iPhoto 5: The Missing Manual, Fourth Edition

Digital Movies

Movie making probably wasn’t what you had in mind when you bought a digital still camera. Even so, most cameras offer this feature, and it can come in handy now and then.

Movie mode lets you capture QuickTime video, often with sound, and save it to your memory card right alongside your still pictures. Some cameras permit only 30 seconds of video per attempt; others let you keep recording until the memory card is full.

POWER USERS’ CLINICInfrared Black-and-White Photography

Black-and-white photography no longer dominates the print world as it did during the heyday of Life magazine, but it’s still popular. Black-and-white shots impart a special artistic feeling that’s often lacking in color shots.

Unfortunately, many of the tricks used by expert black-and-white artists aren’t readily available to casual photographers employing digital means without a visit to high-end image editors like Photoshop. There is, however, a powerful black-and-white alternative that doesn’t require an advanced degree in photo editing: infrared photography.

Infrared photography deals with the spectrum of light that you can’t see but your digital camera can. It’s an option only if your camera accepts filters—and if you’re willing to buy an infrared filter, which eliminates the visible spectrum and captures only the infrared rays.

The first thing you’ll notice in infrared photography is that the blue sky goes dark and that most trees turn very light. Glare is minimized, as you can see by the road in ...