I guess the one thing I would suggest ( it will not make your pictures better) but it will make your using your camera much more enjoyable ,would be to cut down to the minimum megapixel setting necessary for the purpose at hand. Waiting for a camera to process huge megapixel photos and then waiting for the computer to download and then upload them is so aggravating and eats up so much space on the camera card and on the hard drive.
I know I am constantly seeing it advised to shoot in the highest settings in case you ever want to make a print. I haven't made a print in years. I haven't used photo programs to retouch photos in years, too much time and trouble for the type of photos I shoot. I am not a professional photographer, I just enjoy taking decent looking photos that portray the subject as close to real life as I can get it without spending half a day setting up the shot.
By all means learn your camera, get it set up with the best settings for the photos you actually shoot and things will work so much easier for you.
