Black & White Film Factory

Glossary of Film Terms

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HALATION. A defect of photographic films and plates. Light forming an image on the film is scattered by passing through the emulsion or by reflection at the emulsion or base surfaces. This scattered light causes a local fog which is especially noticeable around images of light sources or sharply defined highlight areas.

I

INTERMEDIATES. General term for masters and dupes.

INTER-NEGATIVE. A negative dupe.

J

KEY NUMBER. See EDGE NUMBER.

L

LATENT IMAGE. The invisible image formed in a camera or printer by the action of light on a photographic emulsion.

LATITUDE. In a photographic process, the range of exposure over which substantially correct reproduction is obtained. When the process is represented by an H & D curve, the latitude is the projection on the exposure axis of that part of the curve which approximates a straight line with-in the tolerance permitted for the purpose at hand.

LEADER. Any film or strip of material used for threading a motion picture machine. Leader may consist of short lengths of blank film attached to the ends of a print to protect the print from damage during the threading of a projector, or it may be a long length of any kind of film which is used to establish the film path in a processing machine before the use of the machine for processing film.

LIQUID GATE. A printing system in which the original is immersed in a suitable liquid at the moment of exposure in order to reduce the effect of surface scratches and abrasions (Wet Gate Printing).

M

MASTER-POSITIVE. A print made from an original negative. Required for making an Inter-Negative print.

MATTE. An opaque outline which limits the exposed area of a picture, either as a cut out object in front of the camera or as a silhouette on another strip of film.