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Guide to Scene Modes

We’re still no clearer about whether the Landscape image-processing options are the same in the scene mode and the optimisation mode. Nikon is not the only manufacturer at fault. Most DSLR makers are ambiguous about what these picture styles do and discuss their merits in pictorial terms rather than relating them to specific contrast, saturation and sharpness settings. Many photographers may prefer these manual adjustments to pre-packaged picture styles simply because it’s immediately obvious what they do. What’s more, you can tune the image rendition to match both the subject and the need for any further image editing later.

For example, increasing the contrast can add punch to shots taken in flat lighting or on overcast days. At the same time, though, a low contrast setting can provide a bit of a safety net. It’s easy to add contrast in an image editor, but you can’t take it away, especially if the highlights and/or the shadows have been clipped.

Saturation is another matter. You can add saturation in an image editor, but this often introduces colour artefacts, clipping and ‘blotchiness’. But if you apply a high saturation value in the camera, this saturation increase will be applied to the RAW data during the image processing, producing potentially superior results.

Sharpening, however, is best done on a computer rather than within the camera. In-camera sharpening is generally crude, producing visible halos around high-contrast edges, ruining the picture. As long as you’re prepared to sharpen each image later, the lowest sharpening setting will produce potentially the best results.

These combinations of contrast, saturation and sharpness can generally be saved as custom user settings and reused in the future. Just make sure you understand how the adjustments you make here relate to any other picture styles in use. Even here, there’s potential for confusion. The Canon EOS 400D, for example, offers manual contrast, saturation and sharpness adjustments, but it appears that these are not applied as an alternative to any of its Picture Styles; instead, they are superimposed on the base settings of whichever Picture Style is in use. Please, camera makers, get this sorted out! There are too many image-adjustment parameters and not enough explanation about how they work and interrelate, no matter how hard we may try to decipher the settings.

All the way through this article we’ve been assuming that photographers shoot JPEG files, which are, of course, processed within the camera. But surely all these complications become academic if you shoot RAW files?

Whatever the merits of RAW files – and there are many – they do have a couple of significant disadvantages. First, you’re simply postponing the image-processing decision rather than eliminating it. Second, scene modes and picture styles do act as shortcuts to settings and processing options that  would take some time to set up manually.

RAW conversions
Today there’s no shortage of RAW file converters. Canon cameras ship with Canon’s own Digital Photo Pro, but Nikon and Fujifilm users must pay separately for Nikon Capture NX and HyperUtility respectively. Given this, it’s tempting to use a third-party converter instead. Photoshop Elements, Photoshop, Aperture and Lightroom all do a good job, and in particular may prove better at recovering highlight detail in RAW files. But there is a good case to be made for using the maker’s own converter. This is that the software will duplicate the colour and tone settings provided with the camera. What this means is that you can experiment with the ‘camera’ settings on your computer. Generic third-party RAW converters don’t offer this precise matching between the software and camera settings.

Picture styles
Standard mode
This series of shots was taken with a Canon EOS 400D. The Standard mode, shown here, is designed for general-purpose use, with "vivid, sharp and crisp reproduction". The contrast is high, which can cause filled-in shadows or blown highlights.

Landscape mode
This mode is designed for "vivid blues and greens, and very sharp and crisp images". The increase in saturation in the greens is especially noticeable. Interestingly, the 400D’s Portrait mode produces very similar saturation and contrast levels.

Neutral mode
Neutral mode is intended "for users who prefer to process images with their personal computer… for natural colours and subdued images". In short, the pictures look distinctly flat and undersaturated, and will almost certainly need tweaking later.

Faithful mode
This is similar to the Neutral mode, except that "when the subject is photographed under a colour temperature of 5200K, the colour is adjusted colorimetrically to match the subject’s colour". Again, these images need tweaking.

Watching the workflow
Why waste time fiddling with picture styles and colour, contrast and sharpness settings in the camera when you can simply shoot RAW files and worry about it later? RAW files offer much more flexibility and potentially superior image quality, so it seems a bit of a no-brainer. However, two things are frequently overlooked. Quite apart from the larger size and longer write times of RAW files, there can be little doubt that processing RAW files on a computer takes more time and concentration than shooting JPEGs in the camera. Each image demands your attention and takes time that might be better spent taking more photos, preparing exhibitions, wooing clients and so on. The second point is that fiddling with RAW files can be dangerously addictive. You may waste hours trying to squeeze better conversions or testing new conversion tools on the same old images, and never quite be sure you’ve done the best job possible. Shooting JPEGs gives you a cut-off point. You’ve got the picture, it’s as good as it’s ever going to be, so you can move on. If it hasn’t worked well, then at least you’ll know how to change things next time.

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