A Cheat Sheet for Manual Camera Settings

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A simple guide with expert tips for beginner photographers

Co-authored by Vlad Horol and Samantha Fulton, BA

Last Updated: April 21, 2026 Fact Checked

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Aperture

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Shutter Speed

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ISO

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White Balance

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Manual Focus

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If you’re new to photography and need a little help navigating your camera settings, you’ve come to the right place! We’ve partnered with professional photographers to create this simple camera settings cheat sheet. In this guide, we’ll give you an easy breakdown of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Plus, we’ll go over how to adjust white balance and when to use manual focus, so you have all the knowledge and tools you need to take amazing photos.

Camera Settings Cheat Sheet

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An illustration depicting the different aperture, shutter speed, and ISO settings for manual photography.

Aperture, shutter speed, and ISO make up the exposure triangle, which controls the brightness, graininess, and blur of your photos. Aperture controls how wide your camera lens opens, shutter speed adjusts how quickly your lens opens and closes, and ISO controls your camera’s light sensitivity.

Section 1 of 5:

Aperture (Exposure Triangle)

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Changing the aperture adjusts the opening of your camera lens. You can adjust the aperture size based on how much light you want to reach the camera sensor.^{[1]
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Research source} Aperture also controls the depth of field—which determines whether or not the background is blurred—for a photo.^{[2]
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Meet the wikiHow Experts

Richard Marczewski Jr. is a Full Stack Marketer and owner of Creativity Scientist in Worcester, Massachusetts. With over 10 years of experience, he specializes in marketing, digital media, and content creation.

Vlad Horol is a Professional Photographer and the Co-Founder of Yofi Photography, his portrait photography studio based in Chicago, Illinois. He has over 5 years of experience.

Cory Ryan is a Professional Wedding Photographer who runs Cory Ryan Photography based in Austin, Texas. She has over 15 years of photography experience and specializes in weddings and events.
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Aperture is measured with f-stops. A larger f-stop creates a smaller lens, while a smaller f-stop creates a larger lens. Digital media specialist Richard Marczewski Jr. suggests setting your camera to the highest f-stop and then “slowly opening it up and taking pictures at each f-stop to see how it affects your picture.”^{[3]
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Expert Source

Richard Marczewski Jr.
Digital Media Specialist

Expert Interview}
- Note: Smaller aperture = greater exposure and larger aperture = less exposure. We know this sounds backwards, but you’ll get the hang of it with time and practice!
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A small f-stop creates a wide lens, and a large f-stop creates a small lens. To get more exposure (a brighter photo) and a shallow depth of field, use a smaller f-stop. For less exposure and a greater depth of field, use a bigger f-stop. Professional photographer Cory Ryan notes that “the smaller the f-stop is on your aperture, the more blur you will get from the background."^{[4]
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Cory Ryan
Professional Photographer

Expert Interview} Bigger f-stops are generally ideal for brighter settings, while smaller f-stops are better for low-light scenarios. Here are situations when you’d use each aperture setting:
- f/1.4 (wide): This is perfect for low-light settings or for creating a very shallow depth of field (blurred background).
- f/2: This is great for portrait photography because it gives a creamy, blurred background.
- f/2.8: This setting allows for some subject separation but without a completely blurred background. It is ideal for things like wildlife photography.
- f/4.0: Similar to f/2.8, this will provide slight subject separation and is great for wildlife or sports photography. It can still be used in relatively low-light settings.
- f/5.6: This is considered a sweet spot for lens sharpness. It is good for portrait photography when you don’t want a blurred background (such as group or family photos).
- f/8: This setting is similar to f/5.6 and is good for a non-blurred background. It is a solid starting point for landscape or architectural photography.
- f/11: This creates significant depth of field (no blurred background). You can use it for landscape photography with a nearby foreground.
- f/16 (narrow): Like f/11, this setting gives maximal depth of field. It is the perfect option for macro photography (extreme close-up photos of small subjects).^{[5]
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Section 2 of 5:

Shutter Speed (Exposure Triangle)

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Shutter speed is how long it takes your camera to capture a photo. Also called “exposure time,” the shutter speed is the amount of time your camera’s sensor is exposed to light. This adjusts the brightness of your image and controls how much blur an action shot has.
- A faster shutter speed can reduce overexposure, while a longer shutter speed can help you prevent photos from being too dark.^{[6]
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$Step 2 Shutter speed is measured in fractions of a second.$

A faster shutter speed (like 1/4000 second) means the shutter is open for a brief period. A slower shutter speed (like ½ second) means the shutter is open for longer.^{[7]
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Slower shutter speeds create more blur, and faster speeds produce a freeze-frame. According to Ryan, “The slower your shutter is, the more movement and blur you show…the faster it is, the more you're able to freeze action in place.”^{[8]
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Expert Source

Cory Ryan
Professional Photographer

Expert Interview} Shutter speed depends on the speed of the subject you're photographing, notes Ryan. The slower shutter speeds will allow light to hit the camera sensor for longer, making them ideal for darker settings. A faster shutter speed allows less light into the lens and gives your photo less exposure (good for bright settings). Here’s a list of the common shutter speeds and when to use them:
- 1s (slow): This is a good setting for creating an intentionally blurred effect. You might use it to capture a landscape portrait of a waterfall. A tripod is necessary for a shutter speed this slow.
- 1/10s: This is another setting for a slow-motion blur effect. To minimize shaking, you’ll want a tripod. You can use this for a silky effect on moving water.
- 1/30s: This setting is ideal for landscape photography (tripod necessary), but you can also pan (slowly move) your camera with your subject for an intentionally blurred effect.^{[9]
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- 1/60s: This is likely the slowest you can go without a tripod to prevent blur. It’s a good option for landscape photography.^{[10]
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- 1/125s: This setting accounts for some movement and is great for photos of people who pose and stay relatively still.
- 1/250s: This is a good setting for taking photos of subjects with slow or minimal movement. You might use it to take a photo of someone walking.
- 1/500s: This setting also works best for slower moving subjects, but will be able to freeze faster movement than 1/250. You can use this to photograph someone running.
- 1/1000s (fast): This is ideal for freeze-frame photographs of rapidly moving subjects. You might use this setting for photographing birds in flight or cars driving.^{[11]
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Section 3 of 5:

ISO (Exposure Triangle)

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By setting the ISO, you control your camera’s sensitivity to light. This is an internal setting that you should adjust after adjusting your aperture and shutter speed.^{[12]
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The most common values are 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, and 3000, with a typical base ISO of 100 (although it can be lower in certain cameras). Lower ISO numbers are less sensitive to light and higher ISO numbers are more sensitive.^{[13]
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A lower ISO makes the camera less sensitive to light, creating a darker image. A higher ISO makes the camera more sensitive to light. Professional photographer Vlad Horol notes, “I tend to keep my ISO no higher than 400 no matter what.”^{[14]
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Expert Source

Vlad Horol
Professional Photographer

Expert Interview} Here are scenarios where you might use each ISO setting:
- ISO 100 (low): This is a good setting for outdoor settings with sunny conditions, such as a daytime beach photoshoot with clear skies.
- ISO 200: This is another common base ISO and has similar effects to ISO 100. You can use it for outdoor, sunny conditions.
  - Horol recommends a low ISO (100-200) for outdoor photoshoots.^{[15]
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    Vlad Horol
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- ISO 400: This setting is good for bright but less intense lighting. You might use it for a photo taken inside by a window or outside on a cloudy day.^{[16]
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- ISO 800: This is good for indoor photography with a light source like a flash.
  - Caution: Proceeding past this ISO puts you at risk for excess noise (random variations of color and brightness) and grain in your photos.^{[17]
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- ISO 1600: This higher ISO is good for dark settings. You might use it if it’s nighttime or you’re indoors with dim lighting.
- ISO 3200: This is good for pictures in the evening when your lighting is imperfect.
- ISO 6400+ (high): This is another high ISO that you can use for dusk/evening photography when there is imperfect lighting.

Section 4 of 5:

White Balance

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White balance impacts the color temperature of your photo. This setting changes how cool or warm an image appears and makes colors appear more realistic. It is measured in degrees Kelvin. A lower temperature will be cooler, or more blue in tone, while a higher temperature will be warmer, or more yellow in tone. Many cameras have automatic white balance (AWB), but you can also manually choose a white balance setting based on your light source.^{[18]
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Research source} Here are the temperature ranges to choose based on your light source:
- 10000-15000 K: This would be ideal for a clear blue sky in an outdoor setting.
- 6500-8000 K: Use this temperature range for cloudy or shady conditions.
- 6000-7000 K: This is good for midday sunlight in an outdoor setting.
- 5500-6500 K: This range is right for average amounts of daylight in an outdoor setting.
- 5000-5500 K: This is the right range for an artificial light source like an electronic flash.
- 4000-5000 K: This is ideal for indoor settings with fluorescent lighting.
- 3000-4000 K: This is good for cooling down warm colors during outdoor photoshoots at dawn or dusk.
- 2500-3000 K: Use this range for regular, indoor lighting.
- 1000-2000 K: You can use this range to balance out dim indoor lighting, such as candle flame.^{[19]
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- Light Source Presets: Many cameras have white balance settings for specific light sources, rather than a temperature dial. Here are examples of preset white balance settings your camera might have and when to use them:
  - Tungsten: This cools down the temperature and is best for indoor settings with bulb lighting.
  - Fluorescent: This adds warmth to photos taken in cooler indoor lighting like fluorescent bulbs.
  - Daylight: This is for outdoor settings with regular daylight.
  - Cloudy: You can use this mode on a cloudy day to warm up the lighting.
  - Shade: Use this mode to warm up photos taken in shaded, outdoor settings.^{[20]
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Section 5 of 5:

Manual Focus

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Manual focus gives extra freedom for shot composition. Although many photographers opt for autofocus, you can still use manual focus to experiment with the composition of your photos (if your camera has a manual focus lens). This is a more advanced setting, but don’t be afraid to test your abilities and try it out as a beginner! Here are some instances where you might use manual focus:
- Macro and close-up photos: Manual focus allows you to focus quickly and more precisely if you’re taking a super close-up photo of a small subject.
- Low-light situations: You can switch to manual focus if autofocus isn’t allowing your lens to lock in on subjects when you don’t have any light source.
- Shallow depth of field: Manual focus allows for more precision if you’re using a wide aperture for a shallow depth of field.
- Creative effects: You can use manual focus to intentionally take a photo of a subject out of focus. This is a great way to experiment creatively.
- Wide-angle photography: Manual focus allows you to lock in on larger objects like buildings if you’re taking a wide-angle shot.
- Low-contrast situations: Switch to manual focus for situations without enough contrast for autofocus to pick up the subject (such as a white object against a snowy background).