Glossary
Analog
A signal that is not digital. Most VCRs, radio/television broadcasting, AV in/out, S-VIDEO, and stereos are analog. Computers are digital, dealing in ones and zeros. Information from an analog source must be digitized to be used on a computer.
Aspect Ratio
The relationship of width to height for a given image or graphic. Keeping or maintaining the aspect ratio refers to the process of maintaining size relationships when either the width or height of an image or graphic is changed.
AVI
Audio-Video Interleave is a digital video file format designed specifically for the Microsoft Windows environment.
BD
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc format that uses a blue-violet laser, allowing data to be packed in 25 and 50 GB Blu-ray discs and play high definition video.
Capture
The recording of video or images to a computer hard disk.
Capture Plug-ins
These are utilities integrated with Corel VideoStudio that allow the program to recognize capture devices and automatically detect them when they are connected to the computer.
Clip
A short section or part of a movie. A clip can be audio, video, still images or a title.
Codec
COmpress and DECompress. All videos on a computer uses a special algorithm or program to process video. This program is called a codec.
Color Clip
A simple background color used in a movie. It is often used for titles and credits since they stand out clearly against the solid color.
Composite Video
A video signal that combines luminance and chrominance. NTSC and PAL are examples of composite video.
Compression
Making a file smaller by removing redundant data. Nearly all digital video is compressed in some way or another. Compression is achieved through a codec.
Data Rate
The amount of data per second that is transferred from one part of your computer to another. In digital video, the data rate of
your source is very important: CD-ROMs have lower data rates than hard disks. The data rate of the Internet is very low.
Device Control
A software driver that allows programs to control video sources like the camcorder or VCR.
Digital
Computer data consisting of ones and zeros. Contrast digital information with analog.
Digitizing
The process of converting analog input to a digital form so that it can be used by the computer.
DNLE
Digital Non-Linear Editing is a method of combining and editing multiple video clips to produce a finished product. DNLE offers random access to all source materials and all portions on the master tape at all times during the editing process.
Driver
A software program that controls the connection between a specific device and a computer.
DV
Digital Video with a capital “D” and a capital “V” stands for a very specific format of video, just like VHS or High-8. This format can be understood (played back, recorded) by your camcorder and also by your computer, if you have the proper hardware (capture card) and software (DV codec). The most exciting thing about DV is that it can be copied from your camcorder to your computer, and then back to your camcorder (after editing, of course) without any loss of quality.
DVD
Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) is popular in video production because of its quality. Not only does it guarantee superb audio and video quality, it can also hold several times more data than VCDs and SVCDs. DVDs make use of the MPEG-2 format, which has a much bigger file size than MPEG-1, and can likewise be produced as single or dual-sided, and single and dual-layered. They can be played on stand-alone DVD players or on the DVD-ROM drive of your PC.
Effect
In VideoStudio, an effect is a special computer generated transition between two video clips.
Export
The process of sharing files between applications. When you export a file, the data is usually converted into a format that is recognizable by the receiving application. The original file remains unchanged.
Fade
A transition effect where the clip gradually disappears or appears. In video, the picture would gradually change to or from a solid color; for audio, the transition would be from full volume to complete silence or vice-versa.
FireWire
A standard interface used for connecting digital audio/video devices such as DV camcorders to computers. It is the trademarked name given by Apple Computers for the IEEE-1394 standard.
Footage
A length of recorded film intended for use in a larger project.
Frame
A single image in a movie.
Frame Rate
The number of frames per second in a video. NTSC video is commonly 29.97 frames per second (fps), but smaller video files can be created on the computer by using lower frame rates, like 15 fps (not suitable for VCD or DVD).
Frame Size
The size of displayed images in video or animation sequences. If an image intended for the sequence is larger or smaller than the current frame size, it must be resized or cropped.
HDV
Abbreviation for High Definition Video. It is the video recording format that allows for high data compression, and in turn allows for higher picture resolutions. HDV can go up to 1920 x 1080 in resolution.
HiColor
A 16-bit image data type that can contain up to 65,536 colors. The TGA file format supports images of this type. Other file formats require prior conversion of a HiColor image into True Color. For displays, HiColor normally refers to 15-bit (5-5-5) display adapters that can display up to 32,768 colors.
IEEE
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is a non-profit organization that sets and reviews standards for the electronics industry.
IEEE-1394
A standard that allows high-speed serial connections between the computer and a DV camcorder, VCR or any kind of digital audio/video device. Devices conforming to this standard are capable of transmitting digital data at 100 megabits per second (at the least).
Instant Playback
Allows you to view the entire project without rendering. It instantly plays all the clips in the Preview Window without creating a temporary preview file in your system. However, if played in a slower computer, it may drop some frames. If the project is composed of many effects, filters, titles, etc., and you’re playing it in a slow PC, then drop frames may occur.
If Instant Playback results in drop frames, then use High Quality Playback to preview a project.
Key frame
A specific frame in a clip that is flagged for special editing or other activities in order to control the flow, playback or other characteristics of the completed animation. For example, when applying a video filter, assigning different effect levels on the beginning and end frames shows a change in the appearance of the video from start to end of the video clip. When creating a video, assigning key frames on parts where there are high data transfer requirements helps control how smoothly the video plays back.
Library (Corel VideoStudio)
The Library is the repository for all of your media clips. You can store video, audio, titles, or color clips in the Library and instantly retrieve them for use in a project.
Linear Editing
Traditional editing done on a flatbed where the source film is fed in one side, marked, cut, and spliced, and then fed out the other end. It’s called linear because tape must be edited in the order it’s presented (as opposed to non-linear editing).
Link
A method of storing previously saved information in another program without significantly affecting the size of the resulting file. Linking offers another advantage in that the original file can be modified in its original program and the changes will automatically be reflected in the program where it is linked.
Mark In/Out
Points in a clip that have been marked for editing and trimming purposes. A section can be selected from a longer clip by setting its beginning (Mark in) and ending (Mark out).
MP3
Abbreviation of MPEG Audio Layer-3. MP3 is an audio compression technology that produces near CD audio quality at a very small file size, making it transfer quickly over the Internet.
MPEG-1
A standard for video and audio compression used in many products like VCD. For NTSC, its video resolution is 352×240 pixels at 29.97 fps. For PAL, it works at 352×288 pixels at 25 fps.
MPEG-2
A subset of MPEG-1. It’s a standard for video and audio compression used in products like DVD. For NTSC DVD, its video resolution is 720×480 pixels at 29.97 fps. For PAL DVD, it works at 720×576 pixels at 25 fps.
NLE
Non-Linear Editing. Conventional editing on a VCR is necessarily linear because you must access clips on a video tape in order. Computer editing can be done in any order that is convenient.
Noise
Small audible or visual discrepancies that adversely affect audio and video files which have been recorded or captured incorrectly or with faulty equipment.
NTSC/PAL
NTSC is the video standard in North America, Japan, Taiwan, and some other regions. Its frame rate is 29.97 fps. PAL is common in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, China, Thailand, and some other Asian places, which has a frame rate of 25 fps. There are other differences. In the world of DV and DVD, NTSC has the video resolution of 720×480 pixels, while PAL has 720×576 pixels.
Overlay
These are the superimposed video or image clips over existing clips in your project.
Plug-ins
Plug-ins are utilities that add more functions and effects to a program. In Corel VideoStudio, plug-ins have made it possible for the program to automatically recognize capture devices as well as output videos for d
ifferent purposes such as for e-mail, Web page, video greeting cards, and DV recording.
Profile
A Profile covers various attributes for a Windows Media Format file such as bit rate, number and type of streams, compression quality, frame size and so on.
Project File
In VideoStudio, a project file (*.VSP) contains the required information to link all associated image, audio, and video files. You need to open a project file first before starting video-editing in VideoStudio.
Render
Rendering is the process of making a finished movie from the source files in a project.
Scenes
A scene is a series of frames binded by continuity. In Corel VideoStudio, each scene that is captured using the Split by Scene feature is based on the footage’s recording date and time. In a captured DV AVI file, scenes can be separated into several files based on the footage’s recording date and time or by changes in the content of the video. In an MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 file, scenes are separated into files based on content changes.
Seamless Capture
As a workaround to the 4 GB capture file size limitation in Windows systems that use the FAT 32 file system (such as Windows 98 and Windows Me), Corel VideoStudio automatically saves captured video as a new file when this limitation has been reached. This method, known as seamless capture, allows the capturing process to be performed uninterrupted no matter how long the footage is. VideoStudio performs seamless capture when capturing DV Type-1 or DV Type-2 (from DV camcorder), or when capturing MPEG video (from DV camcorder or analog capture device).
Windows systems such as Windows 2000 and Windows XP that are installed using the NTFS file system do not have the 4 GB limitation.
SmartRender
SmartRender technology renders only project changes, eliminating the need to re-render whole projects and enabling fast previewing.
Split by scene
This feature automatically splits up different scenes into individual files. In Corel VideoStudio, the way scenes are detected depends on which step you are in. In the Capture Step, Split by Scene detects individual scenes based on the original footage’s recording date and time. In the Edit Step, if Split by Scene is applied to a DV AVI file, scenes can be detected in two ways: by the recording date and time, or by the changes in the content of the video. Whereas in an MPEG file, scenes are detected only based on the content changes.
Storyboard
A Storyboard is a visual representation of your movie. Individual clips are represented as image thumbnails on the Timeline.
Streaming
This is a relatively new Internet technology that allows large files to be played as they are being downloaded. Streaming is commonly used for large video and audio files.
SVCD
Super Video CD (SVCD) is commonly described as an enhanced version of VCD. It is based on MPEG-2 tech
nology with Variable Bit Rate (VBR) support. The typical running time of an SVCD is about 30-45 minutes. Although you could extend this to 70 minutes, you will have to compromise sound and image quality. SVCDs can be played back on stand-alone VCD/SVCD players, most DVD players, and all CD-ROM/DVD-ROM with a DVD/SVCD player software.
Template
A work pattern in a software program. It includes predefined formats and settings to save user’s efforts and reduce risks of making mistakes.
Timecode
The timecode of a video file is a numerical way of representing the position in a video. Timecodes can be used to make very accurate edits.
Timeline
The Timeline is a graphic representation of your movie in chronological order. The relative size of clips on the Timeline gives you an accurate idea of the length of your media clips.
Title
A title can be a movie title, a caption or credit. Any text, image, or video file that overlays in your movie can be referred to as titles.
Transition Effect
A transition is a method of sequencing between two video clips, like fading from one into another. In Corel VideoStudio, there are a large variety of special transitions available, and they are called Effects.
Trim
The process of editing or cropping a movie clip. Computer video can be trimmed frame by frame.
VCD
Video Compact Disc (VCD) is a special version of a CD-ROM that uses the MPEG-1 format. The quality of the exported movie is almost the same, but usually better than VHS tape-based movies. A VCD can be played back on a CD-ROM drive, VCD player, and even on a DVD player.
Video Filters
A video filter is a method of changing the appearance of a video clip, like mosaic and ripple.
Voiceover
The narration of a video or movie is commonly called the voiceover. This is most notable in documentaries such as nature shows.