GFX Terminology

TehPARADOX's Presents:
GFX Terminologyfor noobs

Basics:

• Avatars: The large images below your username.

Registered user size is 120x170. Premium avatar size is 150x300.

• Tags: (aka sigs or signatures) the pictures that appear in your signature area. TP's limit is a 500kb file size or a size exceeding 500x450.


• Userbars: The rectangles you see directly below a person's username. They usually represent a usergroup. The general size is 135x19.

GFX + Composition & Design Principles:

• A


• Anti-Aliasing: This is when the edges of an image or text appears to have smooth and round edges, not jagged.


• Asymmetry: Lack of equality, or balance between objects within an image.


• Abstract A random, sharp, and usually crisp type of style. Usually involves some amorphus shapes in the background. This is generally the easiest style of signatures.


• ActionScript (AS) The main programming language of Adobe Flash. Comes in AS, AS2, and AS3.


• Airbrush A tool in GIMP (can be imitated in PS) that brushed by the length of your click. The more you hold the mouse button the more it paints in the same place and the less transparent it becomes


• Animated GIF A small animation based on continuous GIF images, giving the impression of movement or action.


• Alignment is the adjustment of arrangement or position in lines of a text or an image; left, right, centered, etc.


• Alpha Channel is the process of incorporating an image with a background to create the appearance of partial transparency.Alpha channels are used to create masks that allow you to confine or protect parts of an image you want to apply color, opacity, also to make other changes.


• Anchor Point Anchor points allow the user to manipulate a paths shape or direction by clicking the point and moving it in a direction. They appear along the path at every curve and at the beginning and end of a path. You can also add or subtract anchor points on a path.


• Asymmetrical This is when graphics and/or text are not identical on both sides of a central line.


B

• B&W: Black and white.


• Background: The part of a picture that appears to be in the distance or behind the focal point.


• Bevel: Gives an image the appearance of being raised out of the surface


• Bitmap A series of bits is a structure that represents a graphic image. The color of each pixel is individually defined


• Blending: How well your render fits and matches with the background. Ask yourself "Does it look like I just piled on layers?"


• Blur: Increases the "fuzziness;" adds depth



• Brightness: the intensity of light in your piece


• Blender 3D: Blender is a free open source 3D content creation suite. Somewhat similar to that of Cinema 4D.


• Blending options: A mini screen in which you can select options such as belevel/emboss-inner shadow-drop shadow-outer glow-pattern overlay-gradient overlay etc..(for a specific layer).


• Border: A line that encompasses the main image of a signature. The most common size is 1 pixel, with the most common color being black.


• Brush (Brushes): A brush like the default hard/soft brushes that are used to make a texture or effect generally used as a background, may or may not be combined with filters. Brushes can be used in programs such as Photoshop and GIMP, and are often sourced from sites such as DeviantArt, Brush King (both of which feature tutorials as well) or you can even make your own!


• Brushing: Using a brush in a pattern to make a certain background, some may hold down the left mouse button and drag across a canvas, or click in different places.


• Burn Tool: Use and brush this over a section of a render, or the whole render itself. whatever you want and it'll darken down the spot use a clicking motion.


C

• C4D: An abstract render made in a program called Cinema 4D



• Composition: The "look" of your piece. This changes depending on how well all the elements - lighting, effects, focal, colour - work together to create the final result.


• Contrast: The degree of difference between the lightest and darkest parts of your piece


• Clipping Path A tool that, or shape used to cut out an image


• Chaotic: There's too much going on in your GFX piece and it hurts people's eyes. Similar to messy.


D

• Depth: The illusion of distance within a piece (e.g. blurring, lighting, overlapping, spacing)


• Dodge This is when you lighten or reduce part of an image by shading.


• DPI (Dots Per Inch) A term to describe the measure of sharpness within an image


• DP - Acronym for Digital Painting. Using programs to digitally paint something.


• Drop Shadow: A shading offset behind a selected image to give it an appearance of depth.


E

• Effects: Essentially any edits to an image whether as a correction, enhancement, or just to make an aesthetically pleasing piece.


F

• Flow: The general direction of a sig or image.




• Focal/Focal Point: Where you want people to look in your GFX piece; the main focus that draws people's eyes to the piece; heavily influenced by: placement, depth, and sharpness.

The first thing you see is."


• Foreground: The part of an image that appears nearest to the viewer


G

• GFX: stands for "graphics." Essentially any image that has been edited with photo effects.


• Gradient: A gradual transition of a color or colors


H

• HQ: High Quality.


L

• Lighting/Light source: The main source of luminosity in a piece. Possible to have more than one or none.


• LP: Large piece (600x600 and bigger)


• LQ: Low Quality.


O

• Opacity: That which is lacking transparency.


P

• Photomanipulation/Photomanip/Manipulation: editing an image (usually a photograph) to create an illusion or deception



R

• Render: An image saved in a .png format to preserve transparency.

Sample

• Ripping: Stealing someone else's work and claiming it as your own. Plagiarism? Yes.


S

• Sharpen: The opposite of blurring, that is, a more "crisp" look. Usually used to focus on the focal point.

Before Sharpening


• Sprite: A render of a pixelized character. Think retro video games and Gameboys.



• Stock: Any scanned or uncut image, that is, an image that still has a background. There are many stock photos & imagery that are licensed for commercial use



T

• Typography: the appearance of text in a piece.


V

• Vector: Anything created within Adobe Illustrator, Macromedia Freehand and Corel Draw. Most vector art is a compilation of shapes stacked on top of each other to form a whole. Unlike raster-based programs like Photoshop, vectors can be resized infinitely without being pixellated