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Graphics Glossary
From Jacci Howard Bear, About.com Guide
Take a look at the terminology of graphics, especially as it applies to desktop publishing. Get definitions, examples, and tutorials. This is one of several subsets of the About.com Desktop Publishing Glossary.
All the Glossaries: Full Glossary | Layout & Design | Prepress | Printing & Finishing | Software | Type & Fonts | Business | Paper
Take a look at the terminology of graphics, especially as it applies to desktop publishing. Get definitions, examples, and tutorials. This is one of several subsets of the About.com Desktop Publishing Glossary.
All the Glossaries: Full Glossary | Layout & Design | Prepress | Printing & Finishing | Software | Type & Fonts | Business | Paper
Aliasing
Aliasing is when curves get ugly...
Alpha Channels
Used in photo or video compositing and sometimes as a clipping path...
Anti-Aliasing
Getting rid of the jaggies...
Artwork
In desktop publishing artwork is the pictures but sometimes it's the text too when we're talking about camera-ready artwork.
Balloon
Type of graphic illustration often found in comics...
Bitmap
General type of device-dependent graphic...
Blend
Gradual change of shades...
Call Out
Explains parts of a photo or illustration...
Caption
Describes what's in the photo...
Chart
Symbolic representation of data...
Clip Art
Drawings, pictures, illustrations...
Clipping Paths
Masking unwanted parts of an image...
Collage
A mish-mash of images or ideas...
Convert to Curves
Turning text into graphics...
Crop, Cropping
Cut it, trim it, crop it...
DPI
Dots per inch in printer resolution...
Embedded Paths
Isolates parts of an image...
Embossing
Creating a 3-dimensional looking graphic or impression in paper...
Encapsulated PostScript (EPS)
Vector format suitable for high resolution printing...
EPS
Vector graphics format suitable for high resolution printing...
GIF
Bitmap graphics format common on the Web...
Graph
Data symbolically...
Graphics Software
Software used in desktop publishing for creating and editing graphics...
Grayscale
Shades of gray...
Jaggies
Rough edges on a bitmap image...
JPEG or JPG
Bitmap graphics format most often used for photographs...
Logo
Word, symbol, or both that represents an organization or individual...
LPI or lines per inch
Halftone resolution...
Model Release
Used when you have people in your pictures...
Mug Shots
Pictures of people focusing on the head...
Opacity
Degree of transparency...
Opaque
Can't see through it...
Pictograph (Graph)
A way of displaying data...
PPI
Pixels per inch...
Property Release
It's like a model release for buildings in your pictures...
Raster (Bitmap)
Type of graphic made up of pixels...
RGB
Red, green, blue...
Speech Bubble
Type of graphic illustration often found in comics...
SPI
Resolution of an image...
Thought Bubble (Balloon)
Type of graphic illustration often found in comics...
Thumbnail
Small preview versions of images, sketches...
TIFF
Bitmap graphics format used for high resolution printing...
Transparency
How much can you see?
Transparent
I can see right through you...
Vector
General type of scalable graphic created in a drawing program...