Glossary 215go back to the way the image was before you made the last
change.
UNIX A multiuser, multitasking (doing more than one thing
at the same time), multiplatform operating system originally
developed by Bell Labs for mainframes and minicomputers back
in the bad old days of computing.
Unsharp Mask In Adobe Photoshop and other image-editing
programs, this is a digital implementation of a traditional
darkroom technique where a blurred fi lm negative is com-
bined with the original to highlight the photograph’s edges.
In digital form, it’s a controllable method for sharpening
an image.
URL Uniform Resource Locator. That’s how you fi nd a Web
site (www.joefaraceshootscars.com, for example) when using an
Internet browser.
Variations A command found in Adobe Photoshop that gives
you control over the hue and color intensity of an image.
Vector Images saved in this format are stored as points, lines,
and mathematical formulas that describe the shapes making up
that image. When vector fi les are viewed on your computer
screen or printed, the formulas are converted into a dot or pixel
pattern. Because these pixels are not part of the fi le itself, the
image can be resized without losing any quality.
Virtual memory Sometimes called (by Adobe in Photoshop)
a “scratch disk.” When not enough “real” memory is available,
this process borrows a chunk of your hard disk to store data and
perform imaging calculations.
VRAM Video random-access memory.
WMF Windows Metafi le Format. A vector-graphics format
designed to be portable from one PC-based program to
another.
WORM Write Once Read Many. A type of data-drive record-
ing method.
Worm A form of computer virus that continually duplicates
itself on your hard disk, gradually using all of your computer’s
resources before ultimately shutting it down.
WYSIWYG (pronounced “wissy-wig”) What You See Is
What You Get. This term refers to the ability to view text and
graphics on-screen in the same way they will appear when
printed.
Xaos Tools (pronounced “chaos”) A software company that
offers several packages of Adobe Photoshop–compatible plug-
ins that can produce artistic-looking images.