Digital Photography Terms

Digital photography terms explained.

There is no better place to start than at the beginning. In order to get a grips with digital photography, we need to understand the lingo, and there is a lot of it. Here are some of the most popular terms you'll see in the digital photography world. You may want to print this out and keep it handy for future reference.

Aperture - the opening in the lens, f-stop, that lets light in. Used mainly to control depth of field (the range of sharpness) in front or behind a subject.
Artifacts - the unwanted effects in the image such as Christmas tree lights that cause multi-colored speckles.
ASA/ISO - a rating given to cameras and film denoting its sensitivity to light.
Auto Focus - a camera that focuses itself on a subject.
Buffer - a temporary electronic storage area where several already exposed images wait in line to be processedd.
Bit - computer talk for a binary digit.
Bitmap - description of an image or graphic on the screen bit by bit.
Byte - 8 bits equal 1 byte
CCD - charge-coupled device, a sensor that makes up the imaging surface of the digicam. It converts light into electrical current. The more sensors a CCD has the higher the resolution.
CMOS - complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor, used in some digicams because it is cheaper and has low power requirements. Not used as much as CCD because of noise levels.
CMYK - cyan, magenta, yellow and black inks used to print pictures onto paper.
Color Balance - process used to compensate for too much of one color. If an image is too blue, yellow is added to bring the image back in balance.
Color Temperature - a method used to describe the relative redness (warmth) or blueness (cool) of a light source. It is measured in Degrees Kelvin.
Compression - shrinking or squeezing a picture file size in the camera after they have been shot. Done to store more images on a memory card.
Crop - to remove unwanted parts of an image.
Digital - a system that stores, computes or manipulates binary information.
Disk- a device that stores digital information and is transportable.
DPI - dots per inch. Term used to measure the detail on a printer.
DPOF - Digital Print Order Feature. Allows pictures to be selected for future direct-from-memory-card printing.
EXIF - Exchangeable Image File. The JPEG compression mode used by most digicams.
External Flash Synch - allows the connection of an external flash instead of the flash built-into the camera. Used to create lighting effects on a subject.
GIF - Graphic Image Format. A file format that is the standard on the Web.
Jaggies - stair-stepped pixels usually on the diagonal or curved part of the image. Caused by low resolution.
JPEG - Pronounced Jay-Peg. The Joint Photographic Experts Group developed a file compression routine that losses unnecessary information.
Lithium-ion - a long lasting rechargeable battery.
Mega-Pixel - the measurement oof a CCD field that totals more than 1,048,576 pixels.
Memory-Card Reader - allows for the quick transfer of images stored in the memory card to the computer.
NiMH - Nickel Metal Hydride, a type of rechargeable battery that provides consistent voltage and is environmentally safe. Used with digicams.
Noise - excessive grain in a film image. Usually found in the dark areas of an image.
Optical Viewfinder - an optical glass device on the digicam that shows the intended image to be photographed. Used in conjunction with the LCD viewer because in bright sunlight the LCD monitor can wash out the image making it very hard to see.
Photo CD - a CD-Rom holding abut 100 images, each scanned from slides or negatives at five different resolutions.
Pixel - shortened for picture element, the basic element of resolution.
Pixelation - a result of low resolution that produces small squares or rectangles on an image.

By Georgiana Marshen

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