Digital Media Midterm 1 review

Sampling Rate

The number of times per second that a sound is measured in digital audio, typically in kHz.

Nyquist Frequency

The highest frequency that can be accurately represented, equal to half the sampling rate.

Aliasing

Distortion that occurs when high frequencies are sampled at too low a rate, producing incorrect frequencies.

Bit Depth

The number of bits used per sample in digital audio, affecting dynamic range and sound quality.

Dynamic Range

The difference between the quietest and loudest sounds that can be recorded or played back.

Pulse Code Modulation (PCM)

A digital representation of analog signals using sampling and quantization.

Dithering

The process of adding low-level noise to reduce quantization errors in digital audio.

Clipping

A distortion caused by exceeding the maximum amplitude a system can handle, resulting in cutoff peaks.

Condenser Microphone

A microphone that uses capacitance to convert sound vibrations into electrical signals, requiring phantom power.

Dynamic Microphone

A microphone that uses a diaphragm and coil in a magnetic field to generate an electrical signal.

Phantom Power

A +48V DC supply sent through microphone cables to power condenser microphones.

Omnidirectional Microphone

A microphone that captures sound equally from all directions.

Cardioid Microphone

A microphone with a heart-shaped pickup pattern that captures sound mainly from the front.

Hypercardioid Microphone

A microphone that captures sound from the front but with a small pickup area at the back.

Frequency Response

The range of frequencies a microphone or speaker can accurately reproduce.

Mixing Console (Mixer)

A device used to combine, adjust, and modify multiple audio signals before outputting them.

Panning

The process of adjusting the balance of an audio signal between the left and right channels.

Compression (Audio)

The process of reducing the dynamic range of an audio signal to balance loud and quiet parts.

Limiter

A type of compressor that prevents audio levels from exceeding a specified threshold.

Noise Gate

A device or software that removes unwanted background noise by cutting off sound below a certain level.

Reverb

An effect that simulates the reflections of sound in a physical space, adding depth to recordings.

Echo

A delayed repetition of a sound, used as an audio effect.

Foley

The process of creating and recording sound effects for films and video games.

Modified Discrete Cosine Transform (MDCT)

A mathematical technique used in lossy audio compression, such as MP3 encoding.

Fourier Transform

A mathematical method that converts time-domain signals into frequency-domain representations.

Raster Image

An image composed of pixels arranged in a grid, such as those from a camera or scanner.

Vector Image

An image composed of geometrical shapes and paths, independent of resolution.

DPI (Dots Per Inch)

The measure of spatial resolution in printed images, affecting print quality.

PPI (Pixels Per Inch)

The measure of pixel density on a digital display.

RGB (Red, Green, Blue)

An additive color model used in digital displays, where colors are created by mixing light.

CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black)

A subtractive color model used in printing, where colors are created by absorbing light.

HDR (High Dynamic Range)

A technique that increases the range of brightness and color depth in images.

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)

A lossy compression format for raster images, commonly used for photos.

PNG (Portable Network Graphics)

A lossless raster format supporting transparency and a wider color range than GIF.

SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics)

A vector image format based on XML, used for web graphics.

PostScript

A page description language used for vector-based printing.

Bezier Curve

A mathematical curve used in vector graphics to create smooth shapes.

Compositing

The process of layering multiple images to create a final composition.

Alpha Channel

A component of an image that defines the transparency of each pixel.

Rasterization

The process of converting vector graphics into raster images for display or printing.

Vectorization

The process of converting raster images into vector graphics by detecting shapes and lines.

Pixelation

A distortion that occurs when an image is displayed at too low a resolution, revealing individual pixels.

Gaussian Blur

A type of image blur that reduces noise and detail by averaging surrounding pixels.

Edge Detection

A technique used to identify boundaries in an image by detecting sharp contrasts.

Hue

The basic color attribute that distinguishes different colors on the color wheel.

Saturation

The intensity or purity of a color, with higher saturation being more vivid.

Brightness (Value)

The overall lightness or darkness of a color.

Color Gamut

The range of colors that can be displayed or printed within a given color space.

CIE XYZ

A color model developed by the International Commission on Illumination to define all perceivable colors.

HSV (Hue, Saturation, Value)

A cylindrical color space that separates color attributes for more intuitive selection.

ICC (International Color Consortium)

An organization that develops color management standards for consistent color reproduction across devices.

Color Profile

A set of data that defines how colors should be interpreted on different devices.

PCS (Profile Connection Space)

A standard reference color space used to ensure consistency across different color profiles.

Pre-Production

The initial planning phase of media production, including budgeting, scriptwriting, and scheduling.

Production

The phase where the actual media content is created, filmed, or recorded.

Post-Production

The final phase of media production, involving editing, sound mixing, and distribution preparation.

Storyboard

A series of sketches representing key scenes in a video or animation, used for planning.

Scriptwriting

The process of writing dialogue, action, and scenes for a film, video, or game.

Director

The individual responsible for the artistic vision and execution of a media production.

Producer

The person responsible for managing budgets, schedules, and overall project execution.

Above-the-Line Costs

Expenses related to creative personnel, such as actors, writers, and directors.

Below-the-Line Costs

Technical expenses such as equipment, crew salaries, and post-production costs.

Linear Media

A type of media where content is consumed in a fixed, sequential order, such as films and TV.

Nonlinear Media

Interactive media that allows users to navigate content in multiple ways, such as video games.