R

RA-4

A type of professional printer capable of printing digital files on traditional photographic paper. RA-4 printers use a series of colored lights to expose the paper, which blends the colors together to produce continuoustone prints.

RAID

Acronym for redundant array of independent disks. A RAID array can provide a photographer with large image libraries with many gigabytes of high-performance data storage.

RAM

Abbreviation for random-access memory. A computer's memory capacity, measured in megabytes (MB), determines the amount of data the computer can process and temporarily store at any moment.

rangefinder

Refers to an apparatus found on many cameras used to help focus the image. See also camera, viewfinder.

raster image processor (RIP)

A specialized printer driver that replaces the driver that comes with a printer. It takes input from applications and converts, or rasterizes, the information into data that the printer understands so that it can put dots on a page. Software RIPs typically offer features not found in standard printer drivers.

ratings

Part of the standard set of metadata in Aperture, which can apply 1 to 5 stars to an image. The image identified as the best shot in the sequence, the "pick," tops a stack. It's the only image visible until the stack is opened again.

RAW

The original bit-for-bit uncompressed digital image file captured by a camera. Aperture works with RAW images through every step of the digital workflow and supports the RAW formats from all leading digital camera manufacturers.

red-eye

The phenomenon of glowing red eyes in photographs. In Aperture, the Red Eye tool eliminates the effect.

reject

In Aperture, a negative rating applied to an image as part of the photo editing process. See also photo editing, ratings, select.

relative colorimetric

A rendering intent suitable for photographic images. It compares the highlight of the source color space to that of the destination color space and shifts out-of-gamut colors to the closest reproducible color in the destination color space.

rendering intent

The method by which colors that are out of gamut for a selected output device are mapped to that device's reproducible gamut.

resolution

The amount of information a digital image is capable of conveying. Resolution is determined by a combination of file size (number of pixels), bit-depth (pixel depth), and dpi (dots per inch).

RGB

Abbreviation for red, green, and blue. A color space commonly used on computers in which each color is described by the strength of its red, green, and blue components. The RGB color space has a very large gamut, meaning it can reproduce a very wide range of colors. This range is typically larger than can be reproduced by printers. See also additive color.