Adobe Premiere Elements 8 - Manual (Page 305)

300 USING ADOBE PREMIERE ELEMENTS 8 EDITOR
Glossary
Last updated 8/12/2010
B
bit depth In digital graphics and video, bit depth indicates the number of colors an image can display. A high-contrast
(no gray tones) black and white image is 1bit, meaning it can be off or on, black or white. As bit depth increases, more
colors become available. 24-bit color allows for millions of colors to be displayed.
Similarly, in digital audio, bit depth indicates the number of bits per sample. The higher the number, the better the
sound quality.
bitmap A graphic image comprised of individual pixels, each of which has values that define its brightness and color.
Blu-ray An optical disc format that has five times the storage capacity of DVDs. It can store 25GB on a single-layer
disc or 50GB on a dual-layer disc. It gets its name from the blue-violet laser it uses (as opposed to the red laser used by
other optical discs).
bluescreen See “ keying ” on page 303.
C
camcorder A digital video camera—that is, a device that records sequences of continuous pictures and generates a
signal for display or transfer of video footage.
capture The process of transferring source video from a camcorder or tape deck to a computer. If the source video is
analog, the capture process converts the video to digital.
capture card Sometimes called a capture or video board. A card installed into a computer and used to digitize video.
Or, for video that is already digitized, the device that simply transfers the file to the hard disk.
channel Stores color information for a computer graphic. Each graphic contains three separate channels (red, green,
and blue) that can be adjusted independently. Additional channels, called alpha channels, can be added to define
transparent areas.
chroma Short for “ chrominance ” on page 300.
chroma key A video effect that removes an area of specific color. This effect is often used during newscasts to insert a
weather map behind a meteorologist.
chrominance The color information in a video signal that comprises the hue (phase angle) and saturation (amplitude).
Cinepak ® A commonly used codec for compression of video files on CD-ROM. Cinepak offers temporal and spatial
compression and data-rate limiting.
clip A digitized or captured portion of video, audio, or both.
codec Short for compressor/decompressor. A device or program that uses algorithms to compress video and sound
files, making them easier to work with and store, and to decompress files for playback. Common codecs convert analog
video signals to compressed digital video files (for example, MPEG) or analog sound signals to digital sound files (for
example, RealAudio®). See also “
compression ” on page 300.
color bars See “ NTSC color bars ” on page 305.
color correction The process of altering the color of video, especially if it was shot under less than ideal conditions,
such as low light.
compositing The process of combining images to yield a resulting “composite” image.
compression The process of reducing data, such as in an audio or video file, into a form that requires less space.
current-time indicator In Adobe Premiere Elements, a gray pointer with a red line in Timeline and Properties, and
a gray pointer with a gray line in the Monitor. You drag this indicator to navigate through clips and identify specific
frames.