use it you have to buy Nikon Capture and create a curve. You then use Nikon capture to load it into the D40. Once you've done that you select it here. If you haven't loaded your own custom curve and select this you get the default Normal curve. Custom curves are way beyond anything with which I want to bother. The curves in the camera are the best ones anyway. Real photographers pay more attention to their subject's lighting.

Color Mode

Color Mode has three settings:

Color Mode Ia (one-a, sRGB) is default. It's normal and boring.

Color Mode II (two, Adobe RGB) gives dull colors. Don't touch this unless you really know what you're doing and print your own work. See Adobe RGB vs. sRGB.

Color Mode IIIa (three-a, also sRGB) gives bolder colors. I use it all the time.

I have no idea how Nikon cooked up these numeric designations.

Saturation

This sets the vividness (strength) of colors.

A Auto: I don't use this. I suspect it cranks up the color for dull scenes and puts it back to normal for scenes that are already colorful. I prefer always to have my saturation cranked up.

0 Normal: For normal people shots you're probably better off with 0. This is the default.

-Moderate: tones down the colors, which I've never liked. "Moderate" sounds like British understatement. In America we call this "dull and boring." Personally I want colors so bright you have to put on sunglasses, or I go directly to B/W. Your interests and taste will differ.

+Enhanced: I prefer violent color, so I crank it up to +. I'd use ++ or +++ if my D40 had it, but that's me.

Hue Adjustment

Don't touch this! This rotates all your colors to different spots around the color wheel. If you use this to fix one color it screws up all the other colors. God only knows why this adjustment is here.

Image Quality

This selects the kind of file (raw, JPG or both), and the size of the JPG file (FINE, NORMAL or BASIC).

I always use JPG, never raw. (see JPG vs. Raw.)

© 2007 KenRockwell.com

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converted by Sándor Nagy