation of a 1/3 to 1/2 depends on the camera. Some jump in third-stop increments and others, especially older cameras, use half-stop increments. The difference is immaterial.
Setting the Compensation:
No need to count or calculate the number of stops.
Start with the camera's recommended meter reading, while in AV or TV mode. Then, using the camera's Exposure Compensation controls ("+/-"), spin the dial until it reaches the grey-card's recommended setting, plus one click for the +1/3 (or +1/2) additional. Cameras vary in how this is done, but most work similarly. Illustrated below, is the Nikon D5100's compensation controls: While holding the compensation button, rotate the rear dial.
When adding that last +1/3 to +1/2 stop, use 'one more click of the spin-dial' from the grey-card setting. If under-exposing, spin the wheel the opposite direction (always 'add' the last-click - even if under-exposing); see the 'dark subject' example, below.
See also this handy reference/counting chart: Fractional Shutter Speed and Aperture chart.
A little history: For decades, people used just the grey cards setting, without that added +1/3 stop. And practically-speaking, that is still true today. But if you are going to the trouble to use a grey card, that extra click is just a tad better. Admittedly, this is probably nit-picking.
Re-Metering
Once the Exposure Compensation has been set for a particular scene, the camera can remain at this setting, even if the light changes. If a cloud passes overhead, the meter may change, but there is no need to re-meter or re-adjust the compensation (assuming semi-automatic Av, Tv modes, or an adjustable Programming mode). -- why? The subject's color did not change and the grey card's recommendation still stands.
You can also change aperture (or shutter speeds - assuming AV and TV modes), without re-metering. As long as the compensation is set, all automatic meter readings will change accordingly. Adding a polarizing or other filter does not need to be re-compensated (the meter reading will change, following the adjustment).
However, if re-composing the picture, with a different subject,
- Re-set the compensation to zero!
- Then re-calibrate with the grey card.
Examples:
Dark Subjects = Under ExposeCamera meters are fooled when a dark or light subject fills most of the frame; especially when using a center-weighted metering system. The subject's color affects the meter.
You have probably seen metering errors. Here is a great example from Canon Camera's website, showing how a darker than normal subject can fool the camera meter into over-exposing. Note how the black car is nearly grey. The same problem occurs taking a picture at night or stage photo where most of the scene is black. In each case, the camera overexposes:
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This is counter-intuitive.
To properly render a dark subject, under-expose from the camera's recommended meter reading. "To keep the blacks, underexpose."
Remember, you are compensating for errors made by the camera meter.
In a scene like this, many photographers don't bother with a grey card and they just guess at (-1.5 or -1.75 (-1 2/3)) stops. The grey-card will give the exact value.
For example, with a dark subject, the camera might recommend 1/100 @ f8 (over exposing) while the grey card might recommend a 1 and 2/3's stop under exposure. As before, set the exposure compensation to the grey card's reading -- under exposing to a shorter shutter speed -- then spin the dial the other direction, adding that last +1/3 (or +1/2) stop.
Rule of thumb:
For night landscapes, dark night-time sky photos, dark stages, etc., a grey card is hard to meter. Set exposure compensation to -2 stops (2EV under exposure), and let the camera meter normally.
Light Subjects = Over ExposeWith snow scenes, the camera assumes the subject is likely about 14% (18%) grey and it will try like the devil to make it so. It does this by (accidentally) under-exposing the snow, making it obviously grey. You correct the faulty meter reading by manually "over-exposing."
This is also counter-intuitive: On a bright snowy day a good rule of thumb is to over-exposure the meter reading by 1 3/4 to 2.0EV stops. This keeps the snow white. Again, experienced photographers just guess and set exposure compensation to +2. Meter off the grey card to get the exact value.
"If bright, go 'up'"
Scenes where most of the image is white, a +2.0 stop over exposure is needed. You will see this with white or light-colored walls, concrete, etc.. If other subjects occupy space in the same frame, less compensation might be needed.
Of interest, when deciding to compensate (say for snow), it is the color of the subject that determines what you need to do -- not the brightness of the light. At night, the same snow scene needs to be over-exposed the same +2 stops as on a bright or cloudy day.
Backlighting
Backlighting adds complexity when using a grey card. In this next example, the sun is in the top-center of the frame, the bright sky, the nearly white aircraft, and the nearly-white concrete all occupy most of the frame. The camera incorrectly metered, under-exposing the scene (note especially the near silhouetted person, who humorously is the real subject -- lots'a problems with this picture).
To compensate, meter with a grey card (or guess at a 1.0 to 1.5 stop over-exposure).
If the people were not moving (and they always are), it would be a good candidate for an HDR photo. But in reality, this photo is hopeless. If this were my shot, I would decide who or what was the subject and move in closer. Portrait for the woman; angled closeup on the plane. Change the angle, more to the right or wait for a different time of day.
Grey Cards and Normal Pictures
Even with seemingly normal landscapes and portraits, the meter is likely off. For example, in a portrait, caucasian skin is easily 1 stop whiter than grey. If the face occupies a significant portion of the viewfinder, this will throw-off the meter. A grey card gives a better meter reading.
Similarly, landscapes with dark foliage, expansive skies, wheat fields, etc., are all out of the norm and a grey card will set a more appropriate exposure.
White Balancing
Exposure compensation adjusts for metering errors, and for artistic reasons. With digital cameras, there is also a separate problem with "white balancing," also known as color correction.
See this ImageLiner article: White Balancing.
With my photographs, I often do the following:
1. Set the White Balance
2. Meter a grey card and compensate as needed
White-balancing is not the same as exposure compensation, but the same grey card can be used to fix both problems. This is a bit of a digression.
Using a Grey Card in a Post Processing
During a shooting session, where you are taking multiple pictures of your subject, have a model or assistant hold the grey card while you take their photograph in the same quality of light as the subject.
In post processing, use the photo editor's white-balance control (usually with an eye-dropper tool), and pick the center-grey scale; the photo will white-balance automatically. Do this with both RAW and JPG photos. Once set, apply this curve to the remaining photographs from the photo-shoot.
Using Blacks and Whites:
Alternately, most editors allow you to eye-drop a pure-white pixel and a pure-black pixel, and the editor will center the grey-scale automatically.
In either case, setting the mid-tone curve in post-processing is an after-the-fact process. Better results, with the the best quality highlight and shadow details, are found when the exposure is set properly during capture.
If you use the in-scene grey-card in post-processing, you may loose some of the shadow details, which were never captured because of exposure problems.
Post-processing Exposure Problems:
Consider the black car example, above. No amount of post-processing can salvage the glossy paint reflections captured by the over-exposure -- even with in-scene curve adjustments.
With the under-exposed example, no pixels were recorded in the shadows -- there is nothing to recover from, and no amount of post-processing will fix this. Even after brightening, the subject will be blocky and ill-formed.
If metered with a grey-card at the time the photo was taken, you would have more latitude in post-processing. Plus, you would have the pleasure of having a perfectly-exposed photo, without resorting to computer trickery.
Of course, with non-moving subjects, HDR can be used to capture both the highlights and shadow detail. See these ImageLiner articles: HDR Photo Techniques - Stanley Idaho, and Swan Falls, Idaho.
Controversy
Using an 18% grey card reading for the actual exposure has been the gold-standard for metering and it has become somewhat of a religious issue. But the change in procedure, adding 1/3 to 1/2 stop to the card-reading, is a relatively new idea.
There is conflicting advise on this topic, with most referencing older sources that do not take into account digital cameras, and newer published specifications (references at the end of this article).
After much studying, and with my own photographs, it seems clear that a grey card was originally designed to solve printing problems - not to calibrate light meters. But using the card in this fashion is clearly better than the default meter. By making a minor, last minute adjustment of +1/3 to +1/2 stops, the grey-card is close. This last +1/3 stop is an admitted pain. It would be simpler if we had 13% grey cards.
Before 1980, Kodak recommended an even more nuanced approach: If a light subject, they recommended a half-stop more light than the grey-card's setting, per the recommendations above. But if it were a 'dark' subject, Kodak said to under-exposing a half-stop from the grey-card; this is counter to the current recommendations of increasing a half (third) -stop, compensating for the difference between 18 and 13%). Kodak dropped the idea because it seemed overly complicated but this could accentuate the darker shades.
Then there is this problem. In a high-contrast scene, such as a white building in bright sunlight, where there are deep shadows in the doorways and overhangs, and open, lighter shadows on the walls, where should the grey card be placed? Neither location gives satisfactory results and the contrast may exceed the camera's (film's) ability. In this case, make an artistic decision: If metering for dark shadows (exposing details in the shadows), the highlights will be lost. If metered for sunlight, the shadows fall into into complete, featureless black. An incident light meter would have the same problems -- where do you place the meter?
With some photographs, metering is an artistic, not a technical problem. "Proper" exposure is not carved in stone, even with a grey card. In the high-contrast building example, deep black shadows may be intended; in this case, meter the brighter areas. If both shadow details and usable highlights are wanted, there are these choices: Wait for less-contrasty light, such as in the early morning. Add fill-lighting to the shadowed areas. Use HDR and manipulate the photo in software.
Humorous Update 2012.01.03:
For the imageLiner Vanguard Tripod Review, I needed to photograph a coin against a white sheet of paper.
This is literally the photograph taken at the camera's recommended exposure 320 @ f5.6, with no RAW corrections. Notice how white the paper isn't. I should have used a grey card and forgot to overexpose 2 stops. I laughed when I saw the picture.
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| Click for larger View; click "X" to return |
Conclusions
I often use a grey card, especially in landscapes. It provides a solid starting point for the exposure. Frequently the camera meter is off by 2/3rds of a stop (or more); this is easily seen in the final print. By exposing properly, there is less post-processing, and the colors are less muddy. It is nice to begin with an image with the best details.
Don't blindly follow the grey card's recommendation. Artistic license sometimes dictates a change from the "proper" exposure. There are times when a picture should be under-exposed, deepening shadows, accentuating light sources, etc. And there are times when a photo might benefit from over-exposures.
Related articles:
ImageLiner: White Balancing
Reference chart: Fractional Shutter Speeds and Apertures
HDR Photo Techniques - Stanley Idaho,
Swan Falls, Idaho.
Discussion thread: 18% grey card vs 12-13%
Wikipedia article on Light Meter Calibration
Reflective Light Meters explained
Histograms and Gamma
Calibration Reference:
Kodak 18% Grey Card: 18%
Canon, Nikon, Sekonic: 12.5%
Pentax, Minolta, Kenko: 14%
Keywords:
night scene over exposed overexposed. night shots overexposed. nightshots grey gray. exposure compensation, gray card greycard graycard gray-card grey-card.
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