Nikon D600 For Dummies

Taking a Quick Look at Picture Controls

The Picture Control setting gives you one more way to modify color intensity as well as to adjust image contrast and sharpening. Sharpening, in case you're new to the term, refers to a software process that adjusts contrast in a way that creates the illusion of slightly sharper focus. I emphasize, “slightly sharper focus.” Sharpening produces a subtle tweak, not a fix for poor focus.

Two things to note before you explore Picture Controls:

• Picture Controls affect only those photos that you shoot in the JPEG format. If you select Raw (NEF) as the format, the Picture Control setting affects only the picture preview you see during playback and when you view the picture thumbnail in your photo software. (See Chapter 2 for help understanding the JPEG and Raw formats.)
• You can specify a Picture Control only in the P, S, A, and M exposure modes. In all other modes, the camera selects the Picture Control for you.

You can choose from the six Picture Control settings:

• Standard (SD): The default setting, this option captures the image normally — that is, using the characteristics that Nikon offers as suitable for the majority of subjects.
• Neutral (NL): At this setting, the camera doesn't enhance color, contrast, and sharpening as much as in the other modes. The setting is designed for people who want to precisely manipulate these picture characteristics in a photo editor. By not overworking colors, sharpening, and so on when producing your original ...