tone zone

a reference tool
by neil


about

A quiet aid for training the eye.

Tone zone reduces a photograph to its underlying value structure — the same way a painter squints at a scene to collapse detail and see the big shapes. Upload a reference, and read the values.

who this is for

  • Artists— as a cross-reference when working from a photograph, to check value relationships against what the eye reports.
  • Students— to build the habit of seeing in values before color, and to make value studies less guesswork.
  • Teachers— as a demonstration tool for talking about value structure, squinting, and how images simplify into a handful of zones.
  • Anyone training their eye— designers, photographers, hobbyists. If you want to see composition more clearly, this is for you.

questions

further study

Value-study videos worth your time.