Digital Photography Glossary: C

camera backpack: A variation on the camera bag that you strap across your back.

camera bag: A portable container for your camera and any additional photography equipment (such as lenses and extra batteries).

camera case: A padded, protective container in which you can store your digital camera when not using it.

camera dolly: A kind of wagon that lets you roll your camera/tripod rig back and forth, as needed.

Camera Raw: A file format offered by some digital cameras; records the photo without applying any of the in-camera processing that is usually done automatically when saving photos in other formats. Also known as Raw.

capture resolution: The resolution of an image that you take with your digital camera.

card reader: A device into which you insert a digital camera’s memory card, then attach to your computer to make that memory card appear as just another drive to your computer.

CCD: Short for charge-coupled device. One of two types of imaging sensors used in digital cameras.

CD burner: A device on a computer that allows you to copy (or burn) information to a CD-ROM.

CD-ROM: A compact disc that functions as read-only memory, used to store programs and data files.

center-weighted metering: Metering mode that reads the entire scene but gives more emphasis to the subject in the center of the frame.

chest bag: A variation of a traditional camera bag with which you can harness your camera and equipment to your chest.

Clipboard: A set of functions and messages that enable applications to transfer data.

clone source: The area of a digital image that you want to clone.

cloning: The process of copying one area of a digital photo and “painting” the copy onto another area or picture.

close-up lens: A lens add-on, resembling a filter, that allows you to take pictures at a distance that is less than the closest-focusing distance of the prime lens alone.

CMOS: Pronounced see-moss. A much easier way to say complementary metal-oxide semiconductor. A type of imaging sensor used in digital cameras; used less often than CCD chips.

CMYK: The print color model in which cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks are mixed to produce colors.

color cast: A tinge of color that discolors your image in whole or in part.

color laser printer: A printer in which a laser beam produces electric charges on a drum, which rolls toner onto the paper. Heat is applied to the page to permanently affix the toner to the page.

color saturation: The purity of color; the amount by which a pure color is diluated with white or gray.

composition: The arrangement of the main subject, other objects in a scene, and/or the foreground and background.

compression: A process that reduces the size of the image file by eliminating some image data.

Continuous Auto-Focus : A mode in which the camera updates focus when the subject moves as long as you continue pressing the shutter button halfway.

Continuous Drive: A mode in which the camera continues taking pictures as long as you press the shutter button.

contrast: The range of difference in the light to dark areas of a photo.

convergence: An image distortion that makes vertical structures appear to lean toward the center of the frame.

Corel Paint Shop Pro (PSP): An image-editing program that allows you to do all the standard image-editing activities and includes photographer-quality tools.

Corel PhotoImpact: An easy-to-use image-editing program that includes basic fixes and guided projects.

Corel Photo-Paint: An image-editing program with a fairly comprehensive set of retouching tools, but it’s not quite as tool-rich as Adobe Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. It comes as a part of the CorelDRAW graphics suite.

CorelDRAW: A bundle of image-editing software (described as a graphics suite). It includes tools for vector illustration and page layout, photo editing, and bitmap to vector tracing.

crop: To trim an image or page by adjusting its boundaries.

CRT: Cathode ray tube. A vacuum tube used as a display screen in a computer monitor.