Panorama or Stich-mode

WHAT: This creates a panorama of a landscape from a series of pictures.

HOW: Take a photo of a scene. The image will remain on your camera's LCD screen, which allows you to line up the next picture perfectly. Once you've taken all your shots, download them to your computer, and use an editing program (such as the one that comes with your camera, or Photoshop) to string, or 'stitch' them all together.

PRO TIPS: This feature works best when the camera is placed on a tripod, allowing your photos to be uniform. Make sure to avoid shooting scenes with moving objects, or you may end up with a dog in different places in each photo!

Landscape Mode

WHAT:Makes everything equally sharp in a scenic photo, from the distant horizon to whatever is close-up.

HOW:The aperture, or size of the opening in the lens, is reduced to allow light into the camera from different distances. This creates a more consistent focus across the whole image.

PRO TIPS: Try using this setting when photographing a large crowd of people, in addition to landscapes.

Fill Flash

WHAT: Improves lighting of subjects in daytime photos.

HOW:This flash fills in the shadows that are created by bright, directional sunlight and gives people and things a more natural, even appearance. The extra blast of light helps colors to look more vibrant.

PRO TIPS: If the flash causes your pictures to come out overexposed, hold a white tissue over the flash to lessen the light. Also, some higher-end cameras have a soft-flash setting.

Macro Mode

WHAT: Allows the camera to focus on objects at an extremely close range.

HOW: This mode allows you to put the lens within inches of a small object, such as a flower, an insect, or a piece of jewelry, and completely fill the frame with it. The camera adjusts the focus to allow you to capture the small details you wouldn't get in automatic mode.

PRO TIPS: Set your camera on a small tripod or on a flat surface---the slightest movements will lead to blurry images. If you're shooting a flower or a leaf outside, do it on a day with little or no wind.

High ISO Setting

WHAT:Allows you to take focused pictures of fast-moving objects in poor lighting without using a flash.

HOW: When your camera is set in automatic mode, it selects the appropriate ISO. In order to set it yourself, just switch to manual mode and choose from an ISO range that typically goes from 100 to 1600. With higher ISO settings, the camera is able to have a quicker shutter speed in low light, and this increases your chance of getting a sharp image.

PRO TIPS: High ISO settings can make your photographs appear slightly grainy. Start at an ISO of 400, take the picture, and then try increasingly higher settings.

Long Exposure

WHAT: Lets you take nighttime photos without a flash.

HOW: Taking a photo with a long exposure lets enough light into the camera to capture the image by keeping the shutter open for an extended period of time. To manually set the shutter speed, it is best to start with a speed of 1/30 of a second or slower. Look at the shot, then adjust the setting depending on how light or dark your your image appears.

PRO TIPS: Whatever you photograph, you will need to use a tripod, or your image will be out of focus. Leave the shutter open to allow for some awesome effects.Try shooting moving objects, like cars, and you will get streaks of light across your photo.

Slow Sync Flash

WHAT: This brightens foreground and background elements in low-light images.

HOW: This setting combines a flash with a long exposure to create a fuller picture than when you use a flash alone. Only the subject in the foreground is lit up when you take a photo in dim light using just a flash, while the background most often remains dark. The shutter stays open long enough to brighten the background when you set your camera on slow-sync flash, so everything behind your subject is visible.

PRO TIPS: Using a tripod will help ensure that both foreground and background objects are clearly in focus. Most cameras' flash menu options have a Slow Sync feature indicated with a lightning bolt next to the word 'slow' or the letter 's'.