Glossary

ACTION—A series of steps performed with regularity, saved as a shortcut in Photoshop.

ADJUSTMENT LAYER—A layer devoid of image content, but housing effects that alter the appearance of the content of other layers in the “pile.”

APERTURE—The opening behind a lens that allows light to pass through it and reach the film or sensor.

APP—Short for application: a program that can be run on a computer or smartphone; word-processing packages and photo-editing suites are both types of applications.

BRIGHTNESS—The relative lightness or darkness of an image.

CLIPPING MASK—Effectively a digital paperclip that ensures effects within a particular layer are applicable only to the layer to which the clipping mask is directly attached.

COMPOSITE—An image constructed using elements from a collection of different images.

CONTRAST—The range in difference between light and dark tones in an image.

CROSS-PROCESS—The act of processing slide reversal film with color negative film chemicals, and vice versa, to give unusual color effects.

CSC—Short for Compact System Cameras (or CoSyCa): a camera that, like a DSLR, benefits from interchangeable lenses, but rather than having a mirror and an optical viewfinder, has an electronic viewfinder, thus making it smaller and lighter. They are also known as mirrorless cameras or MILCs (mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras).

CURVES—A tool in an editing suite that allows fine control over the brightness, contrast, and tonal range in an image.

DIORAMA—A three-dimensional miniature scene.

DSLR—Short for Digital Single Lens Reflex: a camera that uses a mirror to provide you with a real-time view of a scene via an optical viewfinder.

ƒ/STOP—The measurement of the variable opening in a lens that allows light to pass through it and to the sensor.

FEATHER—The ability to soften the edge of a brush or selection, which helps to prevent the selection looking “cut out.”

FILL LAYER—A layer that contains a block of color, a pattern, or a gradient.

FILTER—A tool used to alter, manipulate, or distort the image, either optically or digitally.

FISHEYE—An extreme wide-angle lens, providing a 180 degree view of a scene.

HISTOGRAM—A graph indicating the distribution of pixels in an image from light to dark.

HUE—The attribute of a color defined by its dominant wavelength and therefore position in the visible spectrum. Hue is what we normally mean when we ask, “What color is it?”

INFRARED—Also abbreviated as IR. Light of a wavelength longer than visible light, starting with near-infrared at approximately 750 nanometers.

ISO—Short for International Standards Organization: a numerical value given to the sensitivity of photographic paper, or digital sensors to light.

JPEG—Short for Joint Photographic Experts Group—a universally recognised photographic file format.

LAYER—The digital equivalent of a transparency that can be laid over an image to alter its appearance.

LAYER MASK—A mask applied over a particular layer to hide or reveal elements within it.

LEVELS—A tool in editing suites that allows control over the brightness, contrast, and tonal range in an image.

MEGAPIXEL—Roughly equivalent to one million pixels, also the term used to describe a camera’s resolution.

MICROSTOCK—A collection of images, usually royalty-free, sold on a “pile them high, sell them cheap” basis and therefore ideal for use by individuals and small businesses.

MONTAGE—A composite image created by combining and superimposing different pictures and designs.

MULTIPLE EXPOSURE—The action of exposing a frame of film twice or more to produce a trick-like or surreal-looking image. A multiple-exposure effect can also be achieved using a digital camera.

OPACITY—The degree of transparency of a layer or tool.

PATH—A line or shape created by the Pen tool (in Photoshop); a closed path can be turned into a selection.

PHONEOGRAPHY—Photography created using a smartphone.

PINHOLE CAMERA—A simple form of camera, without a lens, that exposes photographic paper or film via a tiny hole.

PIXEL—The smallest controllable element of an image.

PLUGIN—A small program that can be bolted onto an existing application to add functionality.

POST-PRODUCTION—The act of adjusting images after they have been taken.

PRESET—A preselected set of variables that can be applied to a particular tool or function.

PSD—Photoshop’s native file format.

RAW—A file format that preserves extensive image information and allows you to manipulate your photographs using editing software.

RESOLUTION—The level of detail in an image, measured in pixels or dots-per-inch (dpi and ppi).

SATURATION—The intensity of a color or hue.

SENSOR—An electronic chip that converts a light pattern into an electronic reading, thereby creating a record of an image.

SHUTTER SPEED—The period of time for which the shutter remains open and allows light to reach the sensor or film.

SMARTPHONE—A cellphone with computing ability.

SURREAL—Unreal or dreamlike in appearance.

SURREALISM—A 20th-century artistic movement founded by André Breton and based on the principles of unlocking the subconscious and expressing oneself through unreal and dreamlike creations.

TIFF—Short for Tagged Image File Format: a loss-image file format used extensively in the publishing and design industries.

TILT-SHIFT—A lens that projects an image circle wider than the sensor of the camera on which it is mounted, and can tilt or shift for various effects.

TOY CAMERA—Cameras that usually have plastic bodies and lenses that produce images typified by light leaks, vignetting, odd contrast and exposure, and chromatic aberration.