Glossary terms

4K resolution is a video resolution with roughly 4,000 pixels of detail across the frame's width, most commonly 3840 x 2160 pixels (UHD).

AI captions are subtitles or closed captions generated automatically from a video's audio using machine-learning speech recognition, with no manual transcription.

AI rotoscoping uses machine learning to automatically isolate subjects from their backgrounds in video, creating masks frame by frame instead of drawing by hand.

AI transcription uses machine-learning models to automatically turn spoken audio into written text, usually with timecodes so it syncs to video.

AI video editing uses machine-learning tools to automate parts of the editing process, from transcription and rough cuts to colour grading and effects.

Claymation is stop-motion animation where clay figures are photographed one frame at a time, nudged a little between each frame to seem to move.

Cross-cutting, also called parallel editing, jumps back and forth between two or more separate scenes to show them happening at the same time.

A dolly shot moves the camera physically toward or away from the subject, usually on a wheeled dolly or a track, not by zooming.

Double exposure blends two separate images into one, either by exposing the same piece of film twice or by combining layers in software.

Filler words are the little sounds and phrases ("um," "uh," "like," "you know") that pad out speech to fill pauses without adding meaning.

A fine cut is the polished version of the rough cut, with structure locked and details like pacing, transitions, and music refined toward final.

A hard cut is an instant transition from one shot to the next with no fade, dissolve, or effect in between. Editing's default.

A histogram is a graph showing how brightness is distributed in your image, from pure black on the left to white on the right.

A J-cut starts the next shot's audio before the picture cuts to it, so you hear the new sound before you see it.

A lavalier microphone, or lav mic, is a small mic that clips to a speaker's clothing, usually near the chest, to capture clear dialogue.

Lip sync is the alignment between a speaker's mouth movements on screen and the sound of their voice, so the picture and audio match.

A lower third is a graphic at the bottom of the frame, used to show a speaker's name, title, location, or other context.

Motion graphics are graphic design that moves: text, icons, shapes, and logos animated to add information, structure, and visual interest to video.

Non-diegetic sound is audio that lives outside the world of the story, like soundtrack music, narration, or sound effects the characters can't hear.

Offline editing is a workflow where you cut using low-resolution proxy files, then re-link to the high-resolution originals for final colour grading and export.

Picture lock is the point where the visual edit is finalised and frozen, so sound design, colour grading, and VFX can proceed.

Post-production is everything that happens to video after filming, including editing, sound design, colour grading, visual effects, motion graphics, and final delivery.

Pre-production is the planning stage of a video project, everything that happens before filming begins, including scripting, casting, location scouting, scheduling, and budgeting.

ProRes is a family of video codecs made by Apple, built for editing rather than delivery, producing large files that play back smoothly.

Sound design is the work of building a video's audio world, the sound effects, ambient sound, foley, and atmosphere beyond just dialogue and music.

Time-lapse is video that squeezes hours, days, or years of real time into seconds, by capturing one frame at slow intervals and replaying faster.

A timeline is the main workspace in video editing software where you arrange clips, audio, effects, and graphics in time order.

A wide-angle lens has a shorter focal length than a standard lens, so it takes in a wider field of view than normal.