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GLOSSARY OF TERMS FREQUENTLY FOUND ON DPCHALLENGE:
AB's: Alien Bees studio lights
ACR: Adobe Camera RAW
AE: Auto Exposure
AF: Auto Focus
Aperture: The opening in a lens, analogous the the iris of your eye, that admits light to the camera sensor. Aperture is expressed as an f-number: a ratio of the focal length to the aperture diameter (f/1.8, f/2.0, f2.8, f/4, f/5.6, etc.). Larger numbers = smaller apertures = less light reaching the sensor.
Av: Aperture Value. Used to specify a particular aperture, allowing the camera to calculate the necessary shutter speed.
AWB: Auto White Balance
B&W: Black and White
BG: background
BOKEH: The quality of out-of-focus areas of an image (generally the smoother, the better)
BRACKET: 1. Taking photos with different exposure settings or other adjustments to ensure a “correct” capture, 2. A device that provides more separation between the camera and external flashes to reduce redeye and shadows.
CA: A lens defect that produces color halos in areas of sharp contrast, often purple or red & blue
CC: The Critique Club
CF: Compact Flash media
COMP: composition
CROP FACTOR: The apparent magnification that results from a lens used on a sensor that's smaller than 35mm. The smaller image area captured must be enlarged more than a 35mm frame to reach a given print size, so the resulting image is magnified (1.6X on Canon consumer DSLRs, 1.3X on higher end Canon DSLRs, 1.5X on most Nikon, Fuji, Pentax and Sony DSLRs, and 2.0X on Olympus and Panasonic DSLRs) compared to an image taken at the same focal length with a full frame camera.
CS2/CS3: Versions of Photoshop (the de facto standard of image editing software)
D&L: Drew & Langdon: the owners of DPChallenge.com. Anger at your own risk.
DESAT: color desaturation
DIP: Digital Image Pro
DNG: Adobe's digital negative format, a “standard” alternative to RAW file formats (note that DNG files are not considered valid originals for dpchallenge entries unless recorded in that format by your camera)
DNMC: Acronym for Does Not Meet Challenge. Refers to an entry that doesn't appear to fit the challenge topic. Note that this is not grounds for disqualification.
DOF: Depth of Field. Refers to the range of a given image that's in focus.
DPC: DPChallenge.com
DPCP:* DPCPrints.com
DPI: dots per inch
DPL: Digital Photography League: a side contest based upon the average score of “teams” in regular challenges.
DQ: Disqualification
DSLR: a Digital Single Lens Reflex camera (see SLR)
DYNAMIC RANGE: The range of luminosity (dark to light) apparent in an image
E-TTL: (Canon) Evaluative through-the-lens flash metering
EVF: Electronic viewfinder. A camera format that typically uses a separate sensor to display the scene on a miniature monitor in the viewfinder.
EXIF: exchangeable image format, which is capture-related information embedded into JPEG files.
FEC: Flash Exposure Compensation. Adjusts the camera's flash output to be stronger or weaker than the automatically calculated strength.
FA: For Auction (see Buy/Sell Rules)
FAQ: Frequently asked questions. 1. DPC FAQ 2. mk’s Unofficial FAQ for DPC
FAST LENS: Typically, a lens with a maximum aperture larger than f/2.8 (f2.0, f/1.8, f/1.4. etc.). By admitting more light to the sensor, such lenses allow faster shutter speeds in low light
FILL: A low power light or reflector used to brighten the foreground in backlit subjects
FF: Full Frame. A camera sensor the size of a 35mm frame (currently limited to high-end DSLRs)
FOV: Field of View. The area visible in your frame
FS: 1. Free Study, 2. For Sale (see Buy/Sell Rules)
FSM: Free Study Marathon. A side challenge where participants agree to enter and compete in regular Free Studies.
FT: For Trade (see Buy/Sell Rules)
GTG / G2G: Get Together. A site or event where DPC members meet each other in-person and take photos for fun.
HDR: High dynamic range
HSM: Sigma's hypersonic motor. A lens mechanism that offers rapid, quiet focusing (see also USM)
IQ: Image Quality
IR: Infrared
IS: Image Stabilization (see also OS, VR). A camera or lens mechanism used to steady the image in handheld shots, usually by shifting the sensor or lens elements to counter movement
ISO: Number indicating a digital camera sensor's sensitivity to light (ISO 100, ISO 200, ISO 400, etc.) Larger numbers indicate increased sensitivity, often at the expense of increased noise
JPG / JPEG: A lossy (some data is lost) compressed image file format
L LENS: Canon’s professional lens series, which typically include low-dispersion glass along with dust and weather sealing
LAG: Shutter Lag. The time elapsed between pressing the shutter button and capturing the image, which can be excessive in older consumer cameras.
LoD: League of death is a forum based side challenge
LZW: The lossless Liv-Zempel-Welch compression algorithm used with TIFF files
M: The Manual Mode camera setting that gives the photographer full control over shutter speed and aperture
MF: 1. Manual Focus 2. A medium format camera (the film or sensor is larger than a 35mm frame)
MOIRE: A generally undesirable interference pattern that results when two grids are overlaid at an angle (in this case sensor pixels and image patterns)
MP: Megapixels
ND: Neutral Density
NI: Neat Image noise reduction software
NN: Noise Ninja noise reduction software
Noise: An image artifact caused by variations in sensor sensitivity that results in a grainy appearance, most readily apparent in small camera sensors and high ISO photos
NR: Noise Reduction. Software or camera tools designed to reduce the grainy appearance in photos, often at the expense of detail
NSFW: Not Safe for Work. Indicates nude or inappropriate material that may require viewer discretion.
OOF: Out of Focus
OP: The original post or person in a forum thread
OS: Sigma's Optical Stabilization (see IS). May also refer to a user's Operating System (Macintosh, Windows, etc.)
P&S: Point and shoot camera, typically a handheld model with small image sensor and no interchangeable lens
PaD: Refers to Photo a Day project
PaW: Refers to a Photo a Week project
PDP: Podcasts for Digital Photographers. (hosted by lkn4truth and Judi)
PIC: Picture
POV: Point of View
PM: 1. Private Message. A DPC communication feature that provides email without disclosing the user's email address, 2. Photomatix software
PP: Post processing. Any image editing that takes place after the capture.
PPC: Post Processing Challenge (hosted by smurfguy)
PPI: Pixels per Inch
PPL: abbreviation for People
PS: Photoshop software
PSE: Photoshop Elements software
PSP: Paint Shop Pro software
Q&A: Questions and Answers
RAW: (RAW file) a format that records the full, unprocessed data captured by the camera's sensor.
RED-EYE: Glowing “demon” eyes caused by light from a flash that is positioned too close to the sensor reflecting off the back of the subject's eyeball
ROT: Rule of Thirds. A compositional guideline that divides the image in thirds and places important elements along these invisible lines or intersections
RP: Report Post. A button that calls forum posts and comments to the attention of the Site Council
RSE: RAW Shooter Essentials software
RSP: RAW Shooter Premium software
SC: Site Council. A group of volunteers appointed to moderate the forums, judge photo validity and help with general site maintenance
SD / SDHC: Secure Digital media
SELECTIVE DESATURATION: The effect of converting most of an image to grayscale and leaving part of it in color.
SELF-DQ: An image removed at the request of the photographer, only allowed if the photographer has no prior DQs in his/her last 25 entries and the entry is otherwise legal.
S/H: Shadow/Highlight. A Photoshop tool used to bring out detail in the darkest or lightest parts of an image
S&H: Shipping & Handling
SLR: Single-lens reflex. A camera format (usually with interchangeable lenses) that permits viewing the scene with an optical viewfinder through the lens itself.
SMITE: When the Site Council or Admins impose a suspension or ban on a user
SP: Self portrait
SS: Shutter speed
TIFF: Tagged Image File Format (see LZW)
ToS / ToU: Terms of Service / Terms of Usage. The rules governing user participation on DPC.
TRANSFER SOFTWARE: Any application used to download files to the computer (as opposed to simply dragging files off the media card).
TTL: Through the Lens, in reference to metering and viewing.
Tv: Time Value. Used to specify a particular shutter speed, allowing the camera to calculate the necessary aperture.
USM: 1. Ultra Sonic Motor (a high speed silent lens focusing mechanism), 2. Unsharp Mask (a commonly used image sharpening tool)
VR: Vibration Reduction. Nikon's name for image stabilization (see IS)
WB: White Balance. A setting used to neutralize the color cast produced by light sources of varying color temperatures.
WPL: World Photography League: a side contest that was the precursor to the DPL (see DPL)
WTB: Wanted to Buy (see Buy/Sell Rules)
WWYT: What Were You Thinking?