Appendix Iv: Glossary - Ulead GIF ANIMATOR 4.0 User Manual

Appendix IV: Glossary

Aspect ratio
Keeps the basic intrinsic shape of the image
layers as they are resized.
Broken frame
Any image layer that has been previously
optimized and is subsequently missing pixels.
Browser-Safe
Any color palette that contains the 216
predefined colors used by all web browsers.
Guarenteed to always display within those
browsers.
Comment layer
The third, optional layer type that allows you
to put comments in your animation.
Delay
The duration that the image layer is displayed
before being removed and replaced by
another.
Global Palette
The GIF file's main palette of 256 indexed
colors that all image layers can reference.
Image layer
A single image within the GIF animation.
Each image layer contains controls for delay,
transparency, and interlacing, among others.
Local Palette
An image layer' s individual color palette of
up to 256 indexed colors. Image layers need
not have a local palette.
Logical Screen
The dimensions of the animation as a whole.
Looping
The number of times that an animation plays.
Can be set to a finite number or for infinite
looping.
Optimization
Th process of making an animation as small
as possible for the fastest download time on
the web. Designed to preserve an animation's
quality.
Optimized Palette
A palette built from the most commonly
occuring colors in an image layer. Optimized
for that particular layer.
Palettes
The colors contained within an animation
(Global) or an image layer (Local).
Removal method
The technique used to 'wipe' an image layer
from the screen before replacing it with a new
layer.
Sprite
Any image layer that is smaller than a central
background image and designed to be ani-
mated over it.
Safe Palette
Any palette with the standard 216 browser-
safe colors.
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