What do zebra stripes indicate in a viewfinder or monitor?

Zebra stripes in a viewfinder or monitor serve as a visual indicator of areas in the frame that are overexposed or at risk of being overexposed. They typically appear as diagonal lines over the areas where the brightness exceeds a certain threshold that a videographer or camera operator sets, usually around 100% or more, which signifies that the highlight areas may lose detail.

When you see zebra stripes, it’s a cue to adjust your exposure settings to ensure that important highlights in the image do not become washed out. This is particularly crucial for maintaining detail in bright areas, enabling the operator to achieve a properly exposed image across all tonal ranges. The other options do not pertain to the functionality of zebra stripes: they do not indicate the position of talent, audio levels, or focus clarity, which are assessed through different monitoring tools and techniques.