Guide to Great. Digital Pictures Digital Camera Basics

Transcription

1 Guide to Great Digital Pictures Digital Camera Basics 1

2 Benefits of Digital Photography The Costco Guide to Great Digital Photography is a resource to help you have fun taking, creating, printing and safely saving your precious memories with the new digital photographic technology. Digital has made photography so much easier to do things with your pictures that were not possible with film, such as creating books, calenders, collage prints, slide shows, adding special effects and much more. We have tried to touch on all the aspects of digital photography from taking, storing, sharing, creating and printing. If you have any questions, please visit any of the Costco 1-Hour Photo Labs and ask one of our Photo Technicians. Fast access to your images You can instantly view or print your photos because there is no film to develop. Sharing your pictures Since you are starting with digital files it is very convenient to share images with friends and family over the Internet; post photos to Web sites; upload, create, share and print your photos at web sites like the Costco Photo Center at costco.com; sell or auction items via the Internet; allow business customers to view your products or keep an online photo album for family members to share. Confidence you captured the shot Digital cameras have a view screen allowing you to view the image immediately after taking the shot. You can delete any images you do not want to keep to ensure you have the image you were looking for. You do not need to use a computer Simply bring your memory card to Costco 1-Hour Photo just like you do with a roll of film and use our easy-to-use digital order kiosk. Managing your digital photos is simple and convenient Use online software like the Costco Photo Viewer & Organizer software, available for free on the Costco Gold CD or as a free download online at the Costco Photo Center at costco.com. Costco 1-Hour Photo will help 2

3 you find the best solution for accomplishing your goals. Resolution and Picture Quality The term megapixel refers to resolution. Digital photos are made of dots or picture elements called pixels. Digital cameras use millions of pixels to make your image, hence the term mega (million) pixel. For example, an 8 megapixel camera generates up to 8 million pixels to create a photo. The more pixels created, the larger you can print your image and still receive a sharp photo. Digital cameras allow you to shoot at resolutions lower than their maximum. For example, you can purchase an 8 megapixel camera and set it for 4, 5, 6 or 7 megapixels. This may also be identified as a quality level setting, e.g., fine, normal or low. You can easily change the resolution for different situations. Use a lower setting for smaller-size prints and a higher setting for enlarged (8 x 10 or larger) prints. The chart below shows how many megapixels are needed for different print sizes. Photo Minimum Recommended Size Megapixel Megapixel 5 x 7 1 MP 2 MP 8 x 10 3 MP 4 MP 11 x 14 4 MP 5 MP 12 x 18 4 MP 6 MP 20 x 30 6 MP 8 MP Picture quality is determined by several factors, including lens quality and software within the camera. Higher resolution does not necessarily equate to better pictures. Digital cameras allow you to change your resolution setting anytime you wish. Choose settings based on the largest size 3

4 photo you expect to print from the images you are shooting. Higher resolution images create larger files, which will reduce the number of images that will fit on your memory card and may transfer slowly onto your computer. With the new higher GB memory cards, the larger image files should not pose a problem. Print Size Resolution* 4 x x x x x x x x x x x x 9000 *Lower resolution may still produce acceptable prints. Changing resolution will change how many photos you can fit on your memory card. Most cameras indicate how many photos you have left on a card, based on the resolution setting. Compression is another factor in image quality and is different than resolution. Digital cameras (and digital photo programs) usually save images in JPEG format. JPEG reduces the amount of information in your file to reduce the size of your file this is called compression. Compression greatly reduces file sizes allowing more images to be stored on your card. On digital cameras these settings are usually called fine, normal and low. For making prints, the fine setting is often the best choice for quality. The normal and low settings will allow more images to fit on your card. These images may look good on your computer, however the prints may appear grainy. For most uses the JPEG format is the best choice. Many professionals, for whom maintaining maximum image quality is important, save images in the TIFF or RAW 4

5 format. Since TIFF does not compress files there is no loss of quality, though each file will be extremely large and will require much more memory than a JPEG file would. For most photographers, taking and saving pictures in the fine setting and JPEG file setting is acceptable. What to Consider When Purchasing a Digital Camera Below, you will find several prominent features of digital cameras plus a brief explanation to help you find the perfect model for your needs and budget. Common Camera Features Burst shooting Cameras with a burst feature can take several photos in rapid succession. The number of photos and how quickly they are taken varies by model. Some models record as many as four photos per second, while others only one per second. Burst shooting works best outdoors. Models without a burst feature require you to wait several seconds between photos. Digital SLR tends to be the best choice for rapid shooting and blur-free images. Will you be taking action photos or photos of young kids? Choose a model with burst capabilities to increase the likelihood of getting the exact photo you want. Face recognition Face recognition looks for multiple faces in a scene, and then sets the focus and exposure to optimize the people that are the subject of the photo. Full-motion movies Most models record video clips. While not as high in quality as a camcorder, this is a fun 5

6 feature, as you can watch the movies on your TV or them to friends and family. Different models offer different capabilities for the movie feature. It is recommended you use a memory card of 4 GB to be able to capture all your pictures and videos. Some models record sound, others only make silent movies. Newer models record at a higher resolution and faster rate for a higher quality video. Several models with MPEG4 capability can record very good quality movies and usually allow you to zoom while recording. If you have moments where you would like to capture action and sound such as young children or special occasions this is a very worthwhile feature. Image saturation Saturation is the intensity of colors. More saturation means the colors are more intense; with less, the photograph may begin to look like a black & white photo. Check to see if your camera has a saturation setting for more, normal or less. Image stabilization Image stabilization allows for compensation of camera movement. This helps keep your photos from being blurry even if you move or shake the camera slightly while shooting. LCD view screen Most models feature a small screen to preview your composition and to review your photo to ensure you captured the photo as you hoped. Screen size varies, most start at 2.5" and others as large as 3". Larger screens are easier to view and can make action shooting easier. Many newer models now include large-view screens, but no optical viewfinder. This is a highly subjective option as some may enjoy a big screen, while others miss having the conventional viewfinder or dislike having to hold the camera up and away while shooting. Macro Most digital cameras have a macro setting to allow you to shoot much closer to your subject than film cameras. 6

7 Getting close-ups of flowers, collectibles and other items is easy with a macro setting. Some models can focus as close as 1 inch away; others must be 8 or 10 inches away. Manual options While the majority of your photos will be perfect using the full automatic mode, sometimes having more control is useful. Many models offer manual options. With these you may achieve better creative results for freezing action, compensating for tricky lighting or accomplishing a specific effect. Other creative options often include adjustments to exposure, black & white, sepia, cropping, contrast and color balance. Weather resistance If you enjoy taking pictures near water, in the snow or simply want a more durable model, look for one of the several new models that are weatherproof. WI-FI capable Many new cameras have WI-FI capabilities embedded. This allows you to upload images directly into an online account without using a computer. Zoom lens As with traditional film cameras most models have zoom lenses. Some newer models zoom up to an amazing 18x. Optical zoom refers to the true magnification capabilities of the lens. Many cameras also offer a digital zoom, which electronically magnifies your image. This is NOT the same as an optical zoom. Digital zooms provide additional magnification, but image quality can be greatly reduced compared to an optical zoom. Be certain to look at the optical zoom rating. Will you be taking photos of kids, sporting events or scenery? Look for 4x or higher optical zooms so you can fill the photo with your subject even when you can t get close. Digital Point-and-Shoot versus Interchangeable Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) Models Thanks to lower prices, many are purchasing digital SLRs (DSLR) in addition to their compact point-and-shoot models. Just like the film SLR models, DSLRs offer increased image quality and versatility 7

8 not found in compact auto-only models. The ability to use advanced special creative features, change lenses, use more powerful flashes and a wider range of accessories are some of the reasons for choosing a DSLR. Now every major camera manufacturer has at least one if not several DSLRs resulting in a more competitive market providing great options for consumers. The advantages of DSLR are burst speed, versatility and blur-free images. Memory Cards While there are several types of cards in use, they are similar in capabilities and cost. There is no need to be concerned over which type of card a camera uses unless you have some cards you already wish to use in your new model. It is best to have the flexibility of a removable media card, to insert a new one when traveling or to easily use digital order kiosks at retailers, such as Costco 1-Hour Photo, to order prints. There are several benefits to having more than one card. Should you fill up your card or if your card becomes corrupted, having a second card allows you to continue taking pictures. It is recommended practice to save your images in multiple places for safe backup storage. Download/copy all images from the memory card for safe storage to your computer and/or upload to an online account like the online Costco Photo Center at costco.com and to a CD such as a Costco Gold Archival CD. Saving images on your computer or uploading to an online photo center is a good place to store those images you want to print and view most. But all images should also be stored on a CD or DVD since hard drives on computers or at an online photo center may malfunction. Memory card corruption A corrupted memory card has damaged data that prevents it from performing properly. If a card becomes unreadable, you may not be able to access photos on it. Memory card corruption often results from human error. Awareness of the main causes can help prevent card corruption from occurring. 8

9 Causes of memory card corruption Turning off a camera before an image is completely written to the memory card. Removing the memory card from a camera while an image is being written to the card. Removing the card from a memory card reader while files are still being transferred to a computer. Batteries dying out as files are being transferred directly from the camera to a computer. Note: Always make sure you have fully charged batteries before transferring images. Removing the card from a card reader while folders and files from the card are open on a computer. Opening, deleting, renaming or moving files on the card while its contents are open on a computer. Using a memory card that has not been formatted in the camera. Formatting a card in a computer instead of the camera. If you are viewing images on a memory card from a computer that has two memory card readers, and you insert a memory card into the second card reader before closing and removing the first card reader. Taking photos when camera batteries are nearly empty. Taking photos too rapidly so the camera can not complete writing one image before starting the next. Letting a memory card get too full before downloading the images to a computer or storage device. Cards that are too full may overwrite the card headers. Using a memory card from one camera in a different camera without formatting it in the new camera first. The chart below provides guidelines for memory card storage capacities: Compressed ( jpeg 100% Quality) Images per Card MEGAPIXEL CAMERA FILE SIZE (MB) 1 GB 2 GB 4 GB 8 GB 4 MP ,615 3,234 6,468 5 MP ,292 2,587 5,175 6 MP ,076 2,156 4,312 7 MP ,848 3,696 8 MP ,617 3, MP ,293 2, MP ,078 2,156 9

10 Tips on Camera Settings Working With Digital Pictures Fill the frame Stepping closer or zooming in on your subject will eliminate distracting clutter and make it easier to see your subject. Aspect ratio Aspect ratio is the width to height proportions. Check to see if your camera has aspect ratio options. If it does, set it to 3:2 for prints or to 4:3 for TV or computer monitor viewing. Put heads at the top Leave room at the top and sides of people s heads to ensure you have room for cropping when making digital prints. Use plain backgrounds Take a moment to look at what is behind your subject. Cluttered backgrounds distract from your subject. Turn the camera For pictures of one or two people, a vertical format works best. You can better fill your photo with your subjects. Up, down and all around Often we take pictures of kids and pets while standing over them. By getting down to their level you can capture a more flattering image. Also, try walking around your subject to look for different backgrounds and lighting effects. Use your flash outside Sunshine often creates undesirable shadows, especially when the light is coming from behind the subject. Using a flash outdoors fills the shadows with light. Check the camera manual for how to use this feature. 10

11 Exposure An underexposed photo will be too dark. An overexposed photo will be too light and washed out. Digital cameras, when set in Auto Mode, automatically adjust the exposure for you. Compared to film, digital images are less forgiving when not properly exposed. It is important to make certain you are within flash range, which on most models is only 10 feet. Whether inside or outside avoid shooting toward the light as this may cause your subject to be under-exposed. Red-Eye Just like film cameras, digital cameras may cause red-eye when shooting inside with the flash. Red-eye is caused by the flash being too close to the lens. Digital cameras offer a setting to reduce the appearance of red eyes. Usually activated when an eyeball symbol is shown. Even with this feature, you may still encounter red-eye. Fortunately it s easy to adjust red-eye before printing by using your personal software, or by visiting your local 1-Hour Photo lab for assistance. Digital Zoom Using a digital zoom will reduce image quality. We recommend using the optical zoom only, then cropping the image to your liking afterward. This will result in better picture quality. Many cameras have the digital zoom turned on by default. This feature can usually be turned off. Saving Your Settings Most digital cameras return to the default settings when you turn them off. You may wish to shoot at settings other than these, especially for resolution. By going into the camera s option menu you can tell the camera to keep your preferences instead of resetting. You can always change them again at any time. 11

12 Avoiding Shutter Delay Many digital cameras have a slight delay from the time you press the button until the picture is actually taken. Many new digital cameras have improved and have a very minimal delay or none at all. The delay is caused by the camera adjusting the focus, exposure and color balance. This may cause you to miss the exact shot you were hoping for. By framing your subject and pressing the shutter button halfway, right before you anticipate shooting, the camera will take its readings and shoot instantly when you fully depress the button. Changing ISO Settings Many digital cameras allow you to change the ISO or sensitivity setting. Most models will default to a lower setting, usually 100. When shooting in low light try increasing the ISO to 400. This will record more of the existing light to possibly improve details in the shadow areas. Try experimenting, as every camera has different capabilities and results will vary. Miscellaneous Options White balance For most situations keep this on Auto. If it is set incorrectly your photos will have either a yellow or a blue cast. Sharpness, Contrast and Saturation controls are available on some models. Except when experimenting, try keeping these at the original settings. Changing these may affect your ability to get great photos. 12

13 What can I do with my digital photos? Get real photo prints Depending on the resolution of your digital camera, you can get beautiful photo prints, from walletsize and standard 4-by-6 inch prints up to 16-by-20 inches and larger. The sharpness and quality equals that of film, so you don t have to give up your photo albums or scrapbooks! Digital photo kiosk You will have the ability to insert your digital memory card and to easily order prints, greeting cards, enlargements and CDs. Try Costco s 1-Hour Photo for all of these services. Many of these services only take 1 hour so your order is ready to pick up when you are finished shopping. Online photo processing There are many online services that accept your digital camera files over the Internet to order prints or to order personalized photo gifts. At costco.com, select Photo. You can order prints that will be ready in an hour at the warehouse of your choice or have the prints mailed directly to your home. This service offers you the ability to store and catalog your digital photos on the Web site, as well as a variety of editing, creative and printing options. Print at home Need a quick print for a homework project or to give to a visitor? Today s home printers can easily create prints. You can experiment with different paper finishes glossy, matte, textured and more. It s important to evaluate the cost of the consumables (ink, paper, time, etc.) when deciding which printer to use and how often to use it. Some printers accept memory cards, allowing you to make prints without a computer. Others have built-in scanners, which save on desktop space. 13

14 Get cool new items There are so many new and cool products you can make thanks to digital photography. Digital scrapbooking, photo books, posters, collages, calendars and custom greeting cards are just a few. Ask a photo lab technician what options are available for you to bring your photos to life. Online photo sharing You may want to upload your photos and share them with friends and family or other sharing sites like MySpace, FaceBook, etc. Try the Costco Photo Center at costco.com for photo sharing. Fun With Your Digital Camera Macro shots Digital cameras allow you to get much closer than your traditional film cameras. Black and white or sepia Give your photos a classic, old-fashioned look in black or brown tones. Movie mode Shoot short videos and them to friends and family. Be creative Make greeting cards, calendars, photo books, mouse pads, mugs, scrapbooks, etc. Transferring Images to Your Computer Most digital cameras include software with limited features. Utilize USB multi-card readers and online software to easily copy, view and organize your pictures from the camera to a PC. Check out the free Costco Photo Organizer and Viewer software available as a download from the online Costco Photo Center at costco.com and on any Costco Gold Archival CD. Organize images Reduce frustration searching for a specific picture. Enhance photos Fix red-eye and crop for better composition. Print photos easy ordering of prints from the online Costco Photo Center or print on a home computer. 14

15 Add text and clip art Get a fun and creative look. Share photos Use the built-in feature. Create CDs Archive or order in one easy step. Upload photos Store photos, and create and order prints and photo gifts at an online photo processor like Costco. Go to costco.com and select Photo. Computer-Related Tips Microsoft Windows update Every three months visit Microsoft posts updates to help your computer run better and prevent some viruses. Older computers may require doing this to load new software. Disk defragmenter Found under system tools in your computer. Running this program keeps your hard drive organized to allow faster access to files and reduces the chance of a file becoming corrupt, or unreadable. Empty your recycle bin If you send items to the recycle bin, it still leaves the file on your hard drive taking up space. Double click on your Recycle Bin and under file choose empty recycle bin. Storing Your Digital Images Digital cameras make electronic files, not negatives. Transfer your files to a CD or DVD, like a Costco Archival Gold CD, for long-term storage. Computer hard drives and online storage services can fail, resulting in lost pictures. Plus, it may be difficult to move pictures to a new computer when you upgrade. Better yet, print a copy at your local photo lab or kiosk. Keep a backup copy of the CD in an alternative location (e.g., safe deposit box, etc.). Digital photo technology is still rapidly evolving; ask how we can assist you. For more great photo tips, visit Photo Marketing Association The Worldwide Community of Imaging Associations 15

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