Instruction manual
2524 | Get more from your digital SLR
Metering & assessment
W
hile D-SLR users who
shoot RAW fi les have
access to RAW conversion
software that allows for all sorts of
post-capture tweaks, those of you
who still shoot JPEGs have fewer
options when it comes to getting
optimum results. However, if you
want enhanced colours without so
much as a tweak in Photoshop, all
you have to do is use your D-SLR’s
in-camera colour settings. Here are
some of the most common and
more effective options...
Colour settings
Vivid
One of the most useful colour
settings that D-SLRs offer is
Vivid. It does exactly what its
name suggests, bumping up
the contrast and saturation for
more vibrant results.
Landscapes and macro shots
can really benefi t from this
setting – just remember to reset
the colour mode back to normal
when shooting skin tones etc
for more subtle results.
fiSharpness
This setting isn’t going to make your blurred pictures sharper, but it will make
already sharp shots appear even sharper. Many cameras default to an auto
setting that judges how much sharpening should be applied to each image,
which means that some images will occasionally appear sharper than others.
Keep in mind that some labs will also apply sharpening when they print your
images, so if you set the level too high you may end up with some seriously
overcooked prints.
‹Mono/sepia
These two settings should
be approached with
caution. While being able
to shoot in sepia may be a
novelty to begin with, its
limitations will soon
become apparent. Other
modes just tweak the
colours slightly but the mono and sepia settings
remove colour altogether, so no matter what you
do at a later date you can’t get the colour back.
However, the mono setting has its uses – it’ll help
you to visualise scenes in glorious black & white.
€Normal
While there’s nothing
fundamentally wrong
with this shot of a lone
pink geranium, taken at
the normal colour setting,
it lacks saturation and
impact. The petals
especially could do with
an extra burst of colour.
Too much sharpening will result
in unwanted halos around visible
edges and increased noise, which
is more noticeable in areas of
smooth tones such as greens.
Avoid oversharpening at all costs.