Welcome to the Life after Photoshop photo-editing A-Z. It’s very easy to use – just click a heading to expand a definition of that term. There are links to specific programs and many of the entries link to a tag which will show related articles. I hope you find it useful.
British vs American spellings
This A-Z uses British rather than American spellings, e.g. ‘colour’ rather than ‘color’. Apologies if this is confusing. This link may prove helpful.
F
- F-Log (Fujifilm)Extended dynamic range movie mode introduced by Fujifilm to handle high-contrast lighting, extending dynamic range by 200% or 400%. Other higher-end movie cameras have a similar feature. It produces flat-looking footage but with extended data in the shadow and highlight areas and the idea is that you process the video later on a computer (grading) to achieve the finished look. It’s the video maker’s equivalent of shooting RAW files.
- FeatheringA way of softening the edges of a selection or mask so that there’s no obvious boundary between the adjusted area, or a selected object, and the rest of the picture. Feather values are usually quoted in pixels.
- Filename/numberDigital cameras automatically give each photo a unique filename, usually consisting of a series of letters and then a number. There is one key option to be aware of – you can have the camera start renumbering from scratch each time you erase/format the memory card, or you can have it continue from the last number. This second option is the one to choose because it means that you won’t get duplicate filenames later on your computer.
- Film‘Analog’ film comes in three main types: colour transparency (slide) film, colour negative and black and white negative. It also comes in many sizes, from 35mm through medium format roll film to large format sheet film. Smaller formats than 35mm are still available, such as 110 and 126, but are less popular now.
- FilmPack (DxO)Software that replicates the look of old films and darkroom processes together with ageing effects like scratches and light leaks. It can work as a standalone application and as a plug-in (Elite edition). It also integrates with DxO PhotoLab, DxO’s RAW conversion/correction tool.
- Film simulationSoftware that replicates film ‘looks’ is increasingly popular perhaps because it sparks memories and associations that add another layer of complexity to an image.
- FiltersThis can mean the filters you attach to the front of the lens to change the appearance of the picture, or software filters that do the same thing on your computer.
- FlickrPhoto sharing website where you can publish pictures from your own portfolio and get comments from other people, as well as commenting on other photographer’s photos. It’s free to join, though the full features only come with a paid subscription. It's now owned by SmugMug.
- Focus stackingA hardware and software technique for getting more depth of field in close-up and macro shots. You take a series of images at slightly different focus settings, then use focus stacking software to blend together the sharpest areas of each into a single image.
- FoldersThis is an important distinction in image cataloguing and browsing software. Some programs can display the contents of your folders exactly as they are on your hard disk, but others supplement these with Albums or Collections which bring images together in ‘virtual’ collections without changing their location on your computer.
- Frame rate'Frame rate' can mean the number of frames per second captured by a camera in burst mode (continuous shooting) or the 'frame rates' offered in video recording.
- FramesAnother word for borders applied digitally to a photo, either as a compositional aid to enclose the picture, for example a black keyline, to simulate the look of negatives or prints, or (in the worst case) to produce a pretend wood or metal frame.
- Full HDVideo with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. It’s sometimes abbreviated to ‘1080 video’.