Acquire:

Refers to the opening up and importing of files into a given software application or into the operating system. It is most often done through a twain interface or plug-in mini-application.

Artifact(ing):

Misinterpreted information from a JPEG or compressed image. Color faults or line faults that visibly impact the image negatively. This is more commonly found when there are exposure problems or lower quality digital cameras.

ASCII:

American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) is an ANSI binary-coding scheme consisting of 128 seven-bit patterns for printable characters and control of equipment functions. ASCII is the basis for information exchange between many computer systems.

Bit:

The smallest unit of memory; a contraction from ´binary´ and ´digit´. Binary digits are 0 and 1, also known as ons and offs.

Bit Depth:

This refers to the color or gray scale of an individual pixel. A pixel with 8 bits per color gives a 24 bit image. (8 Bits X 3 colors is 24 bits.) Camera sensors are colored in a pixel by pixel method to create an image..
24 bit color resolution is 16.7 million colors.
16 bit color is 32,000 colors.
8 bit color is 256 color.
8 bit gray scale is 256 shades of gray
4 bit 64 colors or gray
2 bit black or white.

Bitmap:

The method of storing information that maps an image pixel, bit by bit. Examples of bitmapped file formats are: .bmp, .pcx, .pict, .pict-2, tiff, .tif, .gif (89a), and so forth. In fact, most image files are bit mapped. This type of file will give you that jagged look up close. Up close, you can see the line of pixels that create edges. This is called pixelation.

Byte:

A group of 8 bits; the basic unit of information used by computers.

CCD:

Charged Coupled Device, a light sensitive chip used for image gathering. In their normal condition these are grayscale devices. To create color a color pattern is laid down on the sensor pixels, using RGBG color mask. (Red, Green, Blue, and Green) The extra Green is used to create contrast in the image. The CCD Pixels gather the color from the light and pass it to the shift register for storage. *

A CCD transports the charge across the chip and reads it at one corner of the array. An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) then turns each pixel's value into a digital value by measuring the amount of charge at each photosite and converting that measurement to binary form.

CMOS:

CMOS (complimentary metal-oxide semiconductor) This is the newer technology which is constructed in a similar manner to computer processors. CMOS devices use several transistors at each pixel to amplify and move the charge using more traditional wires methodology. When compared to CCDs CMOS sensors are less sensitive to light but may use 1/10 of the power of a CCD.

CMYK:

Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black; These are the printer colors used to create color prints. Most Color Printers, Ink-Jet, Laser, Dye-Sublimation, Thermal, and Crayon printers use these as their printer colors. The conversion of RGB files to CMYK files is one of the causes of color shifts. When considering printers CMYK is also known as a reflective color since it is printed on paper, or reflective films and the color is seen by light which reflects.

Compression:

Process of compacting digital data, images and text. Software algorithms search the raster image to build a greatly condensed (from a file storage perspective) format of the image. (See File Formats)

Depth of Field

Depth of field is the amount of an image in focus. A narrow depth of field means that a small area front to back of an image is in focus. Depth of field is controlled by the f-stop. The higher the f-stop value the greater the area in focus. When setting automated modes on your camera Landscape mode will have the greatest depth of field and sports and portrait mode will have the least.

DPI:

Printing term that describes the number of dots per inch laid on the print media which creates the image.

Focal Length

The focal length of a lens determines how much magnification is used when a photograph is taken. A lens with a shorter focal length will have a wider view of a subject than can a lens with a longer focal length, which would see a narrower view of the scene, but at a higher level of magnification. Longer focal length lens are used for sports and pulling things in close.

Firmware:

An Often-used microprogram or instruction set stored in memory in the device. This device is referred to as Read Only Memory or ROM. This is the base software controls the device. Firmware is found in all computer based products including Digital Cameras.

GIF:

Graphic Interface designed by CompuServe for display of images online. This is a 256 color or 8 bit image.

GIF 89:

The more recent GIF standard which allows the selection of areas for transparency. The primary use for this format is for internet and other on-line services.

GUI:

Pronounced Gooey this stands for graphic user interface.

Image:

Electronic representation of a picture or document which us stored as a bitmap.

Imaging:

This is the term commonly used to describe the processing of digital images..

"Jaggies":

A street term for the stair-stepped appearance of a curved or angled line in the digital imaging process. The smaller the pixels, and the greater their number the fewer "jaggies" you will see. This is also called pixelization.

JPEG:

The most common format used for images in digital imaging device. A JPG file format will compresses the information to its lowest common value. The amount of compression depends upon various settings used by the program creating the file. The ability to set the "compression" allows you to get more images on your file. Most photographers will tell you to shoot as large as you can and own more medial cards. Too much compression of the files can cause the "jaggies", or "pixelization" in some digital images. The higher the compression ratio the more the pixelization or blockyness occurs.

Mega Pixel:

1 Million Pixel Image.

PCX:

Windows Paintbrush bitmap image.

Pict:

The native bitmapped file format for Macintosh&153; images.

Pict 2:

The native color bitmapped image format for Macintosh&153;, up to 32 bit color.

Pixel:

The pixel is the smallest part of a digitized or Digital Image.
This is used in measuring image size and resolution,

Pixelization:

The stair-stepped appearance of a curved or angled line in digital imaging. The smaller the pixels, and the greater their number, the less apparent the "pixelization" of the image. Also known as the "jaggies".

Plug-In:

The plug-in architecture was first made mainstream by Adobe Photoshop. It is now the standard for all major imaging programs. A plug-in is additional code or programming which runs as if it was a part of the program which it is "plugged into".

PPI:

Printing term for Pixels per Inch

RAM:

Random Access Memory, the volatile memory used to temporarily store information for processing. There are several types of RAM.

Raster:

A two-dimensional array of black and white cells, called pixels or picture elements, which when displayed on a screen or paper, form an image or representation of an original document.

Rasterization :

The process that automatically converts vector and text into raster. This process is done on-the-fly for plotting, or can be stored as a file in raster format.

RGB:

Red, Green, Blue; this is the color language of computers. Computers´ monitors and digital cameras use these colors to create all the colors seen on the monitor and saved in files.

ROM:

Read Only Memory, used for primary instructions in many Computer Peripherals and CPU´s Firmware. There instructions can be upgraded from a computer

Software:

Operating Instruction set carried out by the computers processors found in computers, cameras, and all digital devices.

TIFF:

Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) is an industry standard raster file format, which consists of the image and header information. TIFF is also supported by most desktop publishing and paint programs.

Twain:

An acquire interface developed by a consortium of software developers as a standard for communications between scanners, imaging devices and now digital cameras and other and the computer software. Twain allows you to import (acquire) an image into your software. This is the interface of choice on the Window´s platform.

Vector:

An electronic or computer-readable image format incorporating a formulate representation of graphical line art. Vector format is used during the markup process, to keep redlines separate from images and to facilitate easy modifications. This format is also often used during the edit process.

WYSIWYG:

Slang for What You See Is What You Get, refers to accurate screen images to print out. This is a primary result of Xerox Graphics interface. Pronounced "WizzyWig"