A glossary of photographic terms
We know that some of the terms we use every day can be a little confusing for those not used to the photographic industry – so here are a few definitions to help you out.
Archival
Typically used for photographic printing papers and Giclée inks to signify the long-life of the materials. Archival prints will generally last a very long time without fading or discolouring.
C41
The C-41 process (often abbreviated to just C41) is a photographic processing system for developing colour negative film.
Colour Profile
A colour profile is a set of data that characterizes a colour input or output device. They are used to ensure consistent colour throughout the digital printing process.
CMYK
CMYK is short for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (black) and describes the inks and the general process used by commercial lithographic printers to produce colour printed work on a printing press, like magazines and brochures. Photographic printing uses RGB instead of CMYK.
Digital Media
A storage device used for digital files. This could be a camera card, CD, data DVD or external hard disk.
DPI
Dots per inch (DPI) is a measure of the amount of visual information that can be represented in one square inch. If you have a digital image that is A4 in size at 72dpi it is considered low resolution whilst a high resolution image will be 300 dpi or more.
Duratrans
Duratrans is short for Durable Transparency and is commonly known as a backlit display print. They can be found in many places from fast-food restaurant menus to corporate receptions and advertising hoardings.
E6
The E-6 process (often abbreviated to just E6) is a photographic processing system for developing colour reversal or slide film.
FTP
FTP is an acronym for File Transfer Protocol and is simply a method of transferring digital files to or from your computer to a web server. It is as easy as copying a file from one folder to another.
Giclée
Ultra high quality inkjet prints printed on special archival quality papers. Pronounced “gee-clay” the word derives from the French verb “to spray” and refers to the ink being sprayed onto the paper.
Lambda
The Durst Lambda printer is a digital laser imager capable of producing large format images with the same quality, or even better, than conventional photo printing. Images can be combined with high quality graphics and text and printed onto a range of photographic materials.
LZW Compression
A method of image compression used when saving files as a tiff in photoshop. Its use significantly reduces file size without any loss of image quality.
Mounting
The process of attaching a photographic image to a thick base material to both keep it flat and provide a platform for easy display.
RAW files
A raw image file contains minimally processed data from the image sensor of a digital camera or image scanner. Raw files are so named because they are not yet processed or ready to be printed. Precise adjustments can be made from raw files before conversion to a file format such as TIFF or JPEG for storage, printing, or further manipulation.
Softproof
A preview of a digital file on your computer screen used to simulate how the final photographic print will look.
Transparencies
A traditional film format resulting from E6 processing. In their 35mm format, transparencies, trannies or trannys are commonly known as slides. They come in a variety of sizes up to 10x8".
