Editing Zone System (section)

=== Zones, the physical world and the print ===

The relationship between the physical scene and the print is established by characteristics of the negative and the print.
Exposure and development of the negative are usually determined so that a properly exposed negative will yield an acceptable print on a specific photographic paper.

Although zones directly relate to exposure, visualization relates to the final result. A black-and-white photographic print represents the visual world as a series of tones ranging from black to white. Imagine all of the tonal values that can appear in a print, represented as a continuous gradation from black to white:
{|align=center style=width:33em;border-spacing:0
|+Full Tonal Gradation
|-
|style=padding:0|<div style="background:white;width:30.2em;border:1px solid black;box-sizing:border-box;overflow:clip;height:3em">{{for nowiki|>|<div style{{=}}background:rgba(<nowiki>{{loop|3|{{#expr:255-({{{1}}})}},}}1);width:{{#expr:(ln(((1.055-({{{1}}})/255)^.8+(1.055-(({{{1}}})-1)/255)^.8)^3/((1.055-1/255)^.8+1.055^.8)^3)/ln(2)+10)*3}}</nowiki>em|count=255}};height:3em>{{loop|255|</div>}}
|}
From this starting point, zones are formed by first dividing the tonal gradation into ten equal sections, all one stop apart, plus one more for blown-out paper white.
{|align=center style=width:33em;border-spacing:0
|+Eleven-Step Gradation
|-
|style=padding:0|<div style="background:white;width:30.2em;border:1px solid black;box-sizing:border-box;overflow:clip;height:3em"><div style=height:.2em>{{for nowiki|>|<div style{{=}}background:rgba(<nowiki>{{loop|3|{{#expr:255-({{{1}}})}},}}1);width:{{#expr:(ln(((1.055-({{{1}}})/255)^.8+(1.055-(({{{1}}})-1)/255)^.8)^3/((1.055-1/255)^.8+1.055^.8)^3)/ln(2)+10)*3}}</nowiki>em|count=255}};height:3em>{{loop|256|</div>}}<div style="margin-left:-1px;{{for nowiki|"><div style{{=}}"|width:<nowiki>{{#expr:33-({{{1}}})*3}}em;border-right:1px solid#{{#ifexpr:({{{1}}})>5|555|000}}</nowiki>|count=10}};height:2.5em></div>
|}
:'''Note:''' ''The darker shades may not be distinguishable on some monitors.''
Then for each section, one average tone represents all the tonal values in that section.
{|align=center style=width:33em;border-spacing:0
|+Eleven Symbolic Tones
|-style=height:3em
|style="border:1px solid black;background:rgba({{loop|3|{{#expr:((((1-1/255/1.055)^.8)+1)^3)*3294.6*2^-12.5}},}}1)"|
|style="border:1px solid black;background:rgba({{loop|3|{{#expr:((((1-1/255/1.055)^.8)+1)^3)*3294.6*2^-11.5}},}}1)"|
{{for nowiki||<nowiki>|style{{=}}"border:1px solid black;background:rgba({{loop|3|{{#expr:(1.055*(((((1-1/255/1.055)^.8)+1)^3)*2^(({{{1}}})-11.5))^(1/2.4)-.055)*255}},}}1)"|</nowiki>
|count=8}}|style="border:1px solid black;background:white"|
|}
Finally, the zones are defined by numbering each section with Roman numerals from 0 for the black section to X for the white one.
{|align=center style=width:33em;border-spacing:0;text-align:center
|+The Zone Scale
|-style=height:3em
|style="width:9%;border:1px solid black;background:rgba({{loop|3|{{#expr:((((1-1/255/1.055)^.8)+1)^3)*3294.6*2^-12.5}},}}1);color:#555"|0
|style="width:9%;border:1px solid black;background:rgba({{loop|3|{{#expr:((((1-1/255/1.055)^.8)+1)^3)*3294.6*2^-11.5}},}}1);color:#555"|I
{{for nowiki||<nowiki>|style{{=}}"width:9%;border:1px solid black;background:rgba({{loop|3|{{#expr:(1.055*(((((1-1/255/1.055)^.8)+1)^3)*2^(({{{1}}})-11.5))^(1/2.4)-.055)*255}},}}1);color:#{{#ifexpr:({{{1}}})<4|555|000}};{{#ifeq:{{{1}}}|4|font-size:150%}}"|{{#switch:{{{1}}}|1=II|2=III|3=IV|4=V|5=VI|6=VII|7=VIII|8=IX}}</nowiki>
|count=8}}|style="width:9%;border:1px solid black;background:white;color:black"|X
|}