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acquire
A command for importing images into Photoshop. Acquire commands are installed into Photoshop as plug-in modules that provide direct access to scanners, digital cameras, video sources and other file formats.
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additive primary colours
The three additive primary colours, red, green, and blue, create all other colours when working with transmitted light (such as on a computer monitor). Pure red, green, and blue projected on top of one another create white light.
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alpha channel (see channel)
A greyscale (8-bit) component an image. RGB images are composed of three channels, red green and blue. The other channels can be used for masking.
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ambient light
Light illuminating an environment, indirect light.
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anti-aliasing
A function that smoothes edges of selections, type and painting tool strokes to eliminate the jaggies, or stairsteps, caused by pixels.
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arbitrary map
An option in the Curves dialog box to precisely define a curve by drawing with a Pencil tool
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ASCII
A standard format for text that has a binary number for each keyboard character and function. ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) is the most common and versatile format for transferring text among applications and platforms. Photoshop cannot open an ASCII file. Although not as efficient as binary, ASCII is a method of encoding images when saving in the EPS format.
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aspect ratio
The height-to-width ratio of a document or selection (image or type)
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ATM Adobe Type Manager (ATM)
Software from Adobe that you install on your Macintosh or PC/Windows system. It creates an accurate screen display of your PostScript fonts and allows Photoshop to create smooth anti-aliased type at any size. Without ATM installed, type in Photoshop appears with crude jagged edges.
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attachment
When any kind of an Electronic file -- program, text, data, sound, graphic, etc. is "attached" to an e-mail message for transmission to another computer, the file is know as an attachment.
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banding
Stairstepping effect when there are insufficient tones to reproduce a blend.
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Bezier curve
A mathematical curve that describes a vector path. In Photoshop Bezier curves are created by plotting anchor points with the Pen tool.
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bitmap image
A black and white image with no grey tones or colours defined by a grid of pixels. A bitmapped image has one bit of colour information for each pixel.
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black generation
When converting an RGB image to CMYK colour mode, black generation refers to the values that are generated for the black plate.
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bleed
Printing that extends beyond the edge of a page so that the ink meets the edge after the page is trimmed.
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BMP
File format - an abbreviation for Microsoft Windows Bitmap. Developed by Microsoft Corporation, the BMP format is designed to be used under DOS, Windows, Windows for Workgroups, Windows NT and OS/2. This format uses two methods of encoding: one for Windows and DOS and one for OS/2. It supports saving from Bitmap, Greyscale, Indexed and RGB modes. BMP files support 1, 4, 8 or 24 bit depth .
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brightness
The intensity of light reflected from or transmitted through an image. A method of describing colour when combined with hue and saturation.
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cache
RAM set aside to store data temporarily
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calibration bars
An 11-step greyscale in 10% increments from 0% to 100% that prints along the edge of a page. When outputting colour separations a progressive colour bar is also printed. Calibration bars can be read with a densitometer to insure accurate output and printing.
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calibration
The process of adjusting equipment to a standard measure to produce reliable predictable, repeatable output.
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CCD (Charged coupled device)
A small light sensitive electronic sensor found in scanners and digital cameras that sends signals to a computer to digitize an image. The array of CCD's determines the optical resolution of the scanner to camera.
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CD Rom
A technology that uses compact disks to store digital information in a "read only" format.
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channel
An 8-bit greyscale (256 tones) component of a Photoshop document. An RGB image is composed of three channels, red, green and blue, each with 256 values which combine to create over 16 million possible colours. A CMYK Colour image is composed of four channels, cyan, magenta, yellow and black. The remaining channels (sometimes referred to as alpha channels) up to a total of 24 channels, can be used for masking and special effects.
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chem proof
see laminated proof
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clipping path
A path that functions like a cookie cutter, masking everything outside the path and displaying or printing what is inside the path. Clipping paths are useful for creating silhouettes. To use a clipping path with a Photoshop image that will be placed in another program, the path must be saved with the file in the EPS format.
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CMYK colour
Cyan, magenta, yellow, and black are the four process inks used in offset colour printing. Cyan, magenta and yellow are referred to as the Subtractive primary colors. An image in CMYK colour mode has four channels, one for each of the process colours, each of which print to a separate plate when output as colour separations.
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coated stock
Paper with a coating of clay that prevents ink from being absorbed, reducing the amount of halftone dot gain. A coated paper usually appears shinier than an uncoated paper. Because coated papers have less dot gain, colours appear more brilliant on a coated paper stock.
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colour cast
An undesirable pervasive tint or wash of colour in an image.
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colour correction
Changing colours in an image to correct for unwanted colour casts or for creating different colour moods or effects.
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colour management
System Software utility programs that translate between colour spaces to insure matching and predictable colour on various output devices.
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colour separation
An image printed with each of its channels as a separate plate. Each separate plate can then be printed with a different ink colour. A process colour separation is printed as four plates, one for each process colour: cyan, magenta, yellow and black.
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colour wheel
The circular relationship of all colours, based on light frequency. Each hue appears on the colour wheel at a unique angle, starting with red at 0° in a counterclockwise direction, then yellow at 60°, green at 120°, cyan at 180°, blue at 240° and magenta at 300°.
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comp
A comp (comprehensive) is a simulation of a printed piece prior to actually printing the project on the printing press. The comp is usually shown to a client for approval prior to printing.
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complimentary colours
Colours directly across each other on the colour wheel; adding a colour's compliment makes the original colour greyer.
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compuserve GIF
CompuServe GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) is a raster file format that allows Indexed Colour, Greyscale or Bitmap images to be easily transported between computer platforms. It was developed by CompuServe Inc., a public online service, to allow its subscribers working on different platforms to store and exchange bitmapped and scanned artwork. CompuServe GIF is probably the most widely used graphic format in the online world. A vast number of images, usually 16- or 256-colour, are stored on bulletin boards and other online services. The GIF format is highly compressed to shorten download and upload times. It is supported on many platforms.
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continuous-tone image
An image with a gradating range of tones. A continuous tone image must be converted to a halftone in order to print on a printing press.
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contrast
The relationship of tones between the light and dark areas of an image. A high contrast image has bright highlights and dark shadows with few middle greys. A low contrast image has many middle grey tones with no whites or blacks.
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crop marks
Short lines printed at the corners near the edges of an image indicating where to trim the image after printing. If an image is to bleed, it should extend slightly beyond the crop marks.
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crop
A rectangular selection in an image that remains after the crop while the unselected portions is deleted.
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cross platform
A term that describes a language, software application or hardware device that works on more than one system
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custom colour
See spot colour.
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DCS Desktop Colour Separation
A file format defined by Quark and used by many vendors for the separation of colour images on a PostScript printer. Photoshop saves five EPS files; four files contain high resolution CMYK separation data, one for each process colour (cyan, magenta, yellow and black); the fifth "master file" is placed in a page layout program (for example, QuarkXPress). The "master" EPS file contains a preview of the image and a low resolution PostScript version for proofing. When output to an imagesetter as separations, the high resolution CMYK files are linked and printed to each colour plate. A later specification of DCS 2.0 allows more than four separations, facilitating spot colour separations.
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default
The standard settings that already exist in a program.
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defloat
To duplicate a floating selection in its exact position without deselecting it.
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defringe
Blends the pixels along the edge of a selection to seamlessly merge it with a new background.
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densitometer
An instrument that measures the density of any tone: printed halftones, continuous tone, film or paper.
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density
The measurement indicating how much an area will block or absorb light. Darker or more opaque areas will have higher density values.
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density range
The difference between the density of the lightest (highlights) and the darkest (shadows) parts of an image.
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digital camera
A camera with CCD's in place of film that read light digitally, bypassing the need for photographic film.
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digital print
A page output directly to a printer attached to a computer from digital data.
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direction lines
The lines which control a Bezier curve on a vector path. Direction lines are tangent to the curve at the anchor point.
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dithering
To simulate additional greys or colours by making adjacent pixels different colours or values, such as scattering yellow and red pixels together to represent orange. This technique can be used on both computer monitors and output devices to represent more greys or colours than the devices can actually produce. In the case of a 1-bit Bitmap image, dithering simulates grey tones by scattering black or white pixels. Dithering can be used on a printer as a method for rendering continuous tone images.
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dodge and burn
Dodging an area lightens the tones and burning darkens the tones. Photoshop goes beyond conventional darkroom printing by allowing dodging and burning to selectively affect only highlights, midtones, or shadows.
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dot gain
Due to absorption, halftone dots usually swell when printed on paper, causing images to print darker.
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download
To transfer data or (especially) code from one computer to another. The distinction between downloading and uploading is hazy but downloading often refers to transfer from a larger "host" system (especially a server or mainframe) to a smaller "client" system, especially a microcomputer or specialised peripheral.
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dpi
Dots per inch (number of pixels) measuring resolution on output devices such as monitors and printers.
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drum scanner
A high resolution digitizing device that can scan reflective or transparent art.
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duotone
An offset printed image created with two different colours of ink.
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emulsion
The photosensitive layer on photographic film, paper or printing plates.
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EPS Encapsulated PostScript
A popular and flexible graphic format for storing object-oriented graphics and bit-mapped, greyscale and RGB images, used on most computer platforms. The EPS file usually consists of two parts - the PostScript description for printing resolution-independent graphics on a PostScript printer, and a low-resolution bit-mapped preview.
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fade-out rate
The rate at which the mark of the paint brush or airbrush fades out, or runs out of ink as in the actual stroke of a brush or fountain pen.
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feathered edge
The graduated area along the edge of a selection that in part changes when manipulating the selection, giving the area a softened edge.
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fill
To alter a selected area, covering or combining it with a grey shade, a colour, or a pattern.
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flatten
To combine all visible layers in a Photoshop document into a single layer.
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floating selection
A moveable selection that is active and above a layer. A floating selection can be manipulated without affecting the pixel data underneath it.
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focoltone
A trademarked colour matching system that uses process colour inks. The standard attempts to guarantee that a colour chosen during the design process will match the ink used to produce the final product.
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font
The name of a typeface
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fringe
The pixels along the border of a selection that contain a combination of the selection and background colors.
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fuzziness
The amount of anti-aliasing along the edges of a selection.
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gamma
The amount of change between input and output values represented by the slope of a line which usually has a greater change at the midtone. Gamma is used to describe a monitor's contrast and brightness.
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gamut
The available range of colours for a particular input, display or output device or process. For example, colour monitors have a different gamut than do CMYK inks.
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gif
see CompuServe gif.
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gradient fill
A fill that gradually transitions from one colour to another.
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grey balance
The amount of cyan, magenta, and yellow combined to make a neutral grey, important in the proofing and printing process.
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grey-component replacement (GC)
The removal of a mixture of cyan, magenta, and yellow, replacing it with black. GCR affects larger areas of the image and uses more black than UCR.
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greyscale image
A single channel 8 bit image with up to 256 levels of grey per pixel.
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halftone cell
The pattern of device pixels which is repeated in a digital halftone screen. The shape of the pattern may be round, elliptical, linear or other.
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halftone
The reproduction of a continuous-tone image made by breaking up the tones into variously sized evenly spaced dots. Halftones are made photographically by exposing the photograph through a screen or digitally by creating halftone cells from smaller device pixels.
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high-key image
Light, possibly overexposed image, with few dark tones.
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highlight
The lightest part of an image. In a halftone a highlight has the smallest dots, or no dots.
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histogram
A graph showing the number of pixels colour or grey value in a selection, layer, or image.
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HSB Colour Model
A colour model in which colours are represented by hue, saturation, and brightness. The Apple and Windows Colour Pickers use the HSB model to describe colours.
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hue
Colour measured by its wavelength of light. Hue is represented by a position on the colour wheel.
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imagesetter
A device used to output computer-generated pages or images at high resolution onto photographic film or paper.
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indexed colour image
An 8 bit colour image with a limited palette of up to 256 colours.
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input device
Hardware that digitizes analog data to enter it into the computer.
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interpolation
A method in which Photoshop creates pixel data from existing neighboring pixels when an image is resampled, resized, rotated, or transformed.
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inverse
To select everything in an image except the original selection.
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invert
Converts an image to its negative.
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JPEG
JPEG is a method for compressing colour bitmapped images. JPEG is also the name of the committee which developed the method (Joint Photographic Expert Group), and the file format for storing the compressed images. The format is based on the Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) algorithm, which analyzes 8 x 8 or 16 x 16 pixel areas of an image (independent of resolution), and performs a sophisticated "averaging" of the values in the cell, dramatically decreasing image size.
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kern
To manually adjust the spacing between characters in type.
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laminated proof (chem proof)
A proof created from process color separation negatives in which four process colour pigment layers are laminated to a sheet of white paper to create the colour image. Examples are Cromalin (DuPont), MatchPrint (3M), and PressMatch (Hoechst).
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layer
A plane of an image, similar to a transparent overlay. Photoshop can have up to 99 layers in addition to the background which facilitate the compositing images.
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leading
The measurement from baseline to baseline of lines of text.
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lightness
The brightness component of an image without regard to hue or saturation. In the Lab colour mode, lightness is represented by a greyscale channel.
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line art
High contrast black and white artwork that has no grey tones.
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linear fill
A graduated fill projected from one point to another in a straight line.
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low key image
A dark, possible under exposed, image with few light tones.
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lpi
Lines per inch, a measure of halftone resolution or screen frequency.
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lossy compression
When compressing a file, a loss of data.
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lossless compression
Data compression without any loss of data.
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luminance
The greyscale component of an image, independent of the colour aspects.
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memory
These days, usually used synonymously with Random Access Memory or Read-Only Memory, but in the general sense it can be any device that can hold data in machine-readable format.
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midtone
The tonal value located halfway between the highlight value and the shadow value.
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moiré pattern
An undesirable pattern produced by overlaying or combining two or more patterns. moiré patterns can occur when printing more than one halftone screen over each other on a printing press, when outputting a halftone screen on a digital printer or when scanning an image printed with halftone screen. This problem can be minimized with the use of proper screen angles and screen frequencies.
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multichannel image
A mode in Photoshop representing an image that has more than one channel.
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neutral colour
Grey without a colour cast. In RGB Colour mode, equal amounts of red, green and blue make a neutral colour.
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noise
A random grainy texture applied to an image. In subtle amounts noise simulates the natural grain in film.
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object-oriented graphic
see vector graphic.
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opacity
The amount of transparency when combining a fill colour, painted colour, pattern, floating selection or layer with another layer or background.
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output device
Hardware that converts digital information into viewable, readable, or aural form, such as a printer, a monitor, film recorder, video recorder, etc.
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path
A vector line described by Bezier curves.
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phosphors
Tiny red, green, and blue lamps that light up each pixel in a computer monitor.
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PICS
The PICS format, a type of PICT Resource file, is a common file format designed for the exchange of animation sequences between programs.
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PICT
PICT is a general-purpose file format for graphics on the Macintosh. There are two different types of PICT files: Version 1 and Version 2. Version 1 was the original format for object-oriented (vector) graphics programs (such as MacDraw) and for black-and-white bitmaps. Version 2, introduced simultaneously with the Macintosh II added support for complex vector files and colour bitmapped (raster) images (of up to 24 bits of colour depth). Virtually all applications on the Macintosh support the PICT format.
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pixel
Acronym for picture element, a single dot on a computer display or in a digital image. A pixel device is the smallest dot that can be made by an output device like a laser printer.
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plug-in
module software that can be added to Photoshop (often developed by third-party vendors) that adds functions not normally available in the standard Adobe Photoshop application. Place plug-ins in modules in the specified plug-ins folder.
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PMS
Pantone Matching System, a trademarked standard for specifying and producing spot colours using proprietary ink mixes, attempts to guarantee a colour chosen during the design process will match the ink used to produce the final product.
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posterization
Graduated tones or colours converted into a specific number of steps. Photographically, a posterization is made with a series of high contrast line shots (threshold).
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PostScript
A device independent computer language developed by Adobe Systems specifically designed to describe text, object-oriented graphics, and bit-mapped, greyscale and colour images. Using this language, the same page can be printed on output devices of different resolutions and colour capabilities.
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ppi
Pixels per inch, the standard measurement for scan and image resolution (sometimes referred to as samples per inch).
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primary colours
When mixing paint or pigments the primary colours are red, yellow and blue. When mixing colours with light, the additive primary colours are red, green and blue, and the subtractive primary colours are cyan, magenta and yellow. See additive primary colours and subtractive primary colours.
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process colour separation
An image that has been separated into the four process colours - cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK). When a computer application produces this separation, it prints a separate plate for each of these colours.
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progressive colour bar
A bar printed on process colour separations, showing all possible combinations of cyan, magenta, yellow and sometimes black, that is used to ensure proper ink coverage and colour.
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quadtone
An offset printed image created with four different colours of ink.
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quarter (1/4) tone
The tonal value located approximately halfway between highlight and midtone.
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QuickEdit
A plug-in module that allows Photoshop to open and edit a section of another Photoshop file without having to open the entire document.
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radial fill
A fill projected from a central point outward in all directions
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random access memory (RAM)
Computer memory that stores information temporarily while working on a computer.
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raster
An image that exists bit by bit, pixels in a graph, synonymous with bit mapped. Scanned images are always raster.
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rasterize
To convert digital information, or object oriented bezier curves, into a grid of pixels for an output device or to be processed in a raster program like Photoshop.
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registration marks
Marks that appear on a printed image, generally for colour separations, to help align the various printed plates.
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remap colours
The computer's attempt to match the original colours in a document with similar colours in the new palette
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repeat rate
The rate at which paint is deposited on an image by the painting and editing tools when the mouse is stationary
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resample
To change the resolution of an image. Resampling down discards pixel information; resampling up adds pixel information through interpolation.
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resize
To change the size of an image while maintaining its resolution.
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resolution
The number of pixels per inch or centimeter in an image, total pixels in a document, or the number of dots per inch or centimeter used by an output device.
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RGB image
A three-channel image produced by projected red, green, and blue light.
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RIP (Raster Image Processor)
The processor on an output device that rasterizes the PostScript description of a page so it may be imaged by the output device.
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rosette
The tight cluster of halftone cells created when two or more halftone screens are properly oriented when printed over each other.
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saturation colour purity
More grey in a colour results in lower saturation, less grey results in higher saturation. Colours at the edge of the colour wheel are more saturated, with saturation decreasing towards the centre.
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scanner
An electronic input device that digitizes images or objects into the computer.
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scratch disk
A virtual memory scheme used by Photoshop to temporarily use hard disk space to substitute for RAM (see virtual memory).
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screen angles
The angles at which halftone screens are placed.
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screen frequency
The number of dots on the halftone screen, commonly measured in lines per inch.
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screen tint
A screened percentage of a solid colour producing a lighter shade.
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selection
The active area of a document, identified by marching ants on its borders. Manipulations affect only inside the selection area.
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shadow
The darkest areas in an image, represented in a halftone by the largest dots.
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sharpen
To enhance the contrast at edges of light and dark shapes to make an image appear more in focus.
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spacing
The distance between the pixels that are affected by each painting and editing tool.
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specular highlight
A perfectly white highlight (no halftone dots).
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spot colour
A method of color reproduction where the printer uses a custom ink on the printing press for each of the colors used on the page. Photoshop can print spot colors from the Duotone Color mode or from additional channels.
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subtractive primary colours
Cyan, magenta and yellow inks or other colourants used in process or digital colour printing to render different colours. When cyan, magenta and yellow are combined they produce black.
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three-quarter (3/4) tone
The tonal value located approximately halfway between midtone and shadow.
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TIFF
Tag Image File Format. A raster graphic file format widely used as an interchange format for images on most computer platforms. One of the most flexible and reliable formats, it has subtypes capable of storing 1-bit, 8-bit grey-scale, RGB and CMYK images. The TIFF format is well supported by page layout, illustration and colour separation programs.
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trap
A slight overlap, either a choke or spread, of one colour next to another. This prevents gaps from appearing along the edges of shapes due to misregistration on the printing press.
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tritone
An offset printed image created with three different colours of ink.
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TrueType
A font technology built into System 7 on the Macintosh and Windows 3.1
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uncoated stock
Paper which is not coated with a layer of clay and which absorbs ink more readily. Dot gain is greater on uncoated paper than on coated paper.
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undercolor removal (UCR)
Reducing the cyan, magenta, and yellow inks from the darkest neutral shadow areas in an image, replacing them with black ink.
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unsharp mask
A method of enhancing the perceived sharpness of an image by increasing the contrast at the edges of shapes in an image.
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value
The relative lightness and darkness of a colour or tone.
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vector graphics
A graphic made up of distinct objects that can be individually edited, layered, scaled and transformed. When printed with the PostScript language, these objects are imaged at a finer quality on high resolution printers and imagesetters.
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virtual memory
The memory space separate from the main memory (physical RAM), such as hard disk space. Virtual memory allows you to work on large documents without requiring large amounts of RAM (In Windows, this is referred do as a permanent swap file).
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www (world wide web)
Frequently used (incorrectly) when referring to "The Internet", WWW has two major meanings - First, loosely used: the whole constellation of resources that can be accessed using Gopher, FTP, HTTP, telnet, USENET, WAIS and some other tools. Second, the universe of hypertext servers (HTTP servers) which are the servers that allow text, graphics, sound files, etc. to be mixed together.
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zoom
To magnify or reduce your view of the current document
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