Sometimes, taking a photo depending on your automatic settings isn’t enough. There’s a mode in most of the camera apps called “The Pro Mode”, this particular mode helps you select your own selections of settings in the photo you want to take. In this article, we’re going to show you what “Pro Mode” is, and how can you use it.
What’s Pro/Manual Mode?
Pro/Manual mode is the mode that is used for editing the photo’s variables that you want to take, such as the white balance, camera focus, exposure time/shutter speed, ISO and lens mode. You can change those settings depending on your choice of how you want to take your photo.
White Balance
- White balance (WB) is the process of removing unrealistic color casts so that objects which appear white in person are rendered white in your photo.
- Here’s an example of Auto White Balance and Custom White Balance.
Camera Focus
- The name itself says enough, you adjust your camera lens’s focus rate on the photo you want to take.
- Here’s an example of how Camera Focus is being used.
Exposure Time/Shutter Speed
- Shutter speed is exactly what it sounds like: It’s the speed at which the shutter of the camera closes. A fast shutter speed creates a shorter exposure — the amount of light the camera takes in — and a slow shutter speed gives the photographer a longer exposure
- Here’s an example on how the Shutter Speed is being used.
ISO
- ISO is your camera’s sensitivity to light as it pertains to either film or a digital sensor. A lower ISO value means less sensitivity to light, while a higher ISO means more sensitivity.
Here’s an example of how ISO is being used.
Lens Mode
- This mode helps you to choose between the lenses “Ultra Wide, Wide, or Telephoto”
Aspect Ratio
- In photography, the aspect ratio represents the relationship between the width and the height of an image. It can be expressed as a number followed by a colon and followed by another number, such as 3:2, or by a decimal number such as 1.50 (which is simply the long side divided by the short side).
Self Timer
- A self-timer is a device on a camera that gives a delay between pressing the shutter release and the shutter’s firing. It is most commonly used to let the photographer to take a photo of themselves (often with a group of other people), hence the name.
RAW
- A RAW file is simply a digital image file that is stored on your camera or smartphone’s memory card. It is minimally processed and is usually uncompressed. most Android smartphones which support RAW primarily shoot in DNG, which is a universal RAW file format.
Gridlines
- A Grid is a setting on your camera that shows lines/grids, so you will be able to assess the proportions of your subject. They sometimes call this the Rule of Thirds. The point of this is to put your subject along a vertical or horizontal line. Your subject should be along the intersections.
Focus Peaking
- Focus peaking is a real-time focus mode that uses the camera’s Live View focusing aid to highlight peak contrast areas with a false-color overlay in your viewfinder. This can help you determine what part of the image is in focus before you shoot. Focused areas appear red and unfocused areas appear normal.
Exposure Verification
- Control and edit images for the best highlights and shadow detail. Very bright places appear red. If these reds appear, there is a problem with your photo. Play around with ISO values.
Timed Burst
- It can capture up to 600 stills in one minute and frame them into short videos.
