14d E-950 E-800 E-700 Digital Camera Tutorial : Image Adjustment

Intro | Metering | Sensitivity | Exposure Compensation | Image Adjustment

Image Adjustment

Many images contain complex subjects with wide variations in tone. Whereas a film camera can only change aperture and shutter resulting in a general increase or decrease in both brightness and contrast, a digital camera is able to change either the overall brightness of an image or expand/reduce the tonal range independantly. In Nikon's digital cameras, these controls are called  Image Adjustment.

Example
An example of the use of Image Adjustment is shown below using a landcape scene, shot in the UK at 16.00 on a cloudy April day. In the upper image the camera was set to matrix metering with no exposure compensation and the result was a low-contrast scene.

In the lower image, by setting the Image Adjust to Contrast +, more detail has become visible in the buildings within the town and in the foreground grassy area. The resulting picture is stronger and more pleasing.

Matrix Metering, No Exposure Compensation, No Image Adjustment

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Matrix Metering, No Exposure Compensation, Contrast + Adjustment

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Other uses of image adjustment are to increase the brightness to give a more lively image, reduce brightness to make the image more sombre and decrease contrast to avoid harsh or intense images from high-contrast objects.

 

Intro | Metering | Sensitivity | Exposure Compensation | Image Adjustment