Best Settings For Digital Photos

[m408]

I just got a Canon PowerShot A460. Trying to go through the user guide is giving me a headache. "function menu", "exposure compensations", "ISO speeds", etc....

Can anyone just walk me through how to set up and get postable photos? Don't need magazine grade or when it is high tide vs. the phase of the moon, just some decent photos.

[Ron L]

I just got a Canon PowerShot A460. Trying to go through the user guide is giving me a headache. "function menu", "exposure compensations", "ISO speeds", etc....

Can anyone just walk me through how to set up and get postable photos? Don't need magazine grade or when it is high tide vs. the phase of the moon, just some decent photos.

Buy a tripod, set the camera on auto but with the flash off, make sure the room is well lit, and already your pictures will be better than what most people post.

[Raul_Perez]

Buy a tripod, set the camera on auto but with the flash off, make sure the room is well lit, and already your pictures will be better than what most people post.

Sad, but oh so true!!

[tabsscale1]

Also you might want to use the Macro setting if the camera has it

[Rick Schmidt]

I have a Samsung that I use on a tripod to keep it steady cause I suck at that lol I use it on a setting called Scene set for Close up Auto focus on Center AF and something called OSD info on Full. Dunno what all that means but other than the close up its as it was new. I can now take pics good enough to post up now. Like Ron said tho the tripod made a big difference

[CAL]

just set for auto exposure

hi quality

macro

auto flash

[Aaronw]

Well I sat through Gregg's photo demo last summer, and the first thing he told us was toss the instructions, nobody can understand them.

Pretty much what CAL said, except if you just want to post them online one of the middle to lower settings are probably fine and it will save you the step of resizing them when you post online. I usually resize my photos to 800x600 and 72 dpi, which provides a nice computer screen sized photo. If you want to print them out or take them to be printed as photos then use the highest setting.

You can get a nice tripod at Walmart or Target for $20 or less and it will make a huge improvment in photo quality. You want to avoid using a flash, natural sunlight or bright indoor light is best.

Also a clean area is nice, even if you don't use a cardstock background a clear table or bedspread make a far superior backdrop to chip bags, soda cans and a computer monitor.

[Aaronw]

Also when you actually get to the point of taking photos, take a bunch, everything looks fine on theat little screen but you will find blurry pics sneak in there, if you take 2 or 3 from each angle there is a much better chance of having enough usable photos and it isn't really any harder to delete 20 pics than it is to delete 5.

[m408]

Got a mini tripod at Target for under $20. Thanks all for the help.

[tabsscale1]

here is a picture I took with a Cannon Powershot A540. I used a table top studio i bough at Walmart for $50. I used the 2 light and the 6 inch tripod that comes with it. The camera was set on Auto flash off and macro on. Also it was set on the next to last resolution would check but my wife has the camera right now. The chopped 40 Ford was taken wih the same settings and outside.

[Howard Cohen]

I have the same camera and for indoor model car shots I turn the flash off (as long as there is good overgead light), set the camera on macro and shoot. I have a mini tripod, a fulll size tripod and a monopod for walking around car shows. I am using mini-fluorescent bulbs with an outdoor natural white light. They are about $10 for 4 and are supposed to last 10 years. They give off good, clean light and almost no reflection.

I have it set on 'S' which is 640x480, which I find good for overall shots of models. If you increase the resolution, you can get different shots. Experiment with a bunch of shots indoors and out. I took about 100 shots testing it.

I have a pair of 2GB cards and I can get a lot of photos on each one, well over 9000 at low resolution. about 1400 on high resolution. However, low is easier to email and store.

I also prefer to use the viewfinder to focus most shots and I use the screen only for real closeups. Using the screen kills the batteries real quick. Using the viewfinder, I can take about 250 shots on a pair of batteries. I am using Energizer Rechargables. So far I have taken over 1100 photos and no problems.

I like it...it's a good camera, easy to use and carry.

[Ron L]

Regarding flashes, you can use one if you must - in a dark room, a lit room but no windows, etc. BUT you must not use it directly. Use a "bounce card", which is basically something white taped to the bottom of the flash. A white business card or a piece of index card for example. Angle it so that the flash is reflected up towards the ceiling. You could even hold the card by hand if the camera is on a tripod. Make sure the bounce card does not obscure the flash sensor, it adjusts the flash duration based on the amount of light that has been emitted. If the bounce card is covering the sensor, the card will reflect the flash into the sensor instantly, resulting in very dark pictures. Not all cameras will have sensors next to the flash.

Basically you are using your ceiling as a flash reflector, a free version of those big flash umbrellas you see at pro photo shoots. If your camera has a hot shoe you can get a pivot flash ($$$) and point it at the ceiling. Obviously this won't work outside or other large areas like a convention center, which is why they make flash umbrellas. For photographing still objects like models in these large areas, a tripod and long exposure is the way to go.

[crispy]

Just a few weeks ago I got a private message from Gregg about my Ferrari 575M.

He gave me some great tips and with added light my in house studio photo's should be magazine quality in time.

I hope he doesn't mind me posting this, but I cannot believe the difference his note made in my camera settings.

From Gregg, "Chris, just food for thought here, not meant to be negative

On your pics of the new blue 575M, can the camera be set at Aperture Priority, or A, or AV?

You would need a tripod, and set to the highest f-stop it has. Most digitals can only go to F-8 or so.

Love the car, just would like to see it more in focus.

I bought a point-n-shoot because the controls said A, M, and others, but they were misleading.

I'm seeing more and more builders post pics of some great builds, but they are so out of focus front to rear, that it hurts the models.

I am running continuing series of tips, tricks, and such on digital photography"

Again, as was mentioned, tripod, lighting and just plain working with the camera's settings. Something I have been doing myself, but never hit that high f-stop.

Here are the two examples:

Exhibit A (my first photo):

Exhibit B(Gregg's Tips):

In Exhibit A you can see how fuzzy the front of the car looks.

Exhibit B shows the complete car with no blur whatsoever.

Those were quick takes and as you can see I need to add more light. These were also taken with a table top tripod and a Sony H9 was used on exhibit B. Exhibit A photo I used my Sony P100, a point and shoot.

Chris

[Zoom Zoom]

Chris has shown the most important aspect, and that is if your camera has aperture priority, use it! Makes a world of difference for depth of field; so everything is in focus. You need a lot of light, and your camera probably has a way to easily set your "white balance" and lightness/darkness. Once you get the settings, and learn how to use macro, it's pretty easy. And you can practice all you want, and delete your practice shots until you get them right.

My camera also has a "scene" feature, with one of them "indoors". This is the setting that I take pics of models at a show or club meeting; the quality isn't as good as my studio shots, but they are bright and mostly in good focus, though I can't use aperture priority in this mode. My camera also has image stabilization, to compensate for shaky hands or low light situations, or telephoto shots without the need for a tripod. One of the greatest inventions for a digital camera! My old show photos often were blurry, sometimes even when I used a tripod. Going around the tables w/a camera and tripod was obnoxious. I eventually quit taking table shots until I got a better camera.

[m408]

Well I sat through Gregg's photo demo last summer, and the first thing he told us was toss the instructions, nobody can understand them.

Pretty much what CAL said, except if you just want to post them online one of the middle to lower settings are probably fine and it will save you the step of resizing them when you post online. I usually resize my photos to 800x600 and 72 dpi, which provides a nice computer screen sized photo. If you want to print them out or take them to be printed as photos then use the highest setting.

You can get a nice tripod at Walmart or Target for $20 or less and it will make a huge improvment in photo quality. You want to avoid using a flash, natural sunlight or bright indoor light is best.

Also a clean area is nice, even if you don't use a cardstock background a clear table or bedspread make a far superior backdrop to chip bags, soda cans and a computer monitor.

Hi Aaronw, Why resize? I tried using various recording pixel values and can't see much difference. About the same picture quality, upload time to my PC, and upload time to photobucket. Just to save space on the camera memory card?

[m408]

Just a few weeks ago I got a private message from Gregg about my Ferrari 575M.

He gave me some great tips and with added light my in house studio photo's should be magazine quality in time.

I hope he doesn't mind me posting this, but I cannot believe the difference his note made in my camera settings.

From Gregg, "Chris, just food for thought here, not meant to be negative

On your pics of the new blue 575M, can the camera be set at Aperture Priority, or A, or AV?

You would need a tripod, and set to the highest f-stop it has. Most digitals can only go to F-8 or so.

Love the car, just would like to see it more in focus.

I bought a point-n-shoot because the controls said A, M, and others, but they were misleading.

I'm seeing more and more builders post pics of some great builds, but they are so out of focus front to rear, that it hurts the models.

I am running continuing series of tips, tricks, and such on digital photography"

Again, as was mentioned, tripod, lighting and just plain working with the camera's settings. Something I have been doing myself, but never hit that high f-stop.

Here are the two examples:

Exhibit A (my first photo):

Exhibit B(Gregg's Tips):

In Exhibit A you can see how fuzzy the front of the car looks.

Exhibit B shows the complete car with no blur whatsoever.

Those were quick takes and as you can see I need to add more light. These were also taken with a table top tripod and a Sony H9 was used on exhibit B. Exhibit A photo I used my Sony P100, a point and shoot.

Chris

Great tips, but right now I'm just trying to get some "postable" photos. Way far from Fstops and super lighting tricks. Eventually I'll get into that stuff.

[m408]

I have the same camera and for indoor model car shots I turn the flash off (as long as there is good overgead light), set the camera on macro and shoot. I have a mini tripod, a fulll size tripod and a monopod for walking around car shows. I am using mini-fluorescent bulbs with an outdoor natural white light. They are about $10 for 4 and are supposed to last 10 years. They give off good, clean light and almost no reflection.

I have it set on 'S' which is 640x480, which I find good for overall shots of models. If you increase the resolution, you can get different shots. Experiment with a bunch of shots indoors and out. I took about 100 shots testing it.

I have a pair of 2GB cards and I can get a lot of photos on each one, well over 9000 at low resolution. about 1400 on high resolution. However, low is easier to email and store.

I also prefer to use the viewfinder to focus most shots and I use the screen only for real closeups. Using the screen kills the batteries real quick. Using the viewfinder, I can take about 250 shots on a pair of batteries. I am using Energizer Rechargables. So far I have taken over 1100 photos and no problems.

I like it...it's a good camera, easy to use and carry.

Thanks Howard, I'm having a ball messing with this thing. Got a mini tripod, built a cheap photo box and am experimenting with different bulbs etc. Trying different pixel sizes but can't really see much difference between them. I'm just using plain old AAs. Cheap and easy to find. Anyhow, nice break from trying to detail an interior.

[Aaronw]

Hi Aaronw, Why resize? I tried using various recording pixel values and can't see much difference. About the same picture quality, upload time to my PC, and upload time to photobucket. Just to save space on the camera memory card?

I use the highest setting on my camera since I use it for more than just taking pics of models and don't want to forget and take some great pics at low resolution. Computer monitors are low resolution so it doesn't take much to post a decent looking photo online, but if you tried printing it wouldn't look very good. Another benefit although more advanced, if you take a high resolution photo you can go in, crop the area you want to focus on and then blow it up sort of like an after the fact zoom. This requires at least a little familiarity with photo editing software (most cameras come with some sort of program you can use for this) but it isn't really hard, just crop and resize, but a low res photo won't give you the good detail you need for this.

As far as resizing, straight from my camera the pics are 15mb and they are huge (11x17" or so), all you would see is the tire on your screen. At 800x600 and 72dpi the photos are roughly 6" wide which is a nice size for a computer screen, they are also only 100kb or so (1/150 the size), my photobucket account would fill up really fast if I posted the pics right from the camera. If you are using a lower setting then there is no reason to resize them. Also most photo accounts limit the size files you can download to them.

You really can't judge picture quality on your computer screen, computer screens have terrible resolution and even the cheapest modern digital camera on its lowest setting probably takes a better picture than your monitor can show. If you try printing though you will see a big difference in quality. The higher settings will provide a clearer picture and you will be able to print the photos larger while maintaining a sharp photo, the lower settings will quickly start to pixilate as you enlarge the pic.

[m408]

Speaking of printing. I would like to make a portable album of my car model photos. I have an hp3550 printer. Any recommendations as to what type paper to use? And would it be available from places like staples? Or do I need to get it from a camera house? Also, I would like to have 3 or 4 pictures of the same car, but different details in each shot, per page. Special software needed? If so what do you recommend. I am using windows xp and am not very pc literate.

[Ron L]

Speaking of printing. I would like to make a portable album of my car model photos. I have an hp3550 printer. Any recommendations as to what type paper to use? And would it be available from places like staples? Or do I need to get it from a camera house? Also, I would like to have 3 or 4 pictures of the same car, but different details in each shot, per page. Special software needed? If so what do you recommend. I am using windows xp and am not very pc literate.

Instead of all that trouble, I would just have someone such as Walgreens, Target, Costco, etc. develop/print your pictures. While you're there, buy a scrapbook album and arrange the photos yourself. Inkjet cartridges and photo paper gets expensive unless you have a dedicated photo printer which, besides the price of the printer itself, are very cost effective when it comes to price per print. My wife has one of these she uses for scrapbooking, and the printer/ink packages come out to ~20 cents a picture. You could probably find the older printers for cheap. For example my mom's Canon photo printer was on sale last holiday season for $50 at Staples. It doesn't have the bells and whistles like my wife's HP such as internal hard disk, screen, card readers, etc. but it prints pictures straight out of the camera, just like it's supposed to.

[Aaronw]

I'm with Ron on this, put the photos you want onto a CD then have them printed at a local photo place. Better quality and cheaper than printing it yourself.

I use Adobe photoshop but your camera should have come with some photo editing software. Most of these free programs do everything most people need, crop, resize, adjust color / brightness etc. Programs like Photoshop do all kinds of wierd artsy fartsy stuff, neat to play with but rarely used by most people.

[Jason Rothgeb]

I just got a Canon PowerShot A460. Trying to go through the user guide is giving me a headache. "function menu", "exposure compensations", "ISO speeds", etc....

Can anyone just walk me through how to set up and get postable photos? Don't need magazine grade or when it is high tide vs. the phase of the moon, just some decent photos.

My avatar is a sample of my work. Here is my big three of photography tips:

1. Steady camera. This does not necessarily mean a tripod though. For a lot of my low angle shots, the camera is directly on the table. For higher angle shots, if you can do it without crushing someone's model at a show, use your elbows as a makeshift tripod. This will steady your shot. I got that one from Bob Seagraves.

2. Lots of indirect light and a sweep. My set-up is the overhead lights in my kitchen and two floor lamps for 540 watts of illumination! A lot of folks just take their stuff outside. The sweep will help with light diffusion and brightness as well as aiding the auto focus lens on keeping the subject/car in focus.

3. Camera settings: Flash off, Macro on, and using the highest quality setting (especially if you are thinking about having prints made like you mention in the thread.)

As Ron L. said this is "most of the way there" for a basic primer

[David Thibodeau]

Your camera needs to have an F stop (aperature) of atleast F8. This will get the subject in focus. I also play with the exposure compensation on my camera as well. If you have a point and shoot camera you will have a hard time getting consistent in focus picutres. The white balance has alot to do with good pics as well. I learned alot just by playing around with my Olympus I have. But it has alot of manual settings which are a must!!

Dave T