Contrast vs. Saturation?

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Camera Fun

Senior Member
I'm needing advice/clarification on evaluating Contrast vs. Saturation purpose/use & adjustments. I'm shooting jpeg with the Standard picture control (I've tried Vivid but the coloring seemed to bright/harsh). Sharpeness is set to +6. Thanks.
 
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STM

Senior Member
Saturation is for increasing or decreasing the intensity of the colors in the image. Contrast increases or decreases the difference between light and dark areas in the image. Out of curiosity, why are you shooting in JPEG instead of RAW? JPEG flattens the image (layers wise) and really limits your ability to change paramerters like saturation and contrast. I would suggest you switch to RAW instead of JPEG and use a program like Photoshop (or Photoshop Elements) or Lightroom to "tweak" your images. It is better to leave the image in the camera alone and make any improvements in post processing. In the camera, any and all changes are forever, you cannot undo them if you overdo them (which I suspect you are doing with your sharpening). Oversharpening in JPEG potentially leads to jpeg artifacts which can really adversely affect the image.
 
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C

Camera Fun

Senior Member
STM said:
Saturation is for increasing or decreasing the intensity of the colors in the image. Contrast increases or decreases the difference between light and dark areas in the image. Out of curiosity, why are you shooting in JPEG instead of RAW? JPEG flattens the image (layers wise) and really limits your ability to change paramerters like saturation and contrast. I would suggest you switch to RAW instead of JPEG and use a program like Photoshop (or Photoshop Elements) or Lightroom to "tweak" your images. It is better to leave the image in the camera alone and make any improvements in post processing. In the camera, any and all changes are forever, you cannot undo them if you overdo them (which I suspect you are doing with your sharpening). Oversharpening in JPEG potentially leads to jpeg artifacts which can really adversely affect the image.
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I'm shooting jpeg as I'm not yet into doing post-processing. I'm in the stage of learning as much as I can about the camera and its features. RAW can come in the future when I have more experience, time, and a good program.
 
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nickt

Senior Member
Camera Fun said:
I'm shooting jpeg as I'm not yet into doing post-processing. I'm in the stage of learning as much as I can about the camera and its features. RAW can come in the future when I have more experience, time, and a good program.
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If you post on any forum and ask "How do I make my RAW file look like the camera jpg?" many people will flame you and tell you are crazy. But for me that was a key point. Once I found I could automatically make my RAW file look nearly same as the camera jpg's in Lightroom, then I had the confidence to move forward. I still have a lot to learn but I am ok shooting only RAW because even if I do nothing (or very little), I have a decent picture similar to the camera jpg. And it is very easy to get back to that point. So when you are ready, don't be afraid to ask "How do I make my RAW file look like the camera jpg?" because it is a good starting point when transitioning to RAW.
 
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