You'll be amazed by the results you can achieve when you go beyond your camera's standard mode and start changing the odd setting or two. So to help you turn your casual snaps into classy photographs take a look at our guide to some of the common features on the 'mode dial'.

For a quick and easy guide to the mode dial, click here to see our interactive guide

A - Auto setting

Typically 'A' or 'AUTO' asks your camera to automatically select the best settings (light, aperture, flash) for the scene you're pointing it at. It's a good starting point if you're a beginner and great for quick and easy shots.

Scene - Select your environment

Selecting Scene lets you choose from a range of pre-settings that will best suit the image you want to capture. The options vary from camera to camera but include setting called Portrait, Party, Fireworks, Backlight, Sports or Panorama. Simply select the one that you feel is most suitable. Quite often choosing a scene offers better results than just selecting the Auto setting.

Flower - Macro setting

This is the setting that lets you take really close up shots of things. Usually cameras can't focus on something less than 10 centimetres away but with the Flower setting the distance is reduced to between two and 10 centimetres. Close up shots take longer to focus and even the slightest movement can ruin the focus; using a tripod would prevent this. Don't forget to turn the flash off when using this function, as the flood of light will ruin the picture.

Video Camera - Video camera mode

As the name suggests this mode simply lets you film video clips rather than taking still photographs. If you want to become the next Spielberg make sure that you have a good-sized memory card as video takes up considerably more memory space than single images. As a bonus some digital cameras feature in-built editing or come with accompanying software to let you mould your masterpiece further.

A or AV - Aperture value setting

This setting allows you to change the amount of focus on a picture. Selecting a small focal number on the display is great for portraits as it keeps the foreground crisp and sharp, while allowing the background to blur. A larger focal value is better for landscapes as it will bring more of the picture in to focus.

S or TV - Shutter Priority

The shutter priority mode allows you to alter the shutter speed while leaving your camera to figure out the rest. A quick shutter speed lets you capture high-quality, moving scenes by opening the shutter for a mere thousandth of a second. On the other hand a long shutter speed offers you a very different effect of motion including blurring. Long shutter speeds always require a steady hand or better still a tripod.

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