GRAPHIC DESIGN DICTIONARY NOW AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD >>> http://www.mediafire.com/?1idvjrkdsjiqxes
Software Coded By: FireTech
Dictionary By: Fragma
Definitions By: Various Resources & Myself
Note: Some of the definitions below were written by other people although I did write some myself. This dictionary took about an hour and a half to write up. (Nothing is C&P). If you notice any errors such as spelling mistakes, grammar etc.. please let me know. Also note that I plan on updating whenever I get the chance.
1 Bit
An image that consists only of black and white pixels. In traditional photography, this would be referred to as a high contrast image.
Abstract
Emphasizing lines, colors, generalized or geometrical forms, etc., esp. with reference to their relationship to one another.
Additive (colours)
When colours are added together, such as when coloured lights shine together, this is known as additive colour. A yellow colour, for example, will be seen when equally bright red and green lights shine on one spot.
AI
(Adobe Illustrator) Adobe Illustrator's native format.
Airbrush
The traditional airbrush is a loved / detested paint tool that works similar to a spray can, using compressed air to lay a film of very fine paint droplets down. It is ideal for painting soft fluffy imagery like clouds. Well emulated in digital media.
Alias vs. Anti-Alias
Bitmap images can appear to have ragged edges in their "raw" (aliased) state. A technique called anti-aliasing feathers the edges.
Alignment
Arrangement or position in a straight line or in parallel lines.
Alpha Channel
Means of representing transparency in a computer graphic.
Ambient Light
An overall non directional light source. An example of ambient light would be the appearance inside a very heavy daytime fog; everything will be evenly lit without highlights or shadows.
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement.
Antics
The great great granddaddy of all computer ink and paint programs.
Avatar
A computer user's representation of himself/herself or alter ego whether in the form of a three-dimensional model used in computer games, a two-dimensional icon (picture) or a one-dimensional username used on Internet forums and other communities.
AVI
Picture file format for moving images (including sound) on computer - more common on PCs. Depending on the codec being used, AVIs can be pure uncompressed imagery or can be heavily compressed.
Banding
Distinct shades seen in colours that should instead appear seamlessly gradated.
Bevel
Adding a beveled effect to a graphic image gives the image a raised appearance by applying highlight colours and shadow colours to the inside and outside edges.
BG
Abbreviation for "background".
Bit Depth
The accuracy with which digital information is stored.
Bitmap
A computer graphic composed of little (usually square shaped) blocks called pixels.
Blending
To pass gradually or imperceptibly into each other, as colors.
BMP
The standard bit-mapped graphics format used in the Windows environment. By convention, graphics files in the BMP format end with a .BMP extension.
Blur
To make indistinct and hazy in outline or appearance.
Brush Tool
Applies paint techniques for touch up.
Burn
A brush tool used to add shadow to an image.
Canvas
In an image editing or paint program, the canvas is the window in which the picture is created or edited. It is the on-screen counterpart of the cloth canvas used by an artist.
CGI
Computer generated imagery.
Chroma
Colour
Chromakey
A means of separating a foreground image from its background by use of chrome. Most often used chromakey colours are blue or green.
Clipping
Cutting off the outer edges or boundaries of a word, signal or image. In rendering an image, clipping removes any objects or portions thereof that are not visible on screen.
Clone Tool
(Adobe Photoshop) Used to copy portions of a layer from one area to another.
CMYK
Four primary colours (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow & Black) of subtractive colour processes. Exclusively used in printed media, not film or video.
CnC
Abbreviation for "Comments & Criticism".
Codec
= Compress / Decompress - Think of a codec as being software on your computer that enables you to record or play a specific type of moving image file such as an AVI. Each codec differs in offering various amounts or methods of picture compression, hence quality.
Colour Bars
A still image of vertical strips of saturated colours used by technicians to calibrate colour fidelity.
Colour Depth
A value which determines the maximum number of colours and shades that can be used in a computer graphic or digitally generated image.
Colour Separation
The process of creating separate negatives and plates for each colour of ink (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) that will be used in the publication.
Colour Space
This is a way of describing the range of colours available within graphics systems. There are specialized colour spaces such as Adobe RGB and one widely used colour space called sRGB which has a reduced gamut, but is "understood" by almost all digital graphics devices.
Colour Temperature
The colour quality of light (whether is is "warm" or "cool"); it is measured using the kelvin scale.
Compression
Many image files, both still and movie, can be greatly reduced in size using compression. Lossless compression gets rid of redundancy but leaves the image pristine. Lossy compression reduces the size of the images by throwing away information that the eye should not miss. Dont badly, lossy compression can cause visible artifacts.
Continuous Tone
Artwork that contains gradations of gray, as opposed to black and white line art. Photographs and some drawings, like charcoal or water colour, require treatment as continuous-tone art.
Crop Marks
On a mechanical, horizontal and vertical lines that indicate the edge of the printed piece.
Cropping
For artwork, cutting out the extraneous parts of an image, usually a photograph.
Diffuse Lighting
3D CGI term. Lighting that is directional but soft, like illuminating something made of velvet or very dry skin.
Dithering
Method by which the apparent colour depth of a graphic can be increased; derived from the 19th century pointillism painting style.
DivX
A high quality codec especially good for live action
Dodge
A brush tool used to give highlights to an image.
Down-Res
Reducing the resolution of an image or film.
DPI
Dots per inch. A way of specifying the resolution of a bitmap image in printed media.
Drop Shadow
Drop shadows are those shadows dropping below text or images which gives the illusion of shadows from lighting and gives a 3D effect to the object.
Emboss
Embossing a graphic image adds dimension to it by making the image appear as if it were carved as a projection from a flat background.
Eraser Tool
Allows you to delete areas selected in your layer.
Eye Dropper
Selects a colour of choice in the colour palette.
Export
Exporting allows users to save the file in another format so that it may be opened in other programs.
Feathering
Softening the edge line of an object in an image, usually when the object is to be cut out then composited on to another image.
Fill
Filling an area on a cel with colour - the job of the cel painters.
Filter
A routine that changes the appearance of an image or part of an image by altering the shades and colors of the pixels in some manner.
Font
In typography, a set of all characters in a typeface.
Freehand
Drawn by hand without the aid of tracing or drafting devices.
FX
Abbreviation for "effects", which in turn usually means Special Effects.
Gamma
A setting used that determines the overall contrastiness of images. If in doubt, go for a default value of 2.2. This is suitable for most applications.
Gamut
The range of colours that any specific device (a monitor, for example) can reproduce - this is never going to be all visible colours.
GIF
(Graphics Interchange Format) Bitmap file type.
Gradient
A function in graphic software that allows the user to fill an object/image with a smooth transition of colours, for example a dark blue, gradually becoming lighter or red, gradually becoming orange, then yellow.
Grading
The tweaking of colour balance in post production. This can be subtle, as in making the overall image, say, warmer, or be a profound alteration to a scene's appearance.
Graphic Design
Visual representation of an idea or concept. The term is used as a collective name for all activities relating to visual design, including web design, logo design etc..
Greyscale
This is one of two possible kinds of black and white images; Greyscale is a black and white image that also has tonal information - that is, it is made of black and white pixels plus a range of greys between them.
Hand Tool
Allows you to move the image around.
Heal Tool
(Adobe Photoshop)Allows you to remove dust and scratches (Ideal for photo restoration).
History Brush
Re-creates brush techniques used in a previous snapshot.
HSV/HSB
An alternative way to measure or describe colours to RGB. HSV or HSB describes a colour using; H= hue (colour) S = saturation V = brightness.
Hue
Another word for colour.
ICO
.ICO file format is an image file format for icons.
Image Area
The area on a page within which copy is positioned; determined by the margins.
IMG
Abbreviation of "Image".
Importing
The process of bringing external images or text into a graphics program.
Ink
US term for "trace".
Invert
To reverse the position, order, or condition of an image.
JPEG
(Joint Photographic Electronic Group) Bitmap file type that uses lossy compression. File extension names:
JPG JPEG JPE
JPEG2000
A newer type of "jpeg" file. Uses superior compression method plus lossless compression. Can have alpha channel. File extension names:
JP2 JPC J2K JPF
Knockout
In printing, when one colour is to be printed immediately adjacent to another color; actually they are printed with a slight overlap.
Lasso Tool
Similar to the marquee tool, except that you control your selection.
Layers
Separate "drawing boards" or "canvasses" in a drawing, CAD or image editing program that are overlaid one on top of the other to complete the picture.
Lighting
The distribution of light and shade. Often used to give depth to an image.
Line Art
Any illustration material that contains no halftone, continuous tone, or tinted images. Pen-and-ink drawings are line art.
Line Tool
Allows you to create various vector shapes.
Logo
A symbol representing a company or product.
Lossless
See "Compression"
Lossy
See "Compression"
Luma/Luminance
Brightness = shade
Luma Key
A means of seperating a foreground image from its background by use of differences in "luma".
Magic Wand
This tool will allow you to select consistently coloured areas without having to trace around the outline.
Motion Blur
This is an effect created in 3D CGI and sometimes faked in 2D; whatever moves in a scene is deliberately blurred. The faster the movement the greater the degree of blurring.
Move Tool
The move tool moves an entire layer at a time.
Noise
In digital images and digital photography the term noise is used to describe the occurrence of color dots or specks where there should be none.
Note Tool
(Adobe Photoshop) Add notes to self for various sessions.
Opaque
US term (rare) for paint.
Outline
A sketch showing only the contours of an object without use of shading.
Paint Bucket
This tool is used to "pour" areas of colour onto a layer.
Path Selection
(Adobe Photoshop) Select paths for edit created by the pen tool.
Pattern
An artistic or decorative design.
Pencil
A graphite-based digitally operated drawing device which is used to make marks on paper.
Pen Tool
Draw or trace using this for shapes or create a path.
Pixel
Bitmap images are composed of tiny (usually square) elements called pixels, much like the dots of a half-tone newspaper photograph.
Pixel Aspect Ratio
Pixels are usually sqaure, (an aspect ratio of 1) but not always. WHen they are not in square shape, they will have a Pixel Aspect Ratio greater or less than 1.
Pixelation
The blocky effect you see if a bitmap image is enlarged.
PNG
A bitmap file that can have lossless compression and an alpha channel.
Primary (colour)
These are basic colours from which all other colours can be mixed.
PSD
(Photoshop Document) Adobe Photoshop's native format..
Rasterize
Rasterization is performed by a raster image processor (RIP), which turns text and images into the matrix of pixels (bitmap) that will be displayed on screen or printed on the page. Various conversions may take place. For example, the mathematical coordinates of vector and outline fonts as well as vector drawings must be converted into bitmaps. Existing bitmaps may have to be scaled into different-sized bitmaps.
Render
Refers to the process of adding realism to a computer graphics by adding three-dimensional qualities such as shadows and variations in color and shade.
Rendering
Producing the final image from the draft work; (in 2D, the draft stage is the line-test, in 3D it is wireframe). The rendered image is the one seen in the final image.
Resolution
How much information is present in media - how sharp a picture is.
RGB
= red, green, blue. Values of these three primary colours are used in some graphics file formats to describe colour value.
RGBA
= red, green, blue, alpha. Used in bitmap graphic files. The alpha channel represents transparency.
Saturation
The amount of colour in an image; when the saturation is zero, there is no colour, so you are left with a greyscale image.
Selection Marquee
A selection marquee is a visible dashed line that indicates a selected area of an image. All commands and actions are only applied to the areas within the selection marquee. The areas outside of the selection marquee are masked, or protected. (Often known as "Marching Ants").
SFX
Short for "Special Effects"
Shade
Best described for brightness or luminance.
Sharpen
To decrease the size of the dots on a screened halftone.
Slice Tool
(Adobe Photoshop) Mainly used for web designers to mark button hotspots.
Specular Lighting
3D CGI term. The effect of a directional light hitting a shiny surface which causes sharply defined highlights, like on a polished snooker ball.
sRGB
A version of RGB colour space with a reduced gamut to RGB proper. If you are offered a choice of colour space within an application, always choose sRGB as its use is almost universal.
Stock
Stock photos (stock photography) are professional photographs of common places, landmarks, nature, events or people and can be used and reused for commercial design purposes.
Stroke
In vector graphics; control points placed on a path that control its colour and width. Strokes can, for instance, be used to create the appearence of a dip-pen line.
Subtractive (colours)
This is the description of how colours inks and paints mix together as in print work or painting on canvas. The four most commonly used subtractive primary colours are CMYK - cyan, magenta, yellow and black.
Template
In page layout, a background grid, image, or shape used to indicate where page elements are to be inserted. Templates are used to define the default page layout for a publication.
Texture
The application of a type of surface to a 3D image.
TGA
("Targa") A common bitmap file type that can have an alpha channel.
Thumbnail
A reduced image of a graphic or document page, used in order to view multiple images on a screen simultaneously or to download such images more rapidly.
TIFF
A common bitmap file type that can have an alpha channel. File extension names:
TIF TIFF
Tone
A quality or value of color; tint; shade.
Typography
Typography is the art and use of typefaces.
Up-Res
Using software or dedicated hardware to take an exsisting standard resolution image and make it appear to be in high definiation.
Vector Graphic
The alternative to bitmap graphics. The lines of a vector drawing are actually mathematical curvers which connect up control points. UNlike bitmap images, a vector graphic can be enlarged to a very large degree without ill effects like blockiness or fuzziness.
Vexel
Vexel is a neologism for an entirely pixel-based form of raster art that imitates the visual appearance of vector graphics technique.
Vignette
An illustration in which the background color gradually decreases in strength (but not hue) as it gets closer to the edges of the image, until it gradually segues into the color of the paper.
Wireframe
The first stage in CGI 3D before an object is rendered.
X Axis
East West movement (left to right) is in X.
Y Axis
North South movement (up and down) is in Y.
Z Axis
Movement towards and away from the camera is in Z.
Zoom
To change from a distant view to a more close-up view (zoom in) and vice versa (zoom out). An application may provide fixed or variable levels of zoom. A display adapter may also have built-in zoom capability.
Software Coded By: FireTech
Dictionary By: Fragma
Definitions By: Various Resources & Myself
Note: Some of the definitions below were written by other people although I did write some myself. This dictionary took about an hour and a half to write up. (Nothing is C&P). If you notice any errors such as spelling mistakes, grammar etc.. please let me know. Also note that I plan on updating whenever I get the chance.
0 - 10 (Click to View)
1 Bit
An image that consists only of black and white pixels. In traditional photography, this would be referred to as a high contrast image.
Abstract
Emphasizing lines, colors, generalized or geometrical forms, etc., esp. with reference to their relationship to one another.
Additive (colours)
When colours are added together, such as when coloured lights shine together, this is known as additive colour. A yellow colour, for example, will be seen when equally bright red and green lights shine on one spot.
AI
(Adobe Illustrator) Adobe Illustrator's native format.
Airbrush
The traditional airbrush is a loved / detested paint tool that works similar to a spray can, using compressed air to lay a film of very fine paint droplets down. It is ideal for painting soft fluffy imagery like clouds. Well emulated in digital media.
Alias vs. Anti-Alias
Bitmap images can appear to have ragged edges in their "raw" (aliased) state. A technique called anti-aliasing feathers the edges.
Alignment
Arrangement or position in a straight line or in parallel lines.
Alpha Channel
Means of representing transparency in a computer graphic.
Ambient Light
An overall non directional light source. An example of ambient light would be the appearance inside a very heavy daytime fog; everything will be evenly lit without highlights or shadows.
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement.
Antics
The great great granddaddy of all computer ink and paint programs.
Avatar
A computer user's representation of himself/herself or alter ego whether in the form of a three-dimensional model used in computer games, a two-dimensional icon (picture) or a one-dimensional username used on Internet forums and other communities.
AVI
Picture file format for moving images (including sound) on computer - more common on PCs. Depending on the codec being used, AVIs can be pure uncompressed imagery or can be heavily compressed.
Banding
Distinct shades seen in colours that should instead appear seamlessly gradated.
Bevel
Adding a beveled effect to a graphic image gives the image a raised appearance by applying highlight colours and shadow colours to the inside and outside edges.
BG
Abbreviation for "background".
Bit Depth
The accuracy with which digital information is stored.
Bitmap
A computer graphic composed of little (usually square shaped) blocks called pixels.
Blending
To pass gradually or imperceptibly into each other, as colors.
BMP
The standard bit-mapped graphics format used in the Windows environment. By convention, graphics files in the BMP format end with a .BMP extension.
Blur
To make indistinct and hazy in outline or appearance.
Brush Tool
Applies paint techniques for touch up.
Burn
A brush tool used to add shadow to an image.
Canvas
In an image editing or paint program, the canvas is the window in which the picture is created or edited. It is the on-screen counterpart of the cloth canvas used by an artist.
CGI
Computer generated imagery.
Chroma
Colour
Chromakey
A means of separating a foreground image from its background by use of chrome. Most often used chromakey colours are blue or green.
Clipping
Cutting off the outer edges or boundaries of a word, signal or image. In rendering an image, clipping removes any objects or portions thereof that are not visible on screen.
Clone Tool
(Adobe Photoshop) Used to copy portions of a layer from one area to another.
CMYK
Four primary colours (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow & Black) of subtractive colour processes. Exclusively used in printed media, not film or video.
CnC
Abbreviation for "Comments & Criticism".
Codec
= Compress / Decompress - Think of a codec as being software on your computer that enables you to record or play a specific type of moving image file such as an AVI. Each codec differs in offering various amounts or methods of picture compression, hence quality.
Colour Bars
A still image of vertical strips of saturated colours used by technicians to calibrate colour fidelity.
Colour Depth
A value which determines the maximum number of colours and shades that can be used in a computer graphic or digitally generated image.
Colour Separation
The process of creating separate negatives and plates for each colour of ink (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) that will be used in the publication.
Colour Space
This is a way of describing the range of colours available within graphics systems. There are specialized colour spaces such as Adobe RGB and one widely used colour space called sRGB which has a reduced gamut, but is "understood" by almost all digital graphics devices.
Colour Temperature
The colour quality of light (whether is is "warm" or "cool"); it is measured using the kelvin scale.
Compression
Many image files, both still and movie, can be greatly reduced in size using compression. Lossless compression gets rid of redundancy but leaves the image pristine. Lossy compression reduces the size of the images by throwing away information that the eye should not miss. Dont badly, lossy compression can cause visible artifacts.
Continuous Tone
Artwork that contains gradations of gray, as opposed to black and white line art. Photographs and some drawings, like charcoal or water colour, require treatment as continuous-tone art.
Crop Marks
On a mechanical, horizontal and vertical lines that indicate the edge of the printed piece.
Cropping
For artwork, cutting out the extraneous parts of an image, usually a photograph.
Diffuse Lighting
3D CGI term. Lighting that is directional but soft, like illuminating something made of velvet or very dry skin.
Dithering
Method by which the apparent colour depth of a graphic can be increased; derived from the 19th century pointillism painting style.
DivX
A high quality codec especially good for live action
Dodge
A brush tool used to give highlights to an image.
Down-Res
Reducing the resolution of an image or film.
DPI
Dots per inch. A way of specifying the resolution of a bitmap image in printed media.
Drop Shadow
Drop shadows are those shadows dropping below text or images which gives the illusion of shadows from lighting and gives a 3D effect to the object.
Emboss
Embossing a graphic image adds dimension to it by making the image appear as if it were carved as a projection from a flat background.
Eraser Tool
Allows you to delete areas selected in your layer.
Eye Dropper
Selects a colour of choice in the colour palette.
Export
Exporting allows users to save the file in another format so that it may be opened in other programs.
Feathering
Softening the edge line of an object in an image, usually when the object is to be cut out then composited on to another image.
Fill
Filling an area on a cel with colour - the job of the cel painters.
Filter
A routine that changes the appearance of an image or part of an image by altering the shades and colors of the pixels in some manner.
Font
In typography, a set of all characters in a typeface.
Freehand
Drawn by hand without the aid of tracing or drafting devices.
FX
Abbreviation for "effects", which in turn usually means Special Effects.
Gamma
A setting used that determines the overall contrastiness of images. If in doubt, go for a default value of 2.2. This is suitable for most applications.
Gamut
The range of colours that any specific device (a monitor, for example) can reproduce - this is never going to be all visible colours.
GIF
(Graphics Interchange Format) Bitmap file type.
Gradient
A function in graphic software that allows the user to fill an object/image with a smooth transition of colours, for example a dark blue, gradually becoming lighter or red, gradually becoming orange, then yellow.
Grading
The tweaking of colour balance in post production. This can be subtle, as in making the overall image, say, warmer, or be a profound alteration to a scene's appearance.
Graphic Design
Visual representation of an idea or concept. The term is used as a collective name for all activities relating to visual design, including web design, logo design etc..
Greyscale
This is one of two possible kinds of black and white images; Greyscale is a black and white image that also has tonal information - that is, it is made of black and white pixels plus a range of greys between them.
Hand Tool
Allows you to move the image around.
Heal Tool
(Adobe Photoshop)Allows you to remove dust and scratches (Ideal for photo restoration).
History Brush
Re-creates brush techniques used in a previous snapshot.
HSV/HSB
An alternative way to measure or describe colours to RGB. HSV or HSB describes a colour using; H= hue (colour) S = saturation V = brightness.
Hue
Another word for colour.
ICO
.ICO file format is an image file format for icons.
Image Area
The area on a page within which copy is positioned; determined by the margins.
IMG
Abbreviation of "Image".
Importing
The process of bringing external images or text into a graphics program.
Ink
US term for "trace".
Invert
To reverse the position, order, or condition of an image.
JPEG
(Joint Photographic Electronic Group) Bitmap file type that uses lossy compression. File extension names:
JPG JPEG JPE
JPEG2000
A newer type of "jpeg" file. Uses superior compression method plus lossless compression. Can have alpha channel. File extension names:
JP2 JPC J2K JPF
Knockout
In printing, when one colour is to be printed immediately adjacent to another color; actually they are printed with a slight overlap.
Lasso Tool
Similar to the marquee tool, except that you control your selection.
Layers
Separate "drawing boards" or "canvasses" in a drawing, CAD or image editing program that are overlaid one on top of the other to complete the picture.
Lighting
The distribution of light and shade. Often used to give depth to an image.
Line Art
Any illustration material that contains no halftone, continuous tone, or tinted images. Pen-and-ink drawings are line art.
Line Tool
Allows you to create various vector shapes.
Logo
A symbol representing a company or product.
Lossless
See "Compression"
Lossy
See "Compression"
Luma/Luminance
Brightness = shade
Luma Key
A means of seperating a foreground image from its background by use of differences in "luma".
Magic Wand
This tool will allow you to select consistently coloured areas without having to trace around the outline.
Motion Blur
This is an effect created in 3D CGI and sometimes faked in 2D; whatever moves in a scene is deliberately blurred. The faster the movement the greater the degree of blurring.
Move Tool
The move tool moves an entire layer at a time.
Noise
In digital images and digital photography the term noise is used to describe the occurrence of color dots or specks where there should be none.
Note Tool
(Adobe Photoshop) Add notes to self for various sessions.
Opaque
US term (rare) for paint.
Outline
A sketch showing only the contours of an object without use of shading.
Paint Bucket
This tool is used to "pour" areas of colour onto a layer.
Path Selection
(Adobe Photoshop) Select paths for edit created by the pen tool.
Pattern
An artistic or decorative design.
Pencil
A graphite-based digitally operated drawing device which is used to make marks on paper.
Pen Tool
Draw or trace using this for shapes or create a path.
Pixel
Bitmap images are composed of tiny (usually square) elements called pixels, much like the dots of a half-tone newspaper photograph.
Pixel Aspect Ratio
Pixels are usually sqaure, (an aspect ratio of 1) but not always. WHen they are not in square shape, they will have a Pixel Aspect Ratio greater or less than 1.
Pixelation
The blocky effect you see if a bitmap image is enlarged.
PNG
A bitmap file that can have lossless compression and an alpha channel.
Primary (colour)
These are basic colours from which all other colours can be mixed.
PSD
(Photoshop Document) Adobe Photoshop's native format..
Rasterize
Rasterization is performed by a raster image processor (RIP), which turns text and images into the matrix of pixels (bitmap) that will be displayed on screen or printed on the page. Various conversions may take place. For example, the mathematical coordinates of vector and outline fonts as well as vector drawings must be converted into bitmaps. Existing bitmaps may have to be scaled into different-sized bitmaps.
Render
Refers to the process of adding realism to a computer graphics by adding three-dimensional qualities such as shadows and variations in color and shade.
Rendering
Producing the final image from the draft work; (in 2D, the draft stage is the line-test, in 3D it is wireframe). The rendered image is the one seen in the final image.
Resolution
How much information is present in media - how sharp a picture is.
RGB
= red, green, blue. Values of these three primary colours are used in some graphics file formats to describe colour value.
RGBA
= red, green, blue, alpha. Used in bitmap graphic files. The alpha channel represents transparency.
Saturation
The amount of colour in an image; when the saturation is zero, there is no colour, so you are left with a greyscale image.
Selection Marquee
A selection marquee is a visible dashed line that indicates a selected area of an image. All commands and actions are only applied to the areas within the selection marquee. The areas outside of the selection marquee are masked, or protected. (Often known as "Marching Ants").
SFX
Short for "Special Effects"
Shade
Best described for brightness or luminance.
Sharpen
To decrease the size of the dots on a screened halftone.
Slice Tool
(Adobe Photoshop) Mainly used for web designers to mark button hotspots.
Specular Lighting
3D CGI term. The effect of a directional light hitting a shiny surface which causes sharply defined highlights, like on a polished snooker ball.
sRGB
A version of RGB colour space with a reduced gamut to RGB proper. If you are offered a choice of colour space within an application, always choose sRGB as its use is almost universal.
Stock
Stock photos (stock photography) are professional photographs of common places, landmarks, nature, events or people and can be used and reused for commercial design purposes.
Stroke
In vector graphics; control points placed on a path that control its colour and width. Strokes can, for instance, be used to create the appearence of a dip-pen line.
Subtractive (colours)
This is the description of how colours inks and paints mix together as in print work or painting on canvas. The four most commonly used subtractive primary colours are CMYK - cyan, magenta, yellow and black.
Template
In page layout, a background grid, image, or shape used to indicate where page elements are to be inserted. Templates are used to define the default page layout for a publication.
Texture
The application of a type of surface to a 3D image.
TGA
("Targa") A common bitmap file type that can have an alpha channel.
Thumbnail
A reduced image of a graphic or document page, used in order to view multiple images on a screen simultaneously or to download such images more rapidly.
TIFF
A common bitmap file type that can have an alpha channel. File extension names:
TIF TIFF
Tone
A quality or value of color; tint; shade.
Typography
Typography is the art and use of typefaces.
Up-Res
Using software or dedicated hardware to take an exsisting standard resolution image and make it appear to be in high definiation.
Vector Graphic
The alternative to bitmap graphics. The lines of a vector drawing are actually mathematical curvers which connect up control points. UNlike bitmap images, a vector graphic can be enlarged to a very large degree without ill effects like blockiness or fuzziness.
Vexel
Vexel is a neologism for an entirely pixel-based form of raster art that imitates the visual appearance of vector graphics technique.
Vignette
An illustration in which the background color gradually decreases in strength (but not hue) as it gets closer to the edges of the image, until it gradually segues into the color of the paper.
Wireframe
The first stage in CGI 3D before an object is rendered.
X Axis
East West movement (left to right) is in X.
Y Axis
North South movement (up and down) is in Y.
Z Axis
Movement towards and away from the camera is in Z.
Zoom
To change from a distant view to a more close-up view (zoom in) and vice versa (zoom out). An application may provide fixed or variable levels of zoom. A display adapter may also have built-in zoom capability.
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