Digital Photography Tips – How To Select The Correct File Format To Improve Your Photos

Posted on | November 10, 2009 | No Comments

Whether your have a brand-new digital camera just out o the box or whether you?ve been using your digital camera for some time, it?s important to understand the camera?s various settings. No two photographers are the same or have the same thing in mind for the photos they are taking, so keep in mind what you plan to do with your photos. Will you just look at them on your computer? Will you only make small prints, or are you planning to make 11 x 17 prints to mount on your wall? With your final purpose in mind, here?s a checklist to go through to make sure you have selected the best settings for how you plan to use your photos.

1. Set the date and time ? Some digital cameras require that the date and time be set before you can use them. Others don?t. If you?ve already set the date and time on your camera, double-check that it?s current. If you haven?t set it yet, now?s the time to do so ? even if you have to carefully read the manual to figure out how. It is worth the trouble. This will not only provide a reference for you when searching for a photo. It will also make organizing your photos easier.

2. Set the image resolution ? Image resolution determines how sharp your photo will be, especially if you?re going to enlarge the photo. However, the higher the resolution, the bigger the file size of the image. A larger image size allows you to crop a photo and still have a decent file size in the cropped photo for a sharp print. In contrast, a lower resolution and smaller file size allows you to squeeze more photos onto your memory card.

3. Set your file format ? Even the most basic digital cameras allow you to change the format of the file your photos are saved in. Most of the time a .jpg is appropriate. However since .jpg is a method of compressing the original file to save space, some of the data is lost in the compression, which cannot be retrieved later after the file is compressed. The opposite is the ?raw? file format, which saves all the data from when a digital photo is taken. However ?raw? files are huge, so it?s usually best to shoot .jpg images unless you plan to process the image later with advanced digital photo processing software that can handle the raw format.

4. Set the IS speed ? Back in the days of film, you had to choose between high speed film, which allowed taking pictures in low light, but which produced grainy photos, or lower speed film, which required more light for a good photo, but was far less grainy. With a digital camera, you can make the camera simulate low or high-speed film. But just like with real film, a higher speed setting will result in a grainier picture. So be sure to use a lower speed setting like ISO 50 or 100 unless you are shooting in a low light situation.

So, in summary, take control of your camera?s setting and use them to improve your photos.

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