Picture Quality / Size Options (7.0)
Picture quality settings of Normal, Fine, and Superfine are available on the PowerShot S500. These are accessed by pressing the function button and scrolling down to the fifth icon down on the list, which changes depending on the setting. Once selected, using the left and right keypad buttons will allow users to select among the three picture quality modes. To the far right, depending on the selection, a numerical display will give the remaining number of photos that can be taken. This is a great feature, and is tucked away in a corner inconspicuously out of the way of the rest of the LCD image. It’s nice to have a numerical readout, and I like the countdown method employed by Canon.

The Canon PowerShot S500 offers four image size options: Small (640 x 480 pixels), Medium 2 (1600 x 1200), Medium 1 (2048 x 1536), and Large (2592 x 1944), a comparable range for this category of digital camera.

Picture Effects (8.0)
Photo effect mode allows users to choose among five different picture options. Accessed through the function button, users can scroll down to the fourth menu item which is the photo effect mode. Effects available are Vivid, Neutral, Low Sharpening, Sepia, and Black and White. These options give increased flexibility to users and give them a chance to explore and play with their images and image style.