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Its time to take control over your DSLR, dont let the machine control you, ..alrite that was lame. Well this time we thought of doing an article for Nikon DSLR users because we’ve had people asking us how do we get our picture’s colours becoming so rich? So here you go, the tricks of the trade. We’ll be focusing on exposure compensation and  optimizing picture settings.

We’re gonna start of with exposure compensation on the nikon D40, this also applies to other Nikon DSLRS .

• Start off by finding a function button which shows a plus and minus sign. Its positioned close to the shutter release button/ on-off switch. Hold down the button using your index finger and simultaneously rotate the exposure value with your thumb via the command dial.

• Now on the LCD screen, you can see a bar showing a positive on one side and minus on the other. You control the value along the bar by rotating the command dial. If the marker moves towards the (+) side, that means your pictures will be overexposed (more lighter) and if it moves the opposite direction (-), it becomes under exposed (more darker). FYI, you can also adjust the value by looking through the viewfinder.

Whats the use of it you ask? Its used to fine tune your picture once you have the Aperture value/Shutter value set. To make the picture as how you want it to be exposed.

Next up is optimizing image. This setting is available on all Nikon DSLRs. Again i am using a Nikon D40. I don’t know about you guys. But when taking pictures of shapes and patterns, i really like my colours to be saturated, really vivid. Here i’m gonna show you how to optimize your image according to your personal preferences.

• On the body of the D40, there’s a set of buttons just beside the LCD screen. Find a button saying ‘Menu’ and press it. It’ll go into a ‘Shooting Menu’ screen. Find ‘optimize image’ within the menu using the navigator (the gameboy-like arrow button). And press <right>.

• You will then find yourself in the ‘Optimize image’ screen. There you’ll see a list of options that will enhance your image. I personally choose ‘More vivid’ or ‘VI+’ as it really boosts up my colours. Press ‘OK’ to confirm a setting. Try different settings for different situations. You’ll see your picture quality improving in no time. When your experienced enough, try the ‘custom’ setting to make your own setting.

Whats the use of it? Well the options in the menu should be pretty self-explanatory. Overall its to improve your picture quality and gives you control over the output of your pictures.

Why bother learning all of this? Easy, if you’ve done everything in-camera, you’ve got less work to do editing later on on your computer. Which leaves more time for the more important stuff in life. It makes your life easier. In future articles to come, we’ll be showing you on-hand guides on how to do bracketing . Try these new settings out and tell us if it worked out for you. Enjoi learning.

Related posts:

1. I know you got soul, Nikon F3 review
2. Nikon Help Hotline
3. Nikon D40,D200 to D2x: A Retrospective
4. Tutorial: Light trail
5. Prosumer or DSLR