BMP (bitmap) - Windows file format used for clipart and photos.
CD photo developing - Photo processing centers usually offer the choice of developing photos the traditional way onto photo paper or developing them digitally onto floppy disk or CD. Any of these three methods are fine, however we suggest having your photos developed onto a CD for several reasons. CDs can hold a lot more information than a floppy disk, a CD is easier to store and less likely to degrade over time, and it is not possible to alter the original image on the CD.
digital camera - Camera that does not use film. Rather, it records images digitally. Pictures can then be downloaded directly to your computer as computer files so you don't have to wait for your photos to be developed.
dpi (dots per inch) - Dots per inch is a term used to describe resolution. It was coined to describe a printed image rather than a photographic image, but is often used in both contexts.
film speed - Film speed refers to the size of light sensitive particles in unexposed film. The higher the film speed, the larger the particles and the less light they need for proper exposure. Conversely, the lower the film speed, the smaller the particles and the more light they need to properly expose an image. That's why it's important to match the film speed to the light conditions. Use slow film (100 ASA) when there's plenty of light and use fast film (400 ASA) for low light conditions or when you want to capture fast action.
GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) - File format commonly used in Web pages, which requires lower resolution than printed photos. GIF doesn't allow as much definition or subtlety in color transitions as other file formats.
JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) - An image compression file format designed for full-color or gray-scale images, such as photographs, paintings and illustrations. Save your photos as JPEGs whenever possible because they take up far less space on your hard drive than other formats (such as BMP, TIFF and GIF) and the quality is excellent.
ppi (pixels per inch) - When you scan a photo, you set the scan resolution which is measured in pixels per inch. The resolution you choose affects the final quality of the image and is dependent on how you plan to use the image. To print images on an inkjet printer, scan at 150 ppi.
red eye - Red eye is caused by light reflecting off the blood vessels in the retina of the eye. Photo manipulation programs usually offer a feature that enables you to get rid of red eye, but you can also take some steps to avoid red eye in the first place. You can try causing your subjects' pupils to contract by increasing the amount of ambient light. Turn on more lamps, for example. Ask the subject to look at a bright light just before you take the photo. Or use a camera with a red eye elimination feature.
resolution - Image resolution is a measurement of how much information is stored in a digital photo. The information is measured as dots per inch (dpi) or, more correctly, pixels per inch (ppi). Photos print best if they're scanned at a resolution of between 150 to 300 ppi at the size you're going to use them. Scanning at a resolution higher than 300 ppi won't improve the quality of the photo but will increase the file size and slow down the program.
scanner - Scanners turn all kinds of things into computer files: photographs, drawings, clipart, logos, even pages of text. Scanners vary considerably in image quality depending on the price. For home and most small office use, you don't need a highly sophisticated scanner. But you do need a scanner with a range of resolution options, starting with a minimum of 300 pixels per inch and 24-bit color.
TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) - A file format used primarily for pixel-based images, originally developed by Aldus Corporation for PageMaker.
