Terms starting with S
85 terms · page 1 of 4
S-curve
A gently reversing curve within a scene that carries the eye through the frame in a sinuous path.
Film, Darkroom & Historic ProcessesSafelight
A darkroom lamp emitting only wavelengths to which the material in use is insensitive.
Colour & Colour ManagementSaturation
The intensity or purity of a colour, from fully neutral grey to the most vivid version available.
Focus & Depth of FieldScheimpflug Principle
The rule that when a lens is tilted, the subject plane, lens plane and image plane all intersect along a single common line.
Printing, Display & OutputScreen Delivery Sizing
Choosing pixel dimensions and compression for images intended to be viewed on screens rather than printed.
Printing, Display & OutputScreen-to-print Match
The correspondence between how an image appears on a calibrated display and how it appears as a print.
Lighting & FlashScrim
A translucent panel placed in front of a light to reduce and soften it without changing its position.
Colour & Colour ManagementSelective Colour
An adjustment that targets one range of colours in an image while leaving the rest unchanged.
Focus & Depth of FieldSelective Focus
The deliberate use of a narrow zone of sharpness to direct attention to one element and suppress everything else.
Film, Darkroom & Historic ProcessesSelenium Toning
A treatment that converts silver to silver selenide, deepening blacks and giving prints a subtle cool or purplish shift.
Genres, Movements & TheorySelf-portrait
A photograph in which the photographer is also the subject.
Composition & Visual DesignSense of Scale
A cue within the frame that tells the viewer how large the subject actually is.
Sensors & Digital CaptureSensor Cleaning
Removing dust from the sensor's cover glass, either by the camera's own vibrating filter or manually with a blower or swab.
Sensors & Digital CaptureSensor Cover Glass
The protective glass stack in front of the sensor, incorporating the infrared cut and any low-pass filtering.
Sensors & Digital CaptureSensor Crop Mode
A setting that records only part of the sensor's area, producing a smaller file with a narrower angle of view.
Sensors & Digital CaptureSensor Dust
Particles settling on the sensor's cover glass, which appear as dark spots in the image at small apertures.
Cameras, Formats & SystemsSensor Format
The physical dimensions of a camera's sensor, which set its angle of view, depth of field characteristics and light-gathering area.
Sensors & Digital CaptureSensor Saturation
The condition in which a photosite has reached its full-well capacity and can record no additional light.
Film, Darkroom & Historic ProcessesSepia Toning
A chemical treatment that converts a print's metallic silver into silver sulphide, producing warm brown tones.
Motion, Video & Creative TechniquesShadow Play
Using cast shadows as the primary graphic element of a photograph.
Post-Processing & RetouchingShadow Recovery
The brightening of dark areas to reveal detail recorded but not visible in the default rendering.
Focus & Depth of FieldShallow Depth of Field
A narrow zone of sharpness that isolates the subject against a strongly blurred foreground and background.
Motion, Video & Creative TechniquesShaped Bokeh
Rendering out-of-focus highlights as a chosen shape by placing a cut-out mask over the lens.
Post-Processing & RetouchingSharpening
Processing that increases edge contrast to make an image appear crisper, without adding any real detail.