| Term | Meaning |
| Depth of field* | - the amount of the picture (in terms of distance from the camera) which is in focus. For landscape shots typically the depth of field is maximum so as to get the entire scene all the way to the horizon in sharp focus. For portrait photography the depth of field is normally very small so that the subject is in focus and all of the unwanted background is thrown out of focus (the effect is to emphasize the subject). Depth of field is affected by the aperture set when taking a picture: for large depth of field the aperture should be small (e.g. F22) and for portrait work, etc., it should be large (e.g. F4). |
| Digital | - based on computer data of 0's and 1's |
| DPI | - dots per inch- this specifies the resolution
of an output device (like a printer), usually from 300-1200 dpi |
| DTV | - digital television |
| Dual platform | - hardware/software that operates on either Mac or Windows machines |
| DV | - digital video |
| DVD | - digital versatile disc |
| Fast start | - an option found in some programs (QuickTime Pro) which allows for a faster delivery of the panoramic image into web browsers by starting to display the image before the whole file is downloaded. It's a good saving option to use if you are going to display a panoramic image over the Internet. |
| Field of view* (FOV) | - 35mm cameras produce rectangular pictures (36 x 24mm negatives) and therefore the field of view is greater for the longer dimension. Generally when someone refers ambiguously to the field of view of a 35mm image they are referring to the field of view along the longer of the two dimensions, regardless of which way up the camera was (portrait or landscape). |
| FireWire | - Apple's name for the IEEE 1394 technology that allows a person to import or export digital data off of an external source |
| Fisheye lens* | - a wide angle lens that captures the scene exactly as it appears, thereby incorporating curves which the human eye does not perceive because the focal length of the human eye is approximately 50mm. Fisheye lens images tend to cause all straight lines to appear curved. See also rectilinear lens. You can use such lenses and use a program like DeFish to make it rectilinear and therefore usable in a simple stitching program like PhotoStitch (Canon.com) |
| Flash animation | - animation program developed by Macromedia. Quickly becoming the standard for animation on the Web. |
| Focal length* | - a term used in general photography for the distance between the rear principal point of the lens and the rear focal point when the lens is focused on infinity. |
| Focal plane* | - in general photography the area perpendicular to the axis of the lens which intersects the rear focal point is known as the focal plane, which is the same as the film plane |
| Focal point* | - when parallel light rays enter a lens a perfect lens will cause the light rays to converge on a single point before fanning out again to reach the film. This point is the 'rear' or 'image' focal point. There is also a 'front' or 'object' focal point. |
| Frame rate | - the total number of frames over a specific period of time. The more the frames the better the quality of video. |
| FTP | - file transfer protocol - FTP software allows you to copy files from one computer to another over the Internet |
*(These asterisked definitions courtesy of James Rigg-Panoguide.com)
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MultiMedia:
An InDepth Guide for Teachers
Copyright 2002 Regina Public Schools and Saskatchewan Learning |
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