Definition of
image and
imagery, from
Thomas Blount's Glossographia Anglicana Nova, 1707.
The top image is captured using
photography. The bottom image is
rendered. Images are produced by capturing or rendering.
An
image (from
Latin imago) is an artifact, for example a two-dimensional
picture, that has a similar appearance to some
subject—usually a physical object or a
person.
Images may be two-
dimensional, such as a
photograph, screen display, and as well as a three-dimensional, such as a
statue. They may be
captured by
optical devices—such as
cameras,
mirrors,
lenses,
telescopes,
microscopes, etc. and natural objects and phenomena, such as the human
eye or water surfaces.
The word
image is also used in the broader sense of any two-dimensional figure such as a
map, a
graph, a
pie chart, or an
abstract painting. In this wider sense, images can also be
rendered manually, such as by
drawing,
painting,
carving, rendered automatically by
printing or
computer graphics technology, or
developed by a combination of methods, especially in a
pseudo-photograph.
A volatile image is one that exists only for a short period of time. This may be a reflection of an object by a mirror, a projection of a
camera obscura, or a scene displayed on a
cathode ray tube. A fixed image, also called a
hard copy, is one that has been recorded on a material object, such as
paper or
textile by
photography or digital processes.
A
mental image exists in an individual's mind: something one remembers or imagines. The subject of an image need not be real; it may be an abstract concept, such as a
graph, function, or "imaginary" entity.
For example,
Sigmund Freud claimed to have dreamt purely in aural-images of dialogues. The development of synthetic acoustic technologies and the creation of
sound art have led to a consideration of the possibilities of a sound-image made up of irreducible phonic substance beyond linguistic or musicological analysis.
Still image
A still image is a single
static image, as distinguished from a moving image (see below). This phrase is used in
photography, visual
media and the
computer industry to emphasize that one is not talking about movies, or in very precise or pedantic technical writing such as a
standard.
A
film still is a photograph taken on the set of a movie or television program during production, used for promotional purposes.
Moving image
A
moving image is typically a movie (
film), or
video, including
digital video. It could also be an animated display such as a
zoetrope.
See also
