What these terms mean: A Glossary of everything you need to know as a scanlator.

 
Actions.
Adjustment Layers.
Anti-Aliased.
Batched Actions.
Brush.
Burning.
Cloning.
Eraser.
Filters.
Gradient Tool.
IRC.
Layers.
Levels.
Photoshop.
Pen Tool.
.Rar.
RAWs.
Text Tool.
Photoshop Tools.
Topaz Clean.
Topaz Denoise.
.Zip.

Actions. Actions are a useful way of “automated” cleaning. Actions will record whatever changes or “actions” you make on an image (but you must set them) and then will replay them on an image you set them to. There is a Stop, Record, and Play button on the bottom of the window for Actions. Actions are accessible through Window > Actions. They can also be batched (see below). [top]

Adjustment Layers can be used for various things. They can be used to level, brighten, etc. an image. Here at Simple though, the Adjustment Layers are used to check the solidity of the blacks and whites on an image. To check the blacks, drag the white slider to the LEFT. To check the whites, drag the black slider to the RIGHT. Adjustment Layers are accessible through Window > Adjustment Layers. [top]

Anti-aliased. Anti-aliasing is one of the most beneficial features in Photoshop. It is used in text, with the brush tool, and more. Anti-aliased simply refers to the pixeling of text or color. The color will fade from e.g. black to gray if you use an anti-aliased brush. [top]

Batched actions. Batched Actions are actions that have been set up to automatically run through a given set of images. You can choose which images you want your action to play on through the Batch menu. It makes cleaning a lot faster, but this is not recommended if you have a slow processing system. [top]

Brush. The brush tool is a universal tool used in Microsoft Paint, GIMP, and any other basic image editing software. Its purpose is simple: use color to “paint” over an image. In manga, most of the time, the brush tool is set to white or black to “paint” over a bubble [text] or redraw, etc. It can also be used in color redraws (see below). The Brush tool is anti-aliased (see above). [top]

Burning. The Burn tool is one of the handiest tools in Photoshop. Like levels (see below) the burn tool will darken the blacks or grays. It has three settings, Midtones, Shadows, and Highlights. The user must be very careful not to set this tool too high or it will literally “burn” the grays/blacks too much. [top]

Cloning. The Clone tool is arguably the utmost useful tool in Photoshop history. By wielding the clone tool, one can take a “sample” of image from one spot, and then “clone” it onto another spot. The clone tool literally clones something and places it elsewhere! [top]

Eraser. The Eraser tool is the opposite of the Brush tool (see above). It “erases” the image. In Photoshop, if you are using layers, it will erase the section you are using it  on until the layer below it is visible. [top]

Filters. Filters are exactly as the name implies. They will filter, or change whatever you specify through them on an image. There is a large array of filters that can be used in Photoshop. Topaz Denoise or Topaz Clean are one of them (see below for both). Surface Blur is also a useful filter in manga editing. [top]

Gradient tool. The Gradient tool allows you to create a gradient (two solid colors faded into one another in a blend). It is very useful in redrawing (see below), designing, or whatever else a situation may call for. [top]

IRC. IRC stands for Internet Relay Chat. It is the medium of which most, if not all, scanlators use to communicate with one another, fans, or other people in general. Through IRC, a reader can download a manga release if the scanlator so chooses to upload it on their IRC channel. In most cases, the release can be accessed through a “trigger” found under !list on the packlist. For more information, visit the IRC tab on the navigation bar, or ask someone on IRC for assistance. [top]

Layers. Exactly as the name implies. Layers are a native and extremely useful part of Photoshop. Layers allow you to “layer” things on top of each other, be they text, colors, duplicate layers, images–what have you. Without the use of Layers, every edit made to an image would be slapped on top of the previous edit. Layers are one of the many reasons why Photoshop is the best editing software out there (and that’s not just a matter of opinion ). [top]

Levels. Levels are used to change the “level” of blacks, whites, and grays. They can be accessed through Image > Adjustments > Levels. Levels allow the user to darken or lighten an image by changing the blacks, whites, and grays on the image. [top]

Photoshop. Photoshop is an .exe application created by Adobe. It is the main program used by scanlators and serves many purposes. It is a huge step up from programs like Microsoft Paint, and consists of many tools. It can be downloaded from www.adobe.com. The latest version of Photoshop is Photoshop CS5. [top]

Pen Tool. The Pen tool is used for many things. It can be used to redraw (see below) lines or parts of an image. It can able be used in design or to fill in black and white areas on an image. Another important purpose is for rendering, though that is not as widely used in redrawing. The pen tool can also create/fill a vector shape. [top]

.rar. A .rar is one of the many methods that allow you to compress a file/set of files. These files can be “extracted” (basically downloaded to your computer) from a software called Win-Rar also that allows you to compress files. An alternative to .rar is .zip (see below). [top]

RAWs. RAWs are the untouched/non-cleaned version of an image, especially in manga. RAWs can be written as Raws, raws, or whatever the writer prefers. These pages of manga have been scanned in by a raw provider, but have not been processed through cleaning, typesetting and quality checking. [top]

Redraws. A redraw is exactly as the name implies. It is the redrawing, reforming, of a missing part on an image. The missing portion can be a line, or a gaping hole in the middle of something–what have you. All cleaners need to be acquainted with this and have it mastered to some degree. Redraws are often done with the pen tool or a tablet. [top]

Text tool. The Text tool is used in typesetting or generally placing text on an image. Like the Brush tool (see above) the Text tool is universal and can be found in many image editing applications. There are two ways to use this tool: one is to create a text box selection (by click-dragging the Text tool) or by simply clicking and typing. [top]

Photoshop Tools. The Photoshop tools can be located on the Toolbar. There is a huge variety of tools that you can use for editing manga or just general image editing. It would be best to acquaint yourself with these tools, as most of them can be used in manga editing. [top]

Topaz Clean. Topaz Clean is a filter that you plugin to Photoshop. Its attributes are exactly as the name implies. Topaz Denoise cleans the image in a way different than “manual cleaning.” It can sharpen the lines and the edges of the iamge, or simply clean up extra left over dust. This software is recommended for cleaners by many scanlators. Topaz Clean can be used hand-in-hand with Topaz Denoise (see below). [top]

Topaz Denoise. Topaz Denoise is a filter that you plugin to Photoshop. Its attributes are exactly what the name implies. Topaz Denoise will remove the “noise” or “dirt” on the RAW form of an image, or any image with noise. Topaz is the most preferred and highly rated denoiser that scanlators use. It can be downloaded from www.topazlabs.com. Topaz will consume a lot of your computer’s speed when it’s being used. If you have a slow computer, try to close all other applications and just let Topaz work. [top]

.zip. A .zip is the standard compression method for Windows PC computers. If you select a file/set of files, then right click, there is an option to compress those files into a Compressed Zipped folder. That is a .zip file. There is also Winzip, which is a software that allows you to view those files, or “extract” them (basically download them to your computer). [top]