50 digital photography terms you should know.I have compiled a digital photography glossary full of digital photography terms in the hopes that if you come across a word on this site that you are not familiar with, you can simply check out our digital photography glossary right here to find it’s meaning. On this page you will discover 50 words related to digital photography along with detailed definitions for each. (consider it a miniature photography dictionary) 
Action blurThis is the effect of showing movement in a picture by dragging the shutter slightly and leaving a little bit of a blurred effect in the final image.artifacts:Is the result of aggressive data compression applied to an image that discards some data that may be to complex to store in the available data rate. These data losses are considered unimportant to the compression devise but are noticeable to the viewer of the image. Common causes of this are from using cheap cameras and or photo editing software. Clipping path:is a closed vector path used to cut out an object from a photo. This is done using a graphic software editing program. Stock photographers use this technique to make it easier for designers to use there photos in a variety of ways. Compression:reduces redundancy of image data in order to store or transmit data. Every time you save a photo to your computer it is compressed to save on storage space. If you save it once or twice this compression is not noticeable. If however you edit and resave several times it will have visible effects on your photo. Contrast:The difference in visual properties that makes an object distinguishable from other objects in a photographic image.
Copyright:Gives the creator of a work exclusive rights to that work for a certain period of time. This includes distribution and publication. Curves:refers to the study of light sensitive materials such as film or light sensors on digital cameras. It is used to explain the log of opacity versus the log of exposure ( how long the material was exposed to light). Used in image editing to control light levels in a photograph
Depth of fieldrefers to the portion of a photograph that appears in sharp focus. Digital noise:Is a random and normally unwanted variation in brightness or color variation in a photo. This is caused by a poor image sensor on your camera, or using high iso settings in most cases. Dragging the shutter Simply refers to keeping the shutter open slightly longer than usual to allow more light in Exposure: Refers to the total amount of light that is allowed to fall onto the image sensor of a digital camera. FiltersA camera accessory consisting of an optical filter that can be added to the camera lens for different desired effects. Focal lengthmeasures how strongly an optical system focuses or diffuses light. A lens with a shorter focal length has greater optical power than one with a longer focal length. f-stop:Diameter of the entrance pupil of the camera lens in terms of focal length. Standard f-stop settings include f5.6, f8, f11, f-16, and f22. The bigger the number the smaller the opening. The smaller the opening the less light passes through. grey balance see white balance 
Hdr: (High dramatic range imaging. ) HDR is a set of techniques that allows a greater dynamic range of luminance’s between light and dark areas of a scene than normal digital techniques. This effect is obtained by combining multiple exposures of the same image.Histograma representation of the distribution of color in an image. This is generally displayed in a graph, either on your camera or computer. 
Image cdA CD or DVD containing digital images. Many times these cd’s contain stock photography available for many different uses.
Image sensor: A device that converts an optical image into an electronic signal. Image size:Can refer to number of pixels in a photo or the memory used to store the photo. Ie, 4mp or 1 gb. Represented as 1200x1600 also. Image size is equivalent to print sizes.
image qualitymeasures the perceived image degradation compared to a perfect image. Iso : Film speed or it’s equivalent on digital cameras. Standard iso settings include 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1600. The higher the number the more sensitive to light and the grainier the picture.
Jpeg:a commonly used method of compression for photographic images. Named for the committee that created the method (Joint photographic experts group.) Keywording: The act of placing tags using descriptive words on your photos to easily find them in a computer search. It helps to find a specific photo on your computer and is used in image searches on the web. LayersUsed in digital imaging editing to separate different element of an image. They can be compared to a transparency on which images or image effects may be placed over or under another image. Lens flareis the light scattered in lens systems through unwanted image formations such as internal reflections. This often occurs when shooting in the direction of bright light such as into the sun.
Levelspertains to the light value or the reflected light apparent in a photograph. light meter: A devise used to measure the amount of light that is present. It is often used to determine the correct exposure for a photographic image. Long exposureThis is when you leave the shutter of your camera lens opened for an extended period of time. This is a popular technique in night photography because it allows more light in. 
Macro-photography:Simply means close-up. Memory card: A digital data storage device designed to store digital images. Model releasea legal release often signed by the subject of a photograph. Also known as a liability waiver.
neutral balance see white balance. Panoramic: A technique in photography using specialized equipment or software to produce an image with elongated fields of view. Pixel:The smallest item of information in an image. Often represented by dots or squares. Each pixel represents a tiny section of a photo. The more pixels or more dots: the better the image quality. PixilatedThis is when the pixels in an image are bigger than necessary. When you can visually see the dots in the picture. This can occur when using high iso settings or over editing your photo. Polarizing filter: increases overall color saturation in photographs. You can generally see the difference in that the sky in a photograph using a polarizing filter becomes a richer color of blue. These filters also cut down on reflections caused by water and glass as well. Purple fringeis an out of focus purple ghost like image on a photograph. This occurs many when shooting a very high contrasting scene or when shooting around gas vapors sometimes put of by gas powered lighting. Raw image file:is the equivalent of a photographic film negative. It can not be used as a final image but it captures more accurately what the image sensor saw and delivers more dynamic color range. This file format is generally used to make post editing a batch of photos easier, but like film negatives the raw file need to be “processed” in order to create a useable image. 
Sepia:a photographic technique in which a photograph takes on a brownish hue.Shutter:A devise used to control the amount of light to pass for a determined amount of time, to expose a photograph. The shutter release button on your camera is this device. (the button you use to take the picture) Shutter speed: exposure time. Which represents the amount of time a shutter remains open. A fast shutter speed stops time and lets less light in. A slow shutter speed stays open longer, capturing motion and lets more light in. SLR(Single lens reflex camera) A digital camera that uses mechanical mirrors and pentaprisms to direct light from the lens to the optical viewfinder. (These are cameras with interchangeable lenses.) Soft focus: refers to a lens flaw in which the lens forms blurred images do to spherical aberration. However this can also be a desired effect obtained by using a soft focus lens that keeps the edges sharp while softening other parts of an image to give off a more glamorous effect to a photograph. Stock photography:refers to a collection of photos that are available for use to designers and individuals for a nominal fee. These are photos that are already available and do not refer to photo assignments. Subject or subject matter: This refers to the obvious focus in a photo. Tiff:Tagged Image File Format. A form of digital data storage. View finder The part of the camera you look through when composing a photograph. White balanceThe global adjustment of the intensity of colors such as red, blue, and green in a photograph. The goal of this adjustment is to render colors in an image correctly such as neutral colors. Also called grey balance and neutral balance.
I have tried to lay out the most common digital photography terms here on this page. This digital photography glossary may not cover every photography definition but, I hope you will find it to be an extinsive digital photography dictionary full of the terms you find most relivent.
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