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About this blog...

Photography has been a passion of mine for years. It is mainly just a hobby and I am always learning something new. The problem I ran into was there is just so much information out there and I was having a tough time organizing it all and keeping track of fun stuff I was finding. I decided I wanted one place to track all my links and misc information that I could access from anywhere, so I decided to start a blog to keep track of various tips, tricks, links and other information. The added bonus of using a blog is not only could I access it from various locations, I also could share it with others that might be interested. Now seeing that there is constantly new information coming out it is clear that this blog will never cover everything. Oh and please note I realize I am by no means an expert on any of these topics. Think of this blog as a starting point for references to help guide you in your search for the information you need.

Oh and if you are wondering I am a Canon, PC, and Photoshop user. So if things seem skewed that way it is only because that is what I use and not because I feel it is the best option nor what everyone else should be using. Always remember to do your research before buying something. Make sure it is the best thing for you, and that you are buying from a reputable site if you are shopping online.

Enjoy the site and feel free to leave feedback, or suggestions of sections to add.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Help they are speaking in code - Acronyms and other definitions

Help what on earth are people talking about? What do all these acronyms stand for? What do these terms mean? Here is a list of some things you might come across. It isn't complete but it covers a lot of them.


18% grey/midtone grey: Average tone the camera meter wants to make the picture. If there is lot's of light or dark in the image, exposure should be adjusted accordingly.

A : Aperture Priority Shooting
ACR : Adobe Camera Raw : raw file converter in PS products
Adobe : company that produces Photoshop and Acrobat among other products Action : automated steps to achieve a change in an image : B&W : Sepia : Color pop : see bottom of post for more on actions
AD : Anomolous Dispersion
AE Lock : Way to set focus AF : Auto Focus
AF-I : Nikon Auto:Focus lens with Integrated motor
AF-S : Nikon Auto:Focus lens with Silent wave motor
AI : Automatic Indexing
Alien Bees : a brand of studio lights
AP : Aperture priority
APO : Apochromatic (Sigma)
Aspect Ratio : the ratio of height to width of an image. The traditional 35:mm film ratio is 2:3, which is frequently expressed as 1.5 to 1 It is what makes an 8x12 work as an uncropped image and also what makes an 8x10 not work as an uncropped image.
AR : Aspect Ratio (W/H)
aRGB : Adobe RGB
AS(S) : Anti Shake (System)
AV : Aperture priority Asph : Aspherical

BetterPhoto : BetterPhoto.com: Offers classes : photo hosting and more
Bil : Sil : Fil : Mil : Brother, sister,father,mother:in:law Bi:scraptual : digi scrap and paper scrap or a combination thereof
BF : back focusing
BIF : Birds in flight
Bit images : can be 8 bit : 16 bit : 24 bit
BKT : auto bracketing
Blog : Web Log : personal website hosted by a blog site :
Bokeh : the background blur from a wide aperture.
BOG : Birds on ground
BOP : Birds on poles
BOW : Birds on water
BTT : Bump Thread to Top in message boards
Burn Tool : PS tool to darken areas of an image : darkroom term
B&W: Black and White photographs
BTW : by the way

CC : Constructive Criticism ( try to be helpful but nice)
C&C : Comments and critiques
CA : Chromatic Aberration
Card Reader : device used to move files from memory card to computer. Some printers and computers have card slots to read cards.
Catchlights : the white spots in photographed eyes : caused by the way light is reflected off the eyeball : oftened lightened in PS :
CNX : Capture NX (Nikon Program)
CoC : Circles of Confusion (commonly, "bokeh")
Collage: Grouping of photos Color Space : RGB, sRGB, AdobeRGB, etc
Conversions : converting a color image to B&W, sepia etc. often done with actions.
CPU : Central Processing Unit
CPL : Circular Polariser (also PL:CIR, and others depending on brand)
Crop : cutting off portions of an image CS3 : Creative Suite 3 (Adobe Software)
Curves : a feature of PS for fine tuning colors in an image
CWB : Custom White Balance

DD : DS : DH : Dear Daughter, Son, Husband : or darn depending on the day
DG : Digital Group
Diffuser : something you put over the flash to soften the light : tissue : hankie : deo cap : purchased ones like Lightsphere
Digital Zoom : forget your camera has it : using it lowers the quality of your image
DPI : dots per inch ( resolution when printing)
DOF : Depth of Field : how far out is your lens going to focus
Dodge tool : PS tool used to lighten areas of image : darkroom term
dpi : dots per inch
DPOF : Digital Print Order Format DR : Dynamic Range
DSLR : Digital Single Lens Reflex
DVD : Digital Versatile Disc DX : Digital eXclusive (Nikon)

E300 : Evolt 300 : Olympus DSLR
EC : exposure compensation
ED : Extra low Dispersion
EF : Electro:Focus (Canon's designation for their auto focus lenses)
EF-S : Electro:Focus Short back focus (Canon; as EF but restricted to their 1.6x crop DSLRs))
EOS : Electro:Optical System (Canon's auto focus system)
ESP : meters light at and around subject
Erase : Delete : Remove : get rid of images on a memory card
ETA : Edited to Add
EV : exposure value
EXIF : Exchangeable Image File : information attached to image file : also called Metadata
External drives : HD's either portable or connected to your computer for the purpose of redundancy

Fast lens : one you can shoot wide open : fast shutter speed
FBF : First Black Frame
FEC : flash exposure compensation
FF : front focusing
File extensions : 3 digits at end of computer file name ( jpg : tif : png : NEF : CR2 : MP3 )
Firmware : software installed in a digital camera : can be upgraded from the internet
FL : focal length
Format card : put your memory card in camera or computer and run format for your camera
FOV : field of view
FX : Full frame
f stops : (f/2.8) usually maximum aperture for that lens

GAS : Gear Acquisition Syndrome
Grey card : or cloth used to set exposure and white balance.
Green Lamp : focus lock

HAND : Have A Nice Day
HD : Hard Drive or can be High Definition
HDR : High Dynamic Range
HHCC : Hard Hat Constructive Criticism - You have on your Big Girl panties and can take criticism of even your child’s picture : or are ready to have your perfectly great picture really picked apart to help you move to the next level.
HQ : High Quality
HI : high speed sequential shooting Histogram : a bar graph that shows the distribution of an images pixel values
HSM : HyperSonic Motor (Sigma)
HTH : Hope this helps

IF : Internal Focusing
IIRC : If I Recall Correctly
ILP : www.i love photography.com
Image Resolution : how many pixels
IMO : In my opinion
IMHO : In my honest opinion
IPTC : International Press Telecommunications Council IQ : Image Quality
IQ : Image Quality
IRL : In real life
IS : Image Stabilization
ISO : Speed of film : used as a setting on a digital camera : lower the light higher the speed needed
iTTL : intelligent Through The Lens

JK : just kidding
JMK : just my kids J
MO : Just my opinion
JPEG,.JPG,.jpg: Joint Photographic Experts Group : popular image file extension

Kelby : Scott Kelby : famous PS guru and author of the PS books People often reccommend
KM : Konica Minolta : now associated with Sony
KWIM : Know what I mean

L glass: Best quality Canon Lenses, Luxury (Canon)
Layers : makes it possible to work on different images : see them all then combine them.
Levels : Image editor feature for setting shadows, midtones and highlights.
Lightsphere : a brand of flash diffusers designed by Gary Fong
LCD : Liquid Crystal Display
LD : Low Dispersion
LOL : Lot of laughs ( not lot's of love) laughing out loud
Lossy : jpg is a file format that compresses each time it is saved Lossless : tif : png : don't compress when saved

M : Manual shooting
Macro : up close shooting (close up photography)
MB : Message Board
Megapixel : MP : ( 11 megapixel= 11 million pixels)
Memory card : where images are stored in a digital camera. Examples: Compact Flash, Memory Stick, SD Secure Digital, XD, Smart Media.
MF : Manual focus
MLU : mirror lock up
MP : Megapixels
MPEG : Motion Picture Experts Group : Video file extensions : mp2 : mp3 : mp4
Multi : metering all over : maybe in 8 different spots
MF : Manual Focus

NAPP : Natioal Association of Photoshop Professionals
NAS : Nikon Acquisition Syndrome
Noise : grain : digital static : specks of the wrong color : usually in the dark areas of a photo. Most likely to happen with lowlight, slow shutter speed - high ISO
NT : No Text

Oly : Olympus cameras
OOF : Out Of Focus
OP : Original Poster
Optical Zoom : good zoom : get as much as you can afford
OS : Operating System
OS : Optical Stabilizer (Sigma's equivalent of IS/VR)
Output : how an image will be used ( website, email, small print, large print, magazine/catalog, newsletter, slideshow, framed, scrapbook )

P : Program shooting
PB / PB'ing : Portfolio Building
P&S : point and shoot cameras as adverse to DSLR's : usually have a fixed lens
PE : Premiere Elements : Adobe video editor
Photobucket : Photobucket.com : free and paid photo hosting site
Pictbridge : camera to printer ( no computer )
Pixel : Picture Element
Pixel Count : the width and height of image in pixels : these are minimal pixel counts for printing: 640 x 480 : wallets 2x2 3x3 4x4 1024 x 768 : 4x6 1152 x 864 : 5x7 1600 x 1200 : 8x10 2000 x 1500 : 11x14 3000 x 2000 : 24x36
Plug-ins : software made to work in the framework of another software : VP in PSE or PS
PMA : Photo Marketing Association
PNG : Portable Network Graphics : supports 24 bit images :
PNG preserves transparency in grayscale and RGB images
POTD : Picture of the day :
PP : Praise Please not ready for CC
PP : post process ( processing of images after they come out of the camera )
PPD : Pixels per degree (pano resolution)
PPI : pixels per inch
Prime lens :not a zoom -one focal length (50mm)
Pro : photographers who makes a living or money selling their images
PS : Photoshop : Image Editing software by Adobe : common full versions of PS are PS7 : PSCS : PSCS2. PS7 : Photoshop version 7
PSCS : Photoshop Creative Suite PSCS3 : Photoshop Creative Suite 3 PSE : Photoshop Elements - Hobbist version of PS Has most tools needed by hobby photographers. Common versions - PSE2, PSE3, PSE4 : and the newest PSE5.
PS'd or PS'ing : used or using Photoshop
PSP : Paint Shop Pro

RAID : Redundant array of independant disks
RAM : Random Access Memory ( need lots for image editing)
RAW : images not processed in camera : must be post processed in an image converter (ACR)
Redundancy : preferred way of saving digital images to save them from disc rot and HD crashes - have several copys of an image in different places on different media.
Resolution : can mean several things in the print industry it is dpi in the computer imaging industry it is ppi. PPI and DPI are not the same but are often confused and used interchangablly which causes confusion. In your camera manual it usually means the jpg setting you want to set your camera for : high, medium or low pixel counts.
RGB : Red, Green, Blue values of the pixels ROFL : rolling on floor laughing
ROFLMBO : rolling on floor laughing my bum off
ROOTC : Right out of the camera
RS : ReStyled lens
RTFM : Read the "fantastic" manual
Rule of Thirds : a guide for composing images : split your image in thirds vertically and horizontaly : then put subject at intersections of the lines

S : Shutter priority shooting
SAHM : Stay at home mom
Selective Coloring : colored item in B&W image
Shoot wide open : using a wide aperture ( small # like 1.4)
SHQ : Super High Quality : jpg setting Sigma : 3rd party maker of lenses for popular cameras
Slow lens : one that needs slower shutter speeds SLR : Single Lens Reflex camera (aka 35mm )
SOOC : Straight Out Of Camera ( no enhancing done in an image editor)
SOTC : Straight out of the Camera
SP : Speed priority
sp? : Spelling
SPI : Samples per inch (for a scanner)
sRGB : Standard Red, Green, Blue
Stock : sites that sell images for photographers - mostly for use in publications and commercial uses.
Storyboards : series of pictures that tell a story :
Spot : meters just auto focus
SS : Shutter Speed DSLR cameras
SSM : Super Sonic Motor (Minolta)
stD : Pentax Camera SWM : Silent Wave Motor (Nikon)

T : telephoto Tamron : 3rd party maker of lenses for popular DSLR cameras
TFL : Thanks for Looking
TFS : Thanks for Sharing
TIA : Thanks in advance
Tif : tiff : Tagged Image File Format : lossless image file
TOU: Terms of Use
TTL : Through The Lens
TV : Shutter Speed Priority ( or Television )

UD : Ultra low Dispersion
UE : "Understanding Exposure" : By Bryan Peterson. A pretty darn good book.
USB : computer cable connector type
USM : unsharp mask (PS : used to sharpen)
USM : Ultrasonic Motor (Canon)

VR : Vibrance Reduction (Nikon’s image Stabalization)
VP : Virtual Photographer : PS or PSE plug:in Virtual Photographer

W : Wide angle Watermark : opaque letters, symbol or logo across photo to make it hard or impossible to print or use without permission of photographer
WB : White Balance WE : Windows Explorer (not Internet Explorer)file organizer
WHCC : White House Custom Color : online pro printer
WOHM : Work out of home mom Workflow : steps taken to get image from capture to output