I want to take good pictures

If your goal is to only take good pictures just learn about composition and use the camera you have in your hand. Do you mean a cellphone camera? Yes. Most newer phone cameras do a fantastic job. But I have a top level camera. You will get good pictures in Auto mode. My camera doesn't have a Auto mode. Then you purchased a camera beyond just taking good pictures, it's a pro-rated camera.

What should I do to get pictures that are better than good? Study, it's that simple. Photography is about light. There are 3 adjustments that control light. Two are creative and one a brightness control, like a volume control.

The creative controls are Aperture and Shutter Speed. 

Aperture - the size of the lens opening, f-stop. Aperture controls DoF, Depth of Field. Although distance from camera to subject to background also DoF.

Shutter Speed - controls motion, your motion as well the scenes motion.

Brightness - known as ISO. Higher ISO, like gain or volume, increase noise.

"Choose your Shutter Speed with PURPOSE and your Aperture with FEELING. Then adjust the BRIGHTNESS with ISO." Joe Edelman

There's much more in later posts and in previous posts.

Are Your Photos Blurry?

 Some some say that they have problems getting a sharp photo and ask why?

There are several factors, as the article below will discuss 13.

But to me it boils to SHUTTER SPEED being to slow.

In this discussion I'm talking about Hand Held photography.

Many folks swear that the best camera mode is Aperture Priority. Also many have read or heard that to eliminate the chance of Camera Shake is that the shutter speed should be at a minimum of 1/(focal length). So when you are using a 18-200mm zoom lens that suggests 1/18 to 1/200 sec. Yes that's the guide, some might say rule. BUT, there is alway a but, the guides are all about Full Frame, FF, cameras. So your favorite  Nikon D7200 has a crop factor of 1.5 so your effective aperture is 27-300mm. So 1/27-1/300 seconds. That's a minimum shutter speed. Me I'd double it.

Back to Aperture Priority. At a fixed ISO, even when you are using Auto ISO, your camera adjust the Aperture first before it reaches the Auto ISO settings. That means your full zoom lens, which the guide suggests 1/300s may be much less at your chosen Aperture. The result is a potentially blurry photo. 

Ok, I'll use Shutter Priority that way I can control the Shutter Speed. That may work But you don't have control of your Aperture. That may or not be what you need for your subject. Once your Camera opened the Aperture all the way the only thing to increase the exposure is raise the ISO.

What to do? It all depends on what you want to accomplish with your photo. 

Me? I frequently use the dreaded big M. But it's not that big a deal because I use a Semi Manual called Auto ISO, my secret sauce. I set the Shutter Speed and Aperture for the scene and let the ISO float to get the proper exposure. Frequently used for BIF. BUT , we keep coming to tha BUT, that not for all situtations like Low light, long exposure, and many more.

This article, from Fstoppers, will explain  13 reasons you may get blurry photos.

What Shutter Speed?

It depends on the scene you want to capture.

To slow and you have blur? Maybe you want that.

Use a high shutter speed to freeze motion. What is high? 1/2000sec?

The thing is there is no one answer. You the photographer need to figure it out.

A shutter speed of 1/2000 sec didn't get the job done to freeze motion in this photo.

Manual Mode and RAW is Simple, IMHO

In My Opinion using Manual Mode is a simpler mode rather than Aperture priority or Shutter Speed mode.

Why do I say that? Well first use the RAW file format and do your own Digital Darkroom Work. If you use the JPG file format you are relying on the camera manufacturer to make all decision on your image. Using JPG you have to consider;

• White Balance
• Active D lighting
• Metering setting
• Color Space
• Live View vs View finder unless you have EFV.
• And other settings

Using RAW and Manual you need to consider;

• Aperture setting 
• What depth of field so you need
• Shutter Speed
• Do you want to stop motion
• Have motion blur
• etc.
• ISO
• What ISO provides the exposure you want considering the A and S
• Use Auto ISO, I do.
• Yes you need to consider noise but
• Most noise can be removed in your editing or a "plugin"
• Unless you are printing LARGE don't worry about it.
• I have printed 8x10 images that have ISO as high 8000

Using RAW and Manual allows your to consider composition and effect. BUT don't be stupid. You can only push your post processing, Digital Dark Room, so far. 

The JPG settings above only affect what you see on your cameras display. Also some editing use those settings to render your screen. Using your Digital Dark Room allow you to get the photo you want

SO;

In My Opinion 

Use Manual Mode

Use RAW file format

Remember all JPG images have been Post Processed somewhere 

Which Camera Settings Affect RAW Photos? 

The conclusions are; 

"

12) Conclusion

So, how do all these settings stack up? Here’s the final tally:

Affects the RAW data directly:

• Focusing and lens-related settings
• Shutter speed and aperture
• ISO (with a few caveats)
• Long exposure noise reduction
• Image area

Directly affects your camera’s meter reading, but does not directly impact the RAW data:

• Viewfinder versus live view shooting
• Active D-Lighting

Affects the preview on your LCD screen and the in-camera histogram, but does not directly impact the meter reading or RAW data:

• Picture Control settings
• High ISO noise reduction
• White balance
• AdobeRGB versus sRGB"

 

"I asked Bard, How does Lightroom classic use RAW data camera settings

And the replies are

Lightroom Classic uses RAW data camera settings to automatically process your raw images when you import them. These settings include the color profile, white balance, and exposure. You can choose to use the Adobe default settings, the camera settings, or a custom preset.

* **Adobe Default:** This option applies Adobe's standard settings to your raw images. These settings are designed to give you a good starting point for editing your photos.
* **Camera Settings:** This option uses the color profile, white balance, and exposure settings that were used in your camera when the photo was taken. This can give you a more accurate representation of the colors in your photo.
* **Preset:** This option allows you to apply a custom preset to your raw images when you import them. Presets can include a variety of settings, such as color profile, white balance, exposure, and contrast.

You can also choose to customize the RAW data camera settings for specific cameras. This can be useful if you have a camera that produces images with a particular look or feel that you want to preserve. To do this, go to **Edit > Preferences > Presets** (Windows) or **Lightroom Classic > Preferences > Presets** (Mac). In the **Raw Defaults** section, select the **Override master settings for specific cameras** checkbox. Then, select the camera model from the **Camera** drop-down menu and choose the desired settings from the **Default** drop-down menu.

Once you have selected your RAW data camera settings, you can import your raw images into Lightroom Classic. Lightroom Classic will automatically apply the selected settings to your images. You can then adjust the settings as needed using the Develop module.

Draft 2

Lightroom Classic uses RAW data camera settings to automatically process your raw images when you import them. This can save you a lot of time and effort, as you don't have to manually adjust the settings for each image.

There are three main RAW data camera settings that Lightroom Classic uses:

* **Color profile:** This setting determines the overall color of your images. Lightroom Classic includes a variety of color profiles to choose from, so you can find one that best suits your style.

* **Shadows:** This setting controls the brightness of the shadows in your images. If you want to bring out more detail in the shadows, you can increase this setting.

* **Highlights:** This setting controls the brightness of the highlights in your images. If you want to avoid blown-out highlights, you can decrease this setting.

In addition to these three main settings, Lightroom Classic also uses a variety of other settings to process your raw images. These settings include:

* **White balance:** This setting determines the color temperature of your images.

* **Contrast:** This setting controls the contrast of your images.

* **Sharpness:** This setting controls the sharpness of your images.

* **Noise reduction:** This setting reduces the amount of noise in your images.

You can adjust these settings to your liking in the Develop module in Lightroom Classic. However, if you're not sure what settings to use, you can leave them at their default values and let Lightroom Classic do the work for you.

Here are the steps on how to use RAW data camera settings in Lightroom Classic:

1. Open Lightroom Classic and import your raw images.

2. In the Library module, select the images that you want to process.

3. Click the Develop button to open the Develop module.

4. In the Develop module, click the Camera Calibration tab.

5. In the Camera Calibration tab, select the color profile that you want to use.

6. Adjust the Shadows, Highlights, White Balance, Contrast, Sharpness, and Noise Reduction settings to your liking.

7. Click the Export button to export your processed images.

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.

Draft 3

Lightroom Classic uses RAW data camera settings to automatically process your raw images when you import them. This can save you a lot of time and effort, as you don't have to manually adjust the settings for each image.

There are two main ways to use RAW data camera settings in Lightroom Classic:

* **Use the Adobe default settings.** This is the simplest option, and it will apply the same settings to all of your raw images.

* **Use the camera settings.** This option will apply the settings that were used in your camera when the image was taken. This can give you more control over the look of your images, but it can also take more time to set up.

To use the Adobe default settings, go to **Edit > Preferences** (Windows) or **Lightroom Classic > Preferences** (macOS). In the **Presets** tab, select **Adobe Default** from the **Master** drop-down menu.

To use the camera settings, go to **Edit > Preferences** (Windows) or **Lightroom Classic > Preferences** (macOS). In the **Presets** tab, select **Camera Settings** from the **Master** drop-down menu. Then, select your camera from the **Camera** drop-down menu.

You can also create your own custom presets. To do this, go to **Develop > New Preset**. In the **New Develop Preset** dialog box, give your preset a name and select the settings that you want to apply. Then, click **Create**.

Once you have created a preset, you can apply it to any raw image by selecting it from the **Presets** drop-down menu in the **Develop** panel.

Here are some tips for using RAW data camera settings in Lightroom Classic:

* Experiment with different settings to see what looks best for your images.

* Save your favorite settings as presets so that you can apply them quickly and easily to future images.

* Use the **Camera Settings** option if you want to get the most accurate color reproduction.

* Use the **Adobe Default** option if you want to get a quick start with minimal editing." 

       Edit: more information

It's about stops

I've read this a few months ago. I'm a lot more comfortable using my camera.

It's all about Stops