Creative Auto

[catz]

When I take a photo in Creaive Auto (RAW) and then review the settings, copy the settings in Manual and take exact same photo, it does not look the same.        

In fact, it looks better in Creative Auto!   However, I want to shoot in Manual!   

What am I missing?   Are there other settings I can change in Manual Mode to make it look like the Creative Auto exposure?    What does Canon add to the exposure?      

THis happens with BOTH of my cameras with every lens - T5i and 6D

[smack53]

Catz,

Anytime you are using an Automatic mode such as Creative Auto, the camera sets Aperture, Shutter, White Balance, Metering, ISO, and color filters to name a few. If you did not set everything in the Manual mode exactly like the Creative Auto mode, then you will have a difference. Also, if you are shooting in RAW, some of the creative filters won't be available. You may need to look at the EXIF more closely to make sure you get all the settings to mimic the Creative Auto.

Steve M.

[cicopo]

Agreed. Creative modes add filters (or should we say filter like processing) that you need to duplicate when processing because you can't in manual.

[Waddizzle]

Agreed.  Try using the "P" mode, which is more versatile than "CA", and see if you get the same result.  The "P" mode mimics "M" mode more closely than "CA" does.

[ScottyP]

P mode is a good intro to taking control of your shots. You really want to understand the basics though.  Google a couple free video tutorial videos on the "exposure triangle" to see in just a few minutes how shutter speed and aperture work to give a correct exposure, but how you can use them to control depth of field and to handle moving subjects, etc.   Once you have that you won't need the training wheels settings like Auto or even P mode.

[RobertTheFat]

I'm not standing up for Creative Auto (which, in point of fact, I've never used), but why do you want to shoot in Manual? Manual gives you the most control, but it also leaves you little room for error. In any fast-paced shooting environment, there are many factors jockeying for your attention, and it's easy to forget or overlook something. Settings like Tv and Av help give you a second chance while subtracting little from your control over the mechanics of the exposure.

Some pros and (more often) pro-wannabees brag about always using manual mode as a way of demonstrating their bona fides as experts who refuse to be constrained by the limitations of automatic settings. I suggest you eschew that thinking and do what most real pros do: let the camera do what it was designed to do, and override its choice of settings only when there's a good reason to do so.

[catz]

Thanks everyone!   I tried shooting in all of those modes and understanding more.      

When I shoot in P mode it auto adds 2 1/3 EV comp but in Manual that is not an option.   So again, the images look better than they do in Manual.     

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[cicopo]

It DOES NOT automatically add EC. You have set it to add EC. In manual you set ALL the variables.  

[Waddizzle]

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@catz wrote:

Thanks everyone!   I tried shooting in all of those modes and understanding more.      

When I shoot in P mode it auto adds 2 1/3 EV comp but in Manual that is not an option.   So again, the images look better than they do in Manual.     

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You should try to reset your camera's settings.  The camera does not automatically add compensation on its' own.  It must furst be configured before it goes into that mode of operation. 

Manual mode has AEB compensation, but not Ev compensation.  That is how the camera is supposed to function.  In what way are pictures looking better? 

The trick to sharp pictures is to get as much light as possible into the camera, as quickly as you possibly can.  The problem, though, is that that is not always as easy as it sounds.  You have to make a decision on compromises.  To gain something, you will have to forfeit something.  In every mode except manual, the camera is making one, some, or all of the decisions for you.  In manual mode, you have full and total control.

Try this in a good light setting, and hopefully a tripod..  Take a picture in P mode, with everything set to automatic, preferably with no flash.  Write down the shutter speed, ISO setting, and the f/stop setting.  Now set the camera to manual, and dial in those settings.  Go back and forth two or three times, and then compare the pictures.  I would also suggest taking the AF system out of the equation, and focus manually using Live View, hence the tripod.

[ScottyP]

You should stop using Manual. There is no reason to use it for ordinary shooting. If you were setting up a Strobist style shot or something like that, then using flash units then Manual would be a good choice, but only once you have a solid understanding of exposure. 

I urge you to watch a couple of free 10-minute Google videos on the "Exposure Triangle" to get started. Reading Bryan Petersen's photo book "Understanding Exposure" is fun and a real eye opener for your creative implementation of a right exposure vs just a correct exposure.  

I really urge urge you to start using Tv and Av modes instead of Manual. In each one the camera lets you choose one variable (either shutter speed or aperture) for artistic purposes and then the camera does the math for you and sets the other variable  to give you the correct exposure.  

If you want to freeze the action of a moving subject shoot in Tv (Time Value also known as Shutter Priority) and you pick a fast shutter speed to avoid motion blur.

If you want to control depth of field in focus, shoot in Av (Aperture Priority) mode and then you pick the f/stop (the aperture) and the camera handles shutter speed for you. 

Really please stop using Manual until you have learned so much that you actually find an occasional situation where Manual is really needed to do something you want to do in a particular shot.