Composition & Visual Design
60 terms · page 3 of 3
S-curve
A gently reversing curve within a scene that carries the eye through the frame in a sinuous path.
Composition & Visual DesignSense of Scale
A cue within the frame that tells the viewer how large the subject actually is.
Composition & Visual DesignSimplification
The reduction of a scene to its essential elements by choice of viewpoint, framing, focus and timing.
Composition & Visual DesignSymmetry
A composition in which one half of the frame mirrors the other across a vertical, horizontal or radial axis.
Composition & Visual DesignTexture
The tactile surface quality of a subject as revealed by light, giving a sense of how something would feel.
Composition & Visual DesignTonal Contrast
The difference in brightness between adjacent areas of an image, which controls separation and visual impact.
Composition & Visual DesignTriangular Composition
An arrangement in which the principal elements form a triangle, producing stability and a clear internal structure.
Composition & Visual DesignVanishing Point
The point in an image at which receding parallel lines appear to meet.
Composition & Visual DesignVisual Path
The route the eye takes through a photograph, determined by the arrangement of weights, lines and contrasts.
Composition & Visual DesignVisual Rhythm
The pace at which repeated elements carry the eye across a frame, set by their spacing and variation.
Composition & Visual DesignVisual Tension
A sense of unresolved energy created by elements that pull against each other or against the frame.
Composition & Visual DesignVisual Weight
The degree to which an element in the frame attracts and holds attention, independent of its physical size.