glossary

This list will continue to expand, but here’s a short list to get you started on the lingo for digital photography.

1. Pixels – short for ‘picture elements.’ These are the little dots that together, form a digital picture. A megapixel is equivalent to one million pixels.

2. CCD – stands for ‘charged coupled devices.’ These are the sensors found on many digital cameras used to capture the digital photograph.

3. Noise – the random green and purple dots on digital photographs. The amount of noise increases when the ISO sensitivity is increased and decreases image clarity.

4. SLR – stands for ‘single lens reflex.’ This is the type of camera that professional photographers use because different types of lenses can be attached. The DSLR acronym specifically refers to digital cameras and typically includes larger image sensors. These sensors result in less noise and better quality, but they usually also come with an expensive price tag.

5. Image processor – These are the engines that transform data from the CCD into the beautiful pictures that we see.

6. Resolution – This refers to the number of megapixels on the CCD. In general, more megapixels make clearer and sharper pictures. However, there are many other factors that contribute to image quality than just the resolution.

7. Shutter lag – This is the space of time between the moment when the shutter release button is pressed and when the picture is actually recorded. Cheap cameras can take about a second to register the shot; expensive SLRs hardly have any lag at all.

8. LCD – stands for ‘liquid crystal display.’ This is the little television screen on the back of digital cameras. It can act as a viewfinder as well as a display screen when playing back images on most cameras.

9. JPEG – stands for ‘joint photographic experts group,’ the committee who originally wrote the JPEG code. It is a type of standardized image file that all compact digital cameras use. Some have additional compressed file types also.

10. Photoshop – this is a software program copyrighted by Adobe made for editing digital photographs. There are several versions of the program, from the simplified Elements to the more elaborate CS2. While most digital cameras come with a simple editing software package, Photoshop is the industry leader. The program is even reaching verb status, as in, “That magazine cover is Photoshopped.”