Laura Balsam
Classes Outlines

Every camera uses different terms for the same basic concepts.

Here are the concepts, look up the specific settings in your camera's manual.

All of the following settings can be changed between pictures.

It's great because it makes you very flexible.

It's terrible because it is so easy to forget what settings you have selected.

Because JPG files are the smallest it is the most commonly used file format.

Many consumer cameras can only save in JPG format.

If your image will be saved as a JPG you can determine how much compression will be used.

More compression = smaller files + less detail + more JPG artifacts

Less compression = larger files, more detail, less noticeable JPG artifacts

Trade-off: the size of the photo vs. the quality

Picture Dimensions

For e-mail & the web -

Printing - 150 - 300 pixels per inch

More pixels make file sizes larger, but print better.

If photos are for e-mail and web only, you can use very small pictures.
640 x 480 - 600 x 800 - 1000 x 700
Pictures larger than this will either be compressed by the web browser or e-mail program, or the viewer will have to scroll around to see the whole image.

The larger you want to print the photo the more pixels you need for a crisp print.

You can always resize down, resizing up often results in less crisp images. Scaling up also brings out any blurriness or other defect in the photo.

To get an idea of how many pixels you need, multiply 300 by the largest print size you might make.

Example:

Ideal to make an 8 1/2" by 11" horizontal print you would want an image that is.

Very Good Quality

Height
8.5 x 300 = 2,550

Width
11 x 300 = 3,300

You used to have to determine this before shooting by buying the right film for the light you planned to shoot in. Now you can switch on the fly depending on the lighting.

The lower the number the more light is required to create and image, but the crisper that photo will be.

Guidelines:

50 - 100 Bright day light.

200 Overcast daylight

400 Indoors or night

This is usually indicated by a lightning bolt

Typical choices are:

On - Always file flash

Off - Never fire flash

Auto - Fire the flash when the camera thinks there is not enough light,

Red-eye - Fire the flash more than once to avoid red glowing eyes.

Your camera may have a dial on top, buttons or menu options to allow you to switch between shooting modes.

Macro - Often indicated by a flower. Used for close ups, you can sometimes get less than an inch away from your subject.

Portrait - Often indicated by a stylized head and shoulders. Expose for the center of the picture, Focus is mid-range, check your manual for specific distances.

Scenery - Often indicated by mountains. Focos is distant. Great for shooting through glass or a screen when you want the camera to lock onto the view, not the window.

On many cameras you can press the shutter button part way to lock in the focus and the exposure.

You can continue to hold the button half way and move the camera to re-frame the shot, knowing that your subject will be in focus and properly exposed.

Because the camera has already focused when you press the button all the way it should take the picture immediately.