• Technical
• Settings
• Light conditions/Flash
• Edit Your Pictures
  

The Nokia Nseries imaging devices are very intelligent. In nine cases out of ten, the automatic settings will give you a very good result. But no camera knows what your intention is, so to get the one shot in ten right (and to score excellent for the other nine) you need to know a bit about how the camera thinks.


Resolution
Resolution determines the sharpness of an image. The pixel count determines the geometric resolution and tonal dynamic range of the image. The optical resolution or lens determines the clarity, focus and contrast of the information provided to the image capture material. The dynamic range (tonal shadow and highlight detail), colour fidelity and over-all sharpness of the image are its resolution.

A low resolution shot can look as good as the bigger file when it's shown on a small screen:

High Resolution		Low Resolution

But a printout will show the difference:

High Resolution		Low Resolution

The resolution of the image can be changed in the menu:
Choose Options > Settings > Image quality > Print email or MMS

Use:
High resolution for prints
Low resolution for MMS

If in doubt, use high resolution; you can even make a low-resolution copy to send while you keep the high-resolution version to print out later.

Light conditions/White Balance
There's a big difference between daylight and artificial light. A tungsten light bulb emits a rather yellowish light compared with the sun. And even the colour of daylight changes constantly during the day. For example, towards sunset the light turns pinky-red.

When you take a picture you have two modes to choose from:

• Automatic: the camera tries to select the setting that it thinks matches the light conditions
• Manual: you choose the setting for the light conditions (sun, cloudy, incandescent or fluorescent)This setting influences the colour of the image.

Automatic		Fluorescent

The picture taken in automatic mode gives a fairly good result but in fluorescent mode the colours are more realistic to the original. Other modes result in unrealistic colours.

Exposure
Automatic exposure will give correct exposure nine times out of ten. But, if you've got large areas of white or black in a scene, it's best to use the Manual settings. If in doubt, look at the subject and compare what you see with what the viewfinder shows.

Automatic		f-0.5

Zoom
There are two types of zoom - digital and optical.

• The optical zoom uses the lens to enlarge the picture. There is no drawback from a quality point of view.
• The digital zoom simply expands the existing image; the quality of the image is degraded.

Wide Angle		Optical Zoom		Digital Zoom
Note: When you zoom in, the picture is magnified. So is any movement of the camera and it is much harder to take a steady shot! Use a support or put the camera on a steady surface.

Focus
The process of bringing one plane of the scene into sharp focus on the image sensor:

• In focus: clear; distinct; sharply defined.
• Out of focus: indistinct; blurred; not sharply defined.

Advice:

• Always focus.
• When you take a picture of a person, focus on the eyes.

Nokia imaging devices have no manual focus adjustment. It will always focus on the nearest object. Minimum distance for accurate focus is about thirty centimetres (one foot) for normal settings - about five centimetres (two inches) in close-up mode. If you want to focus on something further away than the nearest object, pan away to remove the foreground from the viewfinder and press the 'shoot' button LIGHTLY. When the little green indicator on the right of the screen goes steady ("I have focus"), pan back to include the foreground and press the button fully. Image stabilizer The Image Stabilizer adjusts the lens to compensate for small movements of the camera.

Image stabilizer
The Image Stabilizer adjusts the lens to compensate for small movements of the camera.

Sport
This is the best mode for shooting sporting events (and airliners taking off). It uses the fastest shutter speed possible.

Automatic		Sport

Sometimes the very sharpness of the image can be a disadvantage. To get the best of both worlds, try panning with the moving object. You can now see the cyclist clearly, but the background is blurred:

Sport plus Pan

Close-up
Use the close up mode so all the detail is in focus.

Automatic		Close Up
Advice: For optimum results, put the camera on a steady surface.

Night
This is the best mode for evening and night scenes. This mode allows you to take shots where the shutter speed can be up to 3 seconds.

Automatic		Night
Advice: This setting requires a steady camera. If it's impossible to hold the camera still, the Automatic setting is a better option.

Portrait
This is the best mode for shooting portraits. Skin tones are shown beautifully and the overall tone is soft.

Automatic		Portrait

Landscape
This is the best mode for shooting scenery in daylight and provides crisp, clear shots of scenery such as buildings and mountains.

Landscape

Purists say that a good photograph should have three distinct planes. This one seems to have four!

Built-in LED flashes lose their effectiveness past 1,5 meters (5 ft). Make sure that the subject is within range of the flash. Don't forget the night scene option.

Red eye reduction
The left picture is photographed with the flash in Automatic mode. The red eyes are very noticeable. The right picture is photographed with the flash in Red Eye Reduction mode. The first flash causes the irises in the subject's eyes to close part way. When the flash fires again to take the actual picture, the reflection of the inside of the subject's eyes is almost invisible. The eyes look much more natural.

Flash automatic		Flash with red eye reduction
Advice: Use the red eye reduction flash setting if possible. Having to edit the image afterwards gives poorer results

Top

Colour tone
Many cameras offer colour mode options, which allow you to take pictures in black & white, sepia, and negative.

Normal		Black and White		Sepia		Negative

Action: Options > Edit > Options > Apply effect > select sepia or black & white or negative.

Rotate
Use this effect to rotate the image. But take the cat out of the dryer first!

Original		Rotate

Action: Options > Edit > Options > Apply effect > select rotate left or rotate right > select Ok.

Sharpen
Sharpen is a very useful feature for pictures that are slightly out of focus.

Original		Detail original		Detail sharper

Action:

Options > Edit > Options > Apply effect > select Sharpness > Move up or down to modify > select Ok.

Set Contrast
Contrast is the difference in brightness between the lightest and darkest tones in a picture. A picture with too much contrast has highlights (lighter tones) that are too bright and show few details, shadow areas that are too black, and too bright with unnatural-looking colours in between. A picture with too little contrast looks dull, with muted colours, greyish highlights and no true blacks. Use this effect to change the contrast of the image.

Original		Increased contrast		Too much contrast

Action:

Options > Edit > Options > Apply effect > select Contrast > Move up or down to modify > select Ok

Crop
Use this effect to cut out unwanted parts of the image

Original		Cropped to exclude man on right

Action:

Options > Edit > Options > Apply effect > Crop. A cross appears on the upper left corner of the image. To move the cross, and select the area to be cropped, move the joystick. Select Set. Another cross appears on the lower right corner. Select the area to be cropped again and select Crop.

Set Brightness
Use the brightness or exposure adjustment to change the overall brightness of a picture. You can lighten a picture that's too dark, or darken one that's too light. Use this effect to improve an under or over exposed picture.

Original		Brighter		Too bright

Action:

Options > Edit > Options > Apply effect > select Brightness > Move up or down to modify > select Ok.

Frame
Use this effect to put the image in a frame.

Original		With Frame

Action:

Options > Edit > Options > Apply effect > select Frame > Move left or right to chose a frame > select Ok.

Text
Use this effect when you want to add text to the image.

Action:

Select Options > Edit > Options > Apply effect > Text. Enter the text and select Ok. To edit the text, select Options > Move, Resize, Rotate, or Select colour > select Ok.

Clip art
Use this effect to insert a clip into the image.

Action:

Select Options > Edit > Options > Apply effect > Clip-art. Select the item you want to add from the list and press the joystick. To move, rotate, and change the size of the item, select Options > Move, Resize, or Rotate > select Ok.

Cartoonise
Use this effect to give your picture a cartoonised image.

Original		Cartoonised

Action: Options > Edit > Options > Apply effect > select Cartoonise.

Red Eye Reduction
Use this effect to reduce the red eyes in the photograph to ensure that the subject's eyes appear more natural.

Original		With Red Eye Reduction

Action:

Select Options > Edit > Options > Apply effect > select Red eye reduction. Move the cross onto the eye, and press the joystick. A loop appears on the display. To resize the loop to fit the size of the eye, move the joystick. Press the joystick to reduce the redness > select Ok.