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No person, company or product mentioned by name in this text has any connection
whatsoever to Lobster, LobsterDemo and/or Free Gamma Pty Ltd.
The exception is Ian Lobb, the developer of Lobster, the author of these notes and
the founder and owner of FreeGamma Pty Ltd.
Lobster, Lobster Demo and Free Gamma Pty Ltd and any, or all, its employees
cannot be held responsible for changes to digital files from the part or full use of
Lobster, LobsterDemo and/or any other products or advice of Free Gamma Pty
Ltd. Lobster, LobsterDemo and Free Gamma Pty Ltd are not responsible for
the content of recommended Internet sites.
Free Gamma Pty Ltd asks all users of Lobster and/or
LobsterDemo to make new copies of their files for use with Lobster
and/or LobsterDemo.
Unless users of Lobster and /or LobsterDemo have back-up copies
of their files, they should not use Lobster and or LobsterDemo on
their files.
Lobster and/or LobsterDemo presumes an understanding of basic
Photoshop operations.
All rights reserved. Except for personal and individual study, no parts of these notes
may be reproduced without written permission from Free Gamma Pty Ltd.
Free Gamma Pty. Ltd., Melbourne, Australia. These notes first published May 2006.
1
In this article we look briefly at some of the parts of the Zone
System.
We use some convenient Photoshop divisions for zones and see
if they are accurate for Grayscale images.
We then ask how we can measure zones in RGB colour files.
Finally we try to accurately expose for the shadows, develop
for the highlights (a classic Zone System strategy) with a
Lobster RGB colour file and use Zone System values.
The Zone System has a long history in analogue photography.
This essay is not going to repeat a description of the Zone System that is available
elsewhere. There are classic Zone System texts that are the basis of the Zone System
industry.
These texts are particularly valuable to understand the Zone System as outlined by
some of its early proponents:
The New Zone System Manual, Minor White, Richard Zakia, Peter Lorenz.
Morgan and Morgan.1976
The Negative: Exposure and Development, Ansel Adams. Morgan and Morgan.
1968
While studying the Zone System, consider it to be made up of several stages:
1. Tonality is divided and named. The total range of tonality from black to white
is divided into a number of distinct tonal steps called zones by the
photographers and scientists who developed the Zone System.
Zone 0 is absolute black. Zone X is considered white (Zone System literature
always name zones with Roman numerals.)
2. There is testing. There is a personal choice of B+W film and film developers,
followed by their calibration. Film development methods, light meters, print
developers, papers, enlarging sources, thermometers etc. are included in this
calibration so that various exposure and development choices will produce
predictable zone values.
Central to this testing is the establishment of a personal ISO for film, and a
Normal development time where every EV (Exposure Value) number
difference on your light meter is a difference of a zone in a print.
3. There are visual skills in the field. There is a previsualisation of the subject
matter so that zone values are assigned to values in the subject matter.
4. Test outcomes and skills are combined and applied. The Zone System
continues beyond previsualisation as light meter readings of the subject matter
are made.
The difference between the contrast of the subject matter as revealed by light
meter readings, and the contrast of the subject in the previsualisation is
reduced by choosing a Zone System film exposure and development plan.
Typically, on B+W panchromatic film, shadow values are exposed to
reproduce previsualised values, and the film is developed to a chosen gamma
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so that the highlight values also match the previsualisation. This is a precise
application of the approximate rule-of-thumb known as exposing for the
shadows and developing for the highlights.
5. The Zone System values are also used for discussion.
Values in black and white and colour prints already represent zonal values.
Skilled Zone System users can discuss the zone values in a print. This makes
some technical and aesthetic discussions possible that would otherwise be very
difficult. As well, the appearance of the anything in the world may be
described by those values. Skilled Zone System users can describe the
shadows of a physical tree that already appears to them as zone IV (for
example).
In colour analogue photography, the nature of materials meant that there was never
the same flexibility in a system of exposure and development that is found in B+W
photography. Nevertheless the Zone System helped many analogue photographers
understand the necessity for an exposure based on the sensitometry principles that are
the Zone System.
Those familiar with the Zone System found that they were able to describe values in
colour photographs by using zone descriptions. There are still zone values in colour
and B+W prints, and in a previsualisation of the real (colour) world.
Zone System values are established historically and they are a working, living
language. You would imagine that digital photography would be able to make good
use of the Zone System language. As we know digital photography has produced a
plethora of digital products and digital ideas. Some of these ideas are misusing the
Zone System tool.
ZONE SYSTEM LANGUAGE
Those attempting to introduce the Zone System into digital practice needed to
work out a method for measuring zones.
This usually began by using either K values in a Grayscale file or RGB values in
unsaturated RGB files. OFTEN ZONES ARE DIVIDED FOR CONVENIENCE,
RATHER THAN ACCURACY. An example of this type of convenience is when
each zone is designated as worth 10% K value. Or if using RGB values each zone
would be worth 25,25,25 RGB values. (See below).
So Zone 0 (black) would be 100%K to 90% K,
Zone I would be 90% K to 80%K,
until we reach zone X @ 100% K.
If counting in RGB, Zone 0 would be 0,0,0 to 24,24,24.
But as you can see the arithmetic gets a bit messy because this only takes us to
250,250,250. But.
Some Photoshop users have looked at the 10 x 10 expanded grid in Curves and said,
There are 10 grids, and there are 10 zones. What a wonderful coincidence. The first
square starts with the start of zone 0. Therefore the last square marks the transition
from zone XI to absolute white: zone X. It seems too good to be true.
Later we will see the difficulty of using this idea with colour files. But lets begin
with a black and white file, and convert it to RGB mode so that we can use RGB
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figures throughout this article. You can easily try the example below with K values of
100% and 90% too.
We configure the Curves dialogue box so that black is in the bottom left.
An RGB value of 25,25,25 would be represented in Curves at A in the figure below
if the RGB Working Space was Ektaspace PS 5,J.Holmes (See Manual One:
Preparation). According to some of the people who divide up the zones into Curve
grids, K and RGB values and this is where zone I would begin:
Zone I has a particularly important place in Zone System history. For those
photographers who ran film calibration tests, it was the basis of many film ratings.
The description of this zone in Zone System teaching IS particularly clear and precise.
It is the first tonality where you can JUST see a difference between that zone and
black. The very first tonality!
It is easy to see whether this would still true in a world where Curve grids equal
zones. Fill an RGB file with RGB 0,0,0 and then paint some shapes with RGB
25,25,25.
This is obviously NOT the first discernible difference from black. And RGB 25,25,25
is the darkest part of the value that some people regard as the digital zone I.
So we have the somewhat ridiculous position of having values in the digital zone
system different from the values in the analogue, historical zone system.
Two languages pretending to be one.
If you want to trouble yourself even further with this, make a new RGB file where
your profile in the New File dialogue box (File> New) is ProPhoto RGB fill with
black 0,0,0 and paint some shapes with RGB 25,25,25. Now make another new file
and in the New File dialogue box choose sRGB as your profile and paint with
25,25,25 again,
Note that the visual difference between the dark values and black is not equal
between these 2 RGB profiles. Zone I means different things in different RGB
working spaces. Not satisfactory!
And this is only the darkest zone. There is hardly a co-relation between the other grid
values and the traditional Zone System values.
It is not correct to try and use the Zone System language in a cavalier fashion.
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If we categorize zones according to the divisions in the Curves dialogue box we will
not be using the traditional zone system language. We will be inventing a new
language. We should not pretend it is the same language.
Using 10% K steps or 25,25,25 RGB steps, or the Curves grid as a way of defining
zones has these 2 problems for black and white imagery:
1. These values or grids do not divide tonality in the same way as the pre-existant
Zone System.
2. What these values or grids represent varies as the Working Space changes.
Assigning any RGB number or K number to a zone is contingent upon many
factors among them is the choice of the Working Space. But every zone is a
carefully defined abstract with qualities that remains separate from changes
caused by Photoshop configurations.
CURVES, RGB COLOUR IMAGES AND THE ZONE
SYSTEM.
(Windows users please read Control /click where the text gives Command /click.)
Here are three 100% saturated, 100% bright, colours.
They are RGB: 255, 0,0 0,255,0 and 0,0,255. These figures are the brightness values
of their channels.
These have been Command clicked to place them on the curve of the Curves dialogue
box.
Their positions have been coloured so that you can see where each of these particular
colours appears on the RGB curve in the chosen RGB Working Space (Ektaspace
PS5, J.Holmes., see Manual One Preparation).
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Obviously they are not positioned on Curves because of an average of their brightness
channel values or they would each be placed at the same point.
Even though their brightness vales are the same, Curves does not rank the brightness
values equally instead Curves ranks them by their luminosity values.
Luminosity appearance is the closest we have in RGB to the appearance of values as
zones. (Looking at colour files in K values does not work for zone designation.)
IN A COLOUR RGB FILE, WITH MORE THAN ZERO SATURATION,
PHOTOSHOP BRIGHTNESS CANNOT WORK BY ITSELF TO MAKE A ZONE
SYSTEM DIVISION.
WE WOULD NOT PREVISUALISE THESE THREE SAMPLES AS THE SAME
VALUE IN A ZONE SYSTEM PREVISUALISATION.
HOW THEY SIT ON AN UNEDITED RGB CURVE IS PHOTOSHOPS
INTERPRETATION OF THEIR LUMINOSITY -OR -
PHOTOSHOPS INTERPRETATION OF THEIR ZONE VALUE.
Curve values are the closest Photoshop RGB values that we have as to how we would
place the relationship of these three values as zones. In Curves we see their luminosity
value. Luminosity takes into account Hue, Saturation and Brightness when assigning
a value. And these factors are weighed with human vision factors. Just like
a previsualisation!.
A luminosity read out is a necessary first step if we are going to assign zone values to
RGB files. There is much more on this in the manual Luminosity
We have a luminosity histogram in Window> Histogram.
We have Control points in Curves that show luminosity values.
But we do not have any other ways of making a luminosity read out.
How then, are we going to accurately assign zone values if we cannot read values that
relate to human vision ( luminosity values)?
The Luminosity layer in a Lobster file DOES enable you to read out luminosity
values using the Info palette - - you can read them out as RGB values. As each RGB
number is the same (the Luminosity Layer has zero saturation) any of the RGB values
will work as a luminosity value.
Your RGB Working Space automatically modifies the luminosity representation on a
Curve. AND IMPORTANTLY, THE CONTOURS OF RGB VALUES IN A
LUMINOSITY LAYER ARE THE CONTOURS OF ZONES.
MAKE A SELECTION OR A MOVE BASED ON LUMINOSITY LAYER
VALUES AND YOU ARE ESSENTIALLY FOLLOWING THE SAME RULES
THAT DIVIDE UP ZONES.
USING ZONE SYSTEM STRATEGIES IN LOBSTER
Variable B+W film development produces a variable contrast.
The oldest Zone System strategy is finding a STRUCTURED way to use the variable
film development of black and white film.
This is how film can be exposed to lock-in a shadow value and film development
altered to produce the desired highlight value.
6
With Lobster this strategy may be accurately extended to include colour RGB
files. Please note this strategy is for Lobster files or B+W files. It is different
from using Curves or Levels in regular RGB colour files at any mode. See the
download Levels in Regular RGB files @ Luminosity mode.
STEP ONE: Make a Lobster copy of your RGB file.
STEP TWO: Open Curves, grouped with the Luminosity Layer and Command Click
on a value that represents the most important shadow area to you.
STEP THREE. Command click on a value that represents the most important
highlight area to you.
STEP FOUR Control / Tab to cycle through the Control Points and return to the
shadow value point.
STEP FIVE Use the arrow keys on the keyboard to adjust the shadow value as you
wish. (Sort of: Expose for the shadows.)
STEP SIX Control / Tab to the highlight value (which has been accurately locked
down) and use the keyboard arrow keys again. (Sort of: develop for the highlights)
Please note that as you use the Luminosity layer to adjust values you are moving
values that relate directly to human interpretations of tonality.
EXAMPLE:
WE CAN EXTEND this idea of taking care of the shadows first and then adjusting
the highlights to more than two values.
If this were B+W film and we were making a Zone System exposure, we would make
an exposure based upon a light meter reading from an important shadow area
This could be value A (Taking a meter reading from that area and underexposing it
2,3 or 4 stops depending on how we wanted the shadow to look).
7
We would also take a light meter reading from D. We would see how that would look
with Normal film development and adjust the film development to match our
previsualisation. Maybe C would end up being adjusted by a filter and maybe with
B we would have to trust out choice of film and film developer.
Because the Luminosity Layer enables us to 100% accurately assign positions on a
Curve here are some simple steps with a colour RGB Lobster file:
STEP ONE: On the Luminosity Layer of a Lobster version of this file, make a Curves
adjustment layer that is grouped with the Luminosity layer @ Normal mode.
(You can choose the Adjustment layers from the icons @ the foot of the Layer
palette.)
STEP TWO: Command click on shadow A to lock it down
Then lockdown B, C, D.
STEP THREE: These values are now accurately chosen and locked down. Doing this
in a Lobster file has unprecedented accuracy and control for an RGB file.
STEP FOUR: You can move each of these shadow and highlight values as you wish.
Control / Tab will enable you to move through the lock-down points and adjust them
with the keys on your keyboard.
It seems overkill to give a screen shot; nevertheless:
Photoshop allows you to have up to 14 lock-down points on a Curve.
Each adjustment on the Luminosity Layer follows the same boundaries that define
zones.
8
ZONE MASKS
Any selection that you make in the Luminosity layer using the Magic Wand,
Select>Color Range or using Threshold, Levels, Curves etc. as a first step will be
following traditional zone boundaries.
You can edit selections by using any of the Photoshop tools or dialogue boxes that
allow you add, subtract or intersect with selections.
Or you can save a selection and make any sort of move upon the alpha channel.
These alpha channels can of course be loaded a masks at any time in your editing.
Lobster has many real Zone System moves built into it by virtue of using a
Luminosity Layer whose values are based on human vision.
Nevertheless you may not like Lobster and wish to use another product.
Make sure there is not a division into zones based on brightness in colour files.
This would make nonsense of the zone system.
Make sure that Zone I is not designated as K 90% or RGB 25,25,25. That is not using
Zone System language correctly.
You dont really need to know at which RGB or K value something becomes Zone
VII or any other zone. And this is flexible anyhow depending upon your Working
Space.
But you could be aware of the Zone system language so that you can say Look at the
delicate texture in the brightest part of zone VII and other Zone System users know
exactly what you are saying. That is unless there is a haphazard definition of zones in
the digital realm.
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