It’s probably not the first setting you tinker with, but knowing what metering mode to use will help you get better, more consistent results. Micro Four Thirds photographer Jimmy West shares how different metering modes affect your exposure and final image in the quick video above.

He begins by explaining what metering is — it can get a bit technical, but it’s one of the technical lesson worth learning whatever the kind of photography you want to do. In a nutshell, this setting helps your camera evaluate the scene you’re shooting and “decide” how bright or how dark your final photo should be. As West notes, when the metering is wrong, your photo will end up with blown-out highlights or crushed shadows, and it won’t match what you saw when you pressed the shutter.

Why is setting the right metering mode important when you can just shoot RAW and adjust everything in post later? While you can certainly do that, getting the exposure right in-camera will save you some editing time later. In some cases, your photos will probably hardly need edits at all.

Have you ever tinkered with your camera’s metering mode setting and noticed that you got better results? Share your thoughts in the comments!