Mused by the jargon? Fret no more! Understanding these key words will help you work more efficiently with Adobe's Creative Cloud.
>> PHOTOSHOP
Adjustment Layer. A layer containing an adjustment that helps to improve colour and lighting. It includes gradient mapping and Levels. It can be applied to only a layer directly below, or to an entire image.
Filters. Filters can be applied directly to a layer or an image, and have many uses, some of which include the ability to blur or sharpen pixels, and even render artistic effects.
Gradient Map. Gradient Maps are used to convert an image to monochrome or to give it a new colour. Colour is applied across an image according to its lightest and darkest values, and offers a vast array of colour mixes, as well as custom options for creating effects.
Refine Edge. Photoshop's Refine Edge command is where you go for extra control over the selection's area. Edges can be enhanced to take into account finer details that weren't picked up in the initial process.
Transform Commands. The method of changing the physical size and shape of a layer in an image by altering the position of pixels. There are a number of ways this can be performed - Distort, Perspective, and Warp
>> INDESIGN
Opacity. Opacity refers to the visibility of an object and is a term used across many creative programs. A low opacity means that the object will appear rather faint, and that any elements behind it will show through. A high Opacity setting, for example 100%,
keeps an object fully visible.
Page Furniture. The elements of a page layout that remain in place on each page of your document Page furniture can be as plain and simple as a single line, or as complex as graphics or other artistic elements. Page furniture is useful for creating themes in a layout, and keeping continuity in a design. It can also save you a lot of time.
Saturation. The intensity of one or more colours in a single image. The greater the saturation of an object the stronger its colour will appear. If you reduce the saturation to zero, you'll find that the image will turn monochrome.
Text Wrap. Text Wrap techniques offer ways to fit one object around another in InDesign. A Wrap command is applied to a text frame or object box, as opposed to the text itself. The Text Wrap palette contains options to increase spacing between two objects as well.
>> ILLUSTRATOR
Artboard. The area in which you're working is known in Illustrator as the Artboard. The size of an Artboard varies depending on the dimensions specified on opening. Multiple Artboards are made for adding extra pages to a design or illustration.
Clipping Mask. Used to mask one layer to the outline of another. The object on top is placed inside the boundaries of the layer directly underneath. Objects and masks are referred to as a clipping set.
Effects. Layer Effects give control over shading, bevels, textures, glows and strokes, to name a few. Styles can be saved to use over and again, and will only affect a specific layer.
Path. An area created on the edge of an object in preparation for a shape. A Path is created with tools such as the Pen tool, and enables control over the precise placement of the area that's needed for editing.
Vector. A vector can be drawn and resized to any dimensions without losing quality, and when used with such tools as the Pen, gives complete control and accuracy over the area.
>> AFTER EFFECTS
Curves. The Curves adjustment in After Effects controls the lighting and colours. A graph displays the spread of visible light over which a straight line is manipulated to increase or decrease the impact of highlights, shadows and mid-tones in a video.
Frame. An individual still capture grabbed from a video's timeline. The larger frame rate in a video, the smoother the playback. Frames can be edited and rendered either together or separately.
Keyframe. A keyframe is the point in an animation or film-editing timeline where one transition ends and another begins. The changes could be as basic as resizing an object, or more complex such as atmospheric effects.
Render Queue. The Render Queue shows all renderings in a project. Numerous changes to settings, such as frame rate, resolution and layer quality can be made to a listed render in the Queue. Different output formats can also be applied to the same project.
Tonal Range. The difference between the lightest and darkest areas in an image. A high contrast image has a wide tonal range, whereas a duller image has a narrower tonal range. Controlling the amount of light in a scene will give greater control over the tonal range.
These, and more such reading materials are available at the Adobe Press by Pearson.
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