Glossary
A
active image area Application window that displays the image contained in the currently open file.
active layer Virtual drawing plane currently selected in an open image.
adjustment layer In a multilayered image, a layer containing no pixels, inserted to affect the overall appearance of all layers beneath it; in effect, a digital photographic filter.
autofocus Automatic focusing capability of digital cameras.
automatic white balance Digital camera function that reproduces colors based on the assumption that the lightest area in the frame is pure white.
autoselect Procedure whereby selecting a shape or text object with the Move tool automatically causes its layer to be selected, too.
B
backlight Photographic light source emanating from behind the subject.
base layer When layers are grouped, the bottommost layer that sets the boundaries of the upper ones, determined by the boundaries of a shape on that layer.
bitmap Digital image composed of pixels; raster image; pixel array; in Photoshop Elements color modes, a black-and-white image.
Blending mode In a multilayered image, a layer option that determines how colors on different layers combine; an option for various tools and filters. Examples: Normal, Dissolve, Hard, Soft.
blow out To totally overexpose an area of an image so that it is pure white and contains no picture detail.
brush dynamics Options for the size, shape, and behavior of the Brush tool that control the quality of its brush stroke.
brush tip Size and shape of the tip of the Brush tool, set in the Options bar after the tool is selected.
burn A traditional darkroom technique by which you underexpose masked areas of a film negative before making a print.
C
canvas size Paper or media size associated with an image file.
caption Printable text that describes the content of a picture.
capture To upload image data from a camera, camcorder, or scanner into a computer.
catalog In Organizer, a collection of image files from which a presentation can be created.
Clipboard Scratchpad memory area in the system software through which data, including graphics and images, can be exchanged between open applications.
Close box X button in the top-right corner of any Windows window by which it may be closed, or turned off.
CMYK Color model and mixing scheme used in Photoshop but not in Photoshop Elements. Based on the components cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. Inkjet printers and printing presses use inks in these four colors to print.
collage Art term for a composition made from cut-out images pasted onto a board.
color cast Overall tint of a photograph, particularly noticeable and in need of correction when it creates unflattering flesh tones in the subjects.
color components Separate channels, or primary colors, within a color model; red, green, and blue in the RGB color model; hue, saturation, and lightness in the HSL model.
color management Coordination of color devices, such as cameras, computer screens, and printers, so that colors rendered on all of them appear to match.
color matching Fine-tuning the output of two or more color-reproduction devices, such as a monitor and a printer, so that colors appear the same on both.
color space The range of all colors available in a color model.
composite Combination or merging two or more images.
composition Artistic arrangement of subjects within the picture area.
compression Mathematical transformation of a digital file so as to describe its contents using less data, thereby creating a smaller file, while degrading its quality or accuracy as little as possible.
constrain To limit the repositioning or resizing of a shape or text to perpendicular angles; to prevent distortion; to maintain proportions (aspect ratio).
contact sheet Film photographer’s reference print created in the darkroom by exposing filmstrips in direct contact with a sheet of print paper.
contrast Range of brightness between the highlights and shadows in a photograph.
crop To reframe an image, moving its edges to exclude unwanted areas.
crushed blacks Underexposed areas of a picture that are totally black and contain no picture detail.
D
default Preselected program option settings.
digital watermark Invisible copyright or proprietary notice within the image area of a photograph that can be read by Photoshop Elements or special reader software.
digitize To convert a film print or analog video clip to a digital file; to scan a photo.
discard layers To merge and simplify all layers in an image simultaneously, rendering text and artwork uneditable as objects; see also flatten.
dither To render a subtle color by juxtaposing dots of two or more primary colors.
dodge In traditional darkroom technique, to overexpose unmasked areas of a film negative before making a print.
dpi Unit of resolution of a digital printer; dots per inch; equivalent to pixels/inch.
DV Abbreviation of the Digital Video recording standard.
DVD Abbreviation for Digital Versatile Disc; optical recording medium for videos and movies.
DVD menu Onscreen selections of DVD chapters, each indicated by a button.
E
exposure Length of time light is permitted to strike a camera’s film or sensors (called CCD chips in a digital camera).
extension In a computer filename, characters to the right of the rightmost period, indicating the file format (for example, .psd, .jpg, .doc, .mpeg).
eyelight Small photographic light source aimed directly into a subject’s eyes to make the eyes sparkle.
F
feather Blurred edges of a shape; vignette.
file format Indicated by the extension in the filename, the type of file (such as a native Photoshop file).
fill Solid area or pattern within a shape, text, or image area.
fill flash Bright photographic light source used to supplement key light and fill in the area surrounding the subject. In Photoshop Elements, the ability to lighten the darkest (usually foreground) areas of a photo, leaving the bright (usually background) areas unchanged.
filter In Photoshop Elements, a prebuilt artistic effect that can be applied to an image; in conventional photography, a glass covering for a lens that changes the quality of light.
FireWire Apple trademark for the connection between a camcorder or other device and a computer, designated IEEE 1394; equivalent to Sony’s i.LINK.
flatten To merge and simplify all layers in an image simultaneously; see also discard layers.
flip To create a mirror image of a shape, text, or image.
focus In Photoshop Elements, to sharpen or blur the edges of a selection; in conventional photography, to adjust the camera lens to achieve the same effect.
folder In a computer file system, a named directory that contains files.
font In typography, a typeface in a particular point size; in computer applications, a typeface.
f-stop Camera setting that controls how much light is admitted during an exposure.
FTP Abbreviation of File Transfer Protocol, a method of uploading files to the Internet.
Full Edit mode Interface view that enables access to all features of Photoshop Elements. See also Guided Edit mode and Quick Fix mode.
G
Gaussian blur Named for mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss, a filter that enables finer control over how an image is blurred than does Blur or Blur More.
gradient Blended color used to fill a shape or background.
grain Noise filter applied to a digital image to simulate the grain of photographic film.
grayed out Dimmed; refers to menu commands or dialog box options that are unavailable based on current settings.
grayscale Monochrome picture that contains shades of black and white.
group Combination of palettes or layers so that they can be manipulated as a single palette or object.
Guided Edit mode Interface view that provides instructions for completing common tasks and restricts access to commands and tools other than those needed for the task at hand. See also Full Edit mode and Quick Fix mode.
H
halation effect Artifact of early film that created a beatific glow around close-ups of movie stars.
halftone screen Dot pattern used in commercial printing to render shaded images using tiny, solid dots of black (B&W) or four primary colors (CMYK).
handle Corner on a selection that can be dragged to resize or reposition the object.
hard Quality of light that produces sharp edges and dark shadows.
hidden tool Any tool in the toolbar that can be selected by right-clicking a related tool.
HSL Color model and mixing scheme based on components hue (primary color), saturation (tint), and lightness (light-dark value).
I
ICC Abbreviation of International Color Consortium, which promotes color standards for the printing industry.
Impressionist brush Tool used to lay down blurred brush strokes, after the technique of painters who rebelled against doing pictures in painstaking detail.
indexed color Restricted color tables for specific uses, such as Web or Windows system display.
ink-and-paint Conventional movie animator’s technique of drawing a cartoon character’s outline in ink on a clear sheet of celluloid and then filling in solid shapes with acrylic paint.
intellectual property rights (IPR) Copyrights, patents, and trademarks; copyright applies to photographs, to which the photographer is author and rights holder.
K
key light Main photographic light source aimed to highlight the subject.
keystoning Photographic distortion produced by aiming the camera at a steep angle, high or low, in relation to the subject.
L
landscape Rectangular image or printer orientation with the long dimension horizontal.
layer Separate drawing, painting, text, or image plane among multiple planes, or layers, in a Photoshop image.
layer style Options, such as bevels or drop shadows, that affect all objects on a given layer.
level Value of red, green, blue, or black input or output channel to produce brightness and contrast.
linking layers Marking and associating layers so that they can be manipulated together.
lossless File compression that results in no perceptible loss of quality or accuracy.
lossy File compression that does result in a loss of quality or accuracy.
LZW File compression scheme based on a transformation named for mathematicians Lempel, Ziv, and Welch.
M
mapping Transformation that bends and spreads an image or texture over the surface of an object.
mask To cover part of an image so that the area is unaffected by changes made to other areas of the image.
menu bar Main pull-down program commands in an application such as Photoshop Elements, near the top of the program window, beginning with the File menu on the left and proceeding to the Help menu on the right.
merge To both simplify and combine layers in a single operation.
midtone Pixel values in the middle range between highlights and shadows.
mixed media Art term for works that may combine assemblage, collage, and painting or drawing.
mode Image rendering as either grayscale or color.
monochrome Single-color image, but not necessarily black and white.
multisession Describing a CD or DVD to which files can be written, or appended, at different times.
N–O
navigate Procedure for finding files and folders by exploring the file system, based on a hierarchy of files within folders (possibly within other folders) on a storage device (such as a disk).
negative Reverse image from processing camera film, resulting in shadow areas rendered as highlights, highlights as shadows, and color primaries as their opposites (red as cyan, blue as yellow, and so on).
nudge To move a selection by small increments by pressing the arrow keys.
opacity Degree to which light is blocked by an object or layer; inverse of transparency.
Options bar Settings for a tool, such as Brush, that become available beneath the menu bar after the tool has been selected.
Organizer Photoshop Elements component that catalogs photos and provides access to printing and online display methods.
orientation Rotation angle of an image or printout; portrait or landscape.
P
palette Floating window containing effects, commands, and help grouped by category.
Palette Bin Storage location in the work area for frequently used palettes.
palette tab Handle by which a palette can be selected, docked, or undocked from the Palette Bin.
pan To rotate a camera, typically mounted on a tripod, from left to right or from right to left in the same horizontal plane.
panorama Scenic, wide-angle landscape; Photomerge output.
picture package Assortment of prints in various sizes, from wallet sized to larger sizes suitable for framing, offered by commercial photographers.
pixel Picture element; colored dot in a bitmap image.
pixels/inch Resolution of a raster image; equivalent to printer dots per inch (dpi).
place To insert artwork from an external file into an open image.
plug-in Add-on software module that extends the capability of an application.
point size Size of type in a selected font.
Pointillize filter Limiting brush strokes to tiny dots of primary color; technique pioneered by Impressionist painter Georges Seurat.
port Input/output connector on a computer.
portrait Rectangular image or printer orientation with the long dimension vertical; headshot.
posterization Garish color effect produced by the command Image, Adjustments, Posterize.
preferences User option settings that override default values.
printable area Rectangular area of a printout that excludes margins where the printer grips the paper, and therefore where it can’t print an image.
profile Stored color table used for color management.
Progressive mode JPEG file setting that causes a downloaded image to be built up in visible stages, intended to improve the viewing experience over slow connections.
Q
Quick Fix mode Interface view that simplifies and streamlines features of Photoshop Elements so that corrections can be applied more easily, but with limited user control. See also Full Edit mode and Guided Edit mode.
R
rasterize To convert a vector shape or type object to pixels; to simplify.
recipe Sequential instructions delivered by the Help system for performing a specific task.
red eye Undesirable reflection in a subject’s eyes caused by flash photography.
redo Reverse the preceding Undo command.
related topics Help selections that appear in the Hints palette after doing a search.
render To apply changes to a digital image and display or print it.
resample To change the resolution (pixels/inch) of an image.
reset To return to previous option settings.
resolution Measure of picture quality or degree of detail; pixels/inch; dpi.
retouch To use artistic techniques to improve the appearance of photographic subjects or scenes; in portrait work, to soften wrinkles, remove blemishes, and so on.
revert To cancel pending edits without saving and return to the original version of a file; see also undo.
RGB Color model and mixing scheme used in Photoshop Elements, based on components red, green, and blue.
S
search field Text box in the top-right center of the Photoshop Elements work area into which a text description of a problem or task can be typed in order to search the Help files.
selection Active object or area within the image area to which the next command or operation will be applied.
sepia Brown-tinted monochrome image; typical of antique photographs.
shape Geometric object in Photoshop Elements (for example, rectangle, ellipse).
sharpen To increase pixel contrast at object boundaries; to bring into focus.
shortcuts bar Row of buttons with icons just beneath the menu bar, representing single-click activation of commonly used commands.
simplify To convert a vector shape or type to pixels; to rasterize.
skew To apply a spatial transformation to a selected object that causes its sides to be slanted.
slider Program control in some dialog boxes, toolbars, and palettes that can be adjusted by clicking and dragging.
Smart Paint Special effects that can be applied with a brush and modified or removed after they are applied.
stacking order Priority of layers in a multilayered image that determines visibility of objects; objects on upper layers will obscure overlapping objects beneath.
still Single-frame photographic image (as opposed to a moving image created by a sequence of frames in a movie or video).
streaming video Video clip, usually low resolution, optimized for downloading over the Web.
superimpose To overlay one graphic object on another.
swatch A single, saved color; one of a table of color selections coordinated for a specific purpose, such as Web-safe colors.
system colors Set of swatches containing only colors displayable without dithering on Windows computers.
T
texture Variegated surface or area; pattern.
thumbnail Small, low-resolution image used to preview file selections without having to spend time opening the full-resolution file.
title bar Top band on any Windows window showing the name of its selections (or filename of the image or document it contains), and by which the window may be moved by clicking and dragging.
tool One of the selection, drawing, and retouching tools found in the Photoshop Elements toolbar, located by default at the left edge of the work area.
toolbox Collection of Photoshop Elements tools, located by default at the left edge of the work area.
ToolTip Name or function of a tool or button, as well as its shortcut key (if any), which pops up when you hover the pointer over it before making a selection.
transparency Degree to which objects and colors on underlying layers are visible; the inverse of opacity.
tutorial Online training lesson available through the Help menu.
type mask Type-shaped selection area, typically used to create hollow text to let the background or a lower layer show through.
U–V
undo To reverse or cancel the most recently executed command or change; see also redo.
undock To open a palette from the Palette Bin.
ungroup To make a previously grouped set of palettes or layers accessible individually; see also group.
upload To transfer a digital file from a device, such as a camera, camcorder, or scanner, to a computer; to capture.
USB Abbreviation for Universal Serial Bus; a type of computer port that supports digital cameras and printers.
vector Mathematical description of a geometric object; a resolution-independent object description.