Digital Media Concepts
Digital Audio
Analog audios stored as binary code.
GIF
Graphics file format that is typically uncompressed and can contain frames and transperencys. File extension: .GIF
Lossless
Lossless compression reduces a file's size with no loss of quality.
Aiff
Mac native full resolution audio file.
Movie (.mov)
QuickTime Movies: (.mov) This is the Apple/Macintosh standard compressed for time-based multimedia files.
Luma
The black and white portion of the digital video signal.
Aspect Ratio
The viewable area of a display.
8 Bit
When referring to a video or graphics 8-bit refers to the amount of colors capable of being displaying. For example, 8-bit is the same as 256 colors.
Frame
1. Some Web sites use HTML frames, where the pages are broken up into various areas. Each area consists of an independent Web page. Frames allow the multiple Web pages to all show up in the same page. 2. Graphics and desktop publishing programs also use frames. In these programs, frames are rectangular areas meant for inserting graphics and text. They allow users to place objects wherever they want to on the page. 3. In video and animation, frames are individual pictures in a sequence of images. For example, a Flash movie you see on the Web may play 12 frames per second, creating the appearance of motion. Most video is shot at 24 or 30 frames per second, or FPS. FPS is often measured in 3D games as a way of checking how fast the graphics processor of a computer is.
True Color
16.7 million colors.
Standard Display Resolutions
640x480 resolution: 640/480 = 1.33 800x600 resolution: 640/480 = 1.33 1024x768 resolution: 640/480 = 1.33 1280x960 resolution: 1280/960 = 1.33
Mini DV
A cassette storage format for Digital Video recorders.
.EPS/.ai
A color separation file type for print, typically exported from Illustrator.
Hyperlink
A hyperlink is a word, phrase, or image that you can click on to jump to a new document or a new section within the current document or WWW.
Bitmap
A map of dots, or bits that creates a picture.
Waveform
A waveform is an image that represents an audio signal or recording.
Digital Video
Analog video stored as binary code.
Desktop Publishing
Any time you use a computer to create a printable document, it can be considered desktop publishing. Complete desktop publishing involves the combination of typesetting (choosing fonts and the text layout), graphic design, page layout (how it all fits on the page), and printing the document.
Multimedia
As the name implies, multimedia is the integration of multiple forms of media. This includes text, graphics, audio, video, etc.
Avei (avi)
Audio Video Interleave file format for Microsoft's Video Windows standard. This can be played cross platform, but is a windows native file format. Compressed video file format.
Digital Audio Data Rate Standard
CD Audio (44.1 kHz, 16 bit) Audio for Video (48kHz, 16 bit)
CD
CD's can hold up to 700MB of data or 80 minutes of audio.
Compression
Compression is the reduction in size of data in order to save space or transmission time.
Buffer
Contains data that is stored for a SHORT amount of time, typically in the computers memory (RAM).
Digital
Digital information is stored using a series of ones and zeros. Computers are digital machines because they can only read information as on or off -- 1 or 0.
Analog
Everything we see and hear is a continuous transmission of information to our senses.
Multiplatform
If a software program is developed for multiple operating systems.
Video Framerate Standards
In film: 24 frames per second, NTSC is 29.97 frames per second, and PAL is 25 frames per second.
Render/Rendering
In general the term "render" refers to the process of taking a computer image, video, or other file and converting it into another format and/or applying graphic modifications such as shading or shadows to that image.
Media
In general, "media" refers to various means of communication. For example, television, radio, and the newspaper are different types of media. The term can also be used as a collective noun for the press or news reporting agencies. In the computer world, "media" is also used as a collective noun, but refers to different types of data storage options.
Lossy
Lossy file compression results in lost data and quality from the original version. Lossy compression is typically associated with image files, such as JPEGs, but can also be used for audio files, like MP3s or AAC files.
Flash (fla)
Macromedia's FLASH native file format, or working movie file. Upon completion of the Flash animation movie, the file is exported from FLASH as an .swa movie file. As an .swa file, the movie is no longer editable.
Wave File
Microsoft windows native audio file format. This is an uncompressed format and is used in many of today's audio and video editing programs.
Raster Graphic
Most images you see on your computer screen are raster graphics. Pictures found on the Web and photos you import from your digital camera are raster graphics. They are made up of a grid of pixels, commonly referred to as a bitmap. For example, a 640 x 480 image requires information to be stored for 307,200 pixels, while a 3072 x 2048 image (from a 6.3 Megapixel digital camera) needs to store information for a whopping 6,291,456 pixels.
JPEG
Remember that a JPEG is a compressed image file format. JPEG images are not limited to a certain amount of color. "Joint Photographic Experts Group."
FPS
Short for Frames Per Second.
NTSC
Short for National Television System Committee. NTSC is the standard across North American for video resolution.
PAL
Short for Phase Alternating Line, PAL is the standard resolution for video across Europe and South East Asia.
Crossplatform
Software or hardware that can run on multiple types of computer systems.
DVI
Stands for "Digital Video Interface."
DVR
Stands for "Digital Video Recorder."
DPI
Stands for "Dots Per Inch." DPI is used to measure the resolution of an image both on screen and in print.
FTP
Stands for "File Transfer Protocol."
GUI
Stands for "Graphical User Interface," and is pronounced "gooey." It refers to the graphical interface of a computer that allows users to click and drag objects with a mouse instead of entering text at a command line. Two of the most popular operating systems, Windows and the Mac OS, are GUI-based.
HUI
Stands for "Human User Interface", and is pronounced "H-you-EEE." This refers to the actual hands on part of the user interface. For expample a mouse is a human user interface, the keyboard, pen tablets, etc. Without the HUI, you cant have a GUI. Well, you could but it wouldn't be as effective.
MP3
Stands for "MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3." It is the most popular compressed audio file format. File extension: .MP3
Stands for "Portable Document Format." PDF is a multi-platform file format developed by Adobe Systems. A PDF file captures document text, fonts, images, and even formatting of documents from a variety of applications. File extension: .PDF
RGB
Stands for "Red, Green, Blue." It refers to the three hues of light (red, green, and blue, and is typically used for projection.
CMYK
Stands for cyan, magenta, yellow, and black and the four colors for printing.
.tif or tiff
Tagged Image File Format One of the most widely supported lossless (does not lose information during compression) file formats for storing bit-mapped images (both PCs and Macintosh computers). TIFF graphics can be any resolution, in black and white, gray-scaled, or color.
Chroma
The color portion of a digital video signal.
Volume
The magnitude or intensity of a certain sound. Volume may also refer to how much space a three-dimensional object takes up. However, in the always ambiguous realm of computers, the word volume can also refer to a specific data storage device.
Codec
The name "codec" is short for "coder-decoder," CMYK.
Video
The rapid display of many still digital images, one after the other to create the illusion of fluid motion.
Pixel
The smallest workable element of a digital image. Pixels can be square or rectangle, depending on the formatting.
MPEG
The term MPEG also refers to a type of multimedia file, which is denoted by the file extension ".mpg" or ".mpeg." These files are compressed movies that can contain both audio and video. File extensions: .MPG, .MPE, .MPEG
Binary
The two-digit numerical system, which computers use to store data and compute functions. 0-off, 1-on.
24 Bit or "True Color"
The use of at least 24-bits to represent each pixel in a graphic. 16.7 million colors can be shown when 24-bit color is enabled.
QuickTime
This is a multimedia technology developed by our friends at Apple Computer. It is a popular format for creating and storing sound, graphics, and movie (.mov) files. Though it is an Apple technology, QuickTime software is available for both the Mac and the PC. File extension - .mov
Resolution
This term can describe either how many pixels a monitor can display or how fine a printer can print.
Vector Graphic
Unlike JPEGs, GIFs, and BMP images, vector graphics are not made up of a grid of pixels. Instead, vector graphics are comprised of paths, which are defined by a start and end point, along with other points, curves, and angles along the way.File extensions: .AI, .EPS, .SVG, .DRW
16 Bit
When referring to a computer video or graphics 16-bit refers to the amount of colors capable of being displaying. For example, 16-bit is the same as 65,536 colors.
Filter
When using this term in regard to digital media it means to change the digital data in some way, altering the original file to achieve the desired results. In graphics this is achieved by altering the shades of the pixels, increasing brightness or contrast as well as a wide variety of textures, tones and special effects to an image. For example: Lens, Spam, Audio, Video.
Program Dependant File Types
• .psd - Photoshop • .eps - Illustrator • .pts/.ptf - Pro Tools • .fla - Flash • .pdf - acrobat file • .doc - word document • .txt - plain text • .cdr - Corel Draw • .dwg - AutoCAD • .xls - Excel All of these file types can be opened and edited within their respective programs.