Guide to Digital Camera Automatic Settings

Most digital cameras today take pictures in fully-automatic mode - all you do is point the camera and shoot. Even if you take all your photos in automatic mode, you've probably noticed several other icons on your camera's menu, including a woman's silhouette, a runner and a mountain.

If you've ignored these mysterious settings because you aren't sure what they are, you're not alone. But learning how to use these easy modes, which automatically change your camera's aperture, shutter speed and flash settings to suit various situations, can dramatically improve the quality of your photos.

We've created a brief overview below to help you decipher what each of your camera's automatic settings means, and how to use them. Since camera manufacturers each do things differently, check your owner's manual for your camera's specific icons and settings.

Full Auto Mode

When you're using full auto mode, usually represented by a green square on your camera's menu, the camera does everything for you. All you do is point your camera, focus on your subject and take the photo.

Portrait Mode

Usually indicated on your camera's menu by an icon of the side of a woman's face, portrait mode can turn ordinary snapshots into beautiful portraits. This setting blurs the background of your photo to make the subject stand out, just like in professional portraits. For even more background blur, either move back and zoom in on your subject or have the subject stand further away from the background.

Landscape Mode

A mountain icon usually represents landscape mode. Landscape mode is useful for taking pictures of wide scenic views, night scenes and other settings where you want to capture a lot of background detail.

Close-up Mode

To take close-up shots of flowers, insects and more, use close-up mode. Often represented by a flower icon, close-up mode automatically changes your camera settings to allow for close-up focusing.

Sports Mode

Sports mode, indicated by a runner icon, allows you to take pictures that freeze fast-moving action. Whether you're at your child's soccer game, the beach or a pro sporting event, photos with frozen action help best capture the moment.

Night Portrait

To take pictures of people outside in low-light conditions, use night portrait mode, often indicated by an icon showing a figure under a star. The flash illuminates your subject while the camera captures a natural-looking background. In this mode, small vibrations cause “camera shake,” which results in blurry photos. To avoid camera shake, use a tripod or set your camera on a solid surface.

Flash-Off

A square with a crossed-out lightning bolt represents the flash-off mode. Use this setting any time you don't want to use flash. Some camera models may have a button on the front or side of the camera to disable the flash instead.