contrast

v., -trast·ed, -trast·ing, -trasts.

v.tr.
To set in opposition in order to show or emphasize differences: an essay that contrasts city and country life; contrasted this computer with inferior models.

v.intr.

1. To show differences when compared: siblings who contrast sharply in interests and abilities; a color that contrasted clearly with the dark background.
2. Linguistics. To evince a difference that can distinguish meaning: Voiced and voiceless stops contrast in English but not in Cree.

n. (kŏn'trăst')

1. 1. The act of contrasting; a setting off of dissimilar entities or objects.
   2. The state of being contrasted: red berries standing in vivid contrast against the snow.
2. A difference, especially a strong dissimilarity, between entities or objects compared: the contrast between Northern and Southern speech patterns.
3. One thing that is strikingly dissimilar to another: My new school was a welcome contrast to the one before.
4. The use of opposing elements, such as colors, forms, or lines, in proximity to produce an intensified effect in a work of art.
5. The difference in brightness between the light and dark areas of a picture, such as a photograph or video image.
6. Linguistics. A difference between units, especially one that distinguishes meaning.

[French contraster, from Italian contrastare, from Medieval Latin contrāstāre : Latin contrā-, contra- + Latin stāre, to stand.]

contrastable con·trast'a·ble adj.
contrastingly con·trast'ing·ly adv.

USAGE NOTE   The noun contrast may be followed by between, with, or to: There is a sharp contrast between his earlier and later works. In contrast withhis early works, the later plays are dark and forbidding. When contrast is used as a transitive verb, both with and to may follow, though with is more common: Most scholars contrast the light comedies of his early career withthe dark comedies that were written late in his life.

The white level of a display screen. The contrast adjusts how bright the white is. See brightness and contrast ratio.

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Tonal variations between the highlights, middle tones and shadows of an image.

noun

Striking difference between compared individuals: counterpoint. See same/different/compare.

n

Definition: difference
Antonyms: agreement, conformity, copy, equality, facsimile, homogeneousness, likeness, similarity, uniformity, unity

v

Definition: compare, differ
Antonyms: accord, agree, be alike, be equal, be similar, coincide, concur, conform

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Contrast is one of many things in photography that is easier to recognize than to define. One scene may have tremendous extremes of brightness, yet not seem particularly contrasty because there are no sudden juxtapositions of light and dark. Another may have quite a low overall brightness range, yet seem very contrasty because of dramatic juxtapositions of light and dark.

In the transition to the final print, the scene with the long brightness range and low apparent contrast may benefit from rather more print contrast than the one with the short brightness range and high apparent contrast. The aesthetic side of contrast is something that can only be developed by practice, but the technical side is susceptible of rather easier control.

The path between subject contrast and print contrast is long and sometimes tortuous, incorporating as it does lens contrast, film contrast (including development technique), enlarger contrast, and paper contrast (including again development). Increases or decreases in contrast at any of these stages, relative to a largely illusory or at best statistical ‘average’, may require compensatory adjustments in the opposite direction; whether in order to bring the final print closer to the photographer's vision or simply to compensate for mishap.

Generally, a contrasty lens allows subtler gradations of tone in a contrasty scene, because of lack of veiling flare; but sometimes the contrast-flattening effect of an older lens can create a mood that is actually more attractive.

Film contrast (much influenced by development) may be increased to suit a flat subject or reduced to suit one with a long brightness range: 50 per cent extra and 15 per cent reduction are good starting points. Film that has been exposed through a modern, contrasty lens will need less development (and, usually, more exposure) than one that has been exposed through an old, uncoated lens, in order to maintain the same negative density range with a given subject, though the tonality will not be the same. With the flary lens, the shadows will be ‘filled’ to some extent by flare, increasing effective film speed and lowering shadow contrast.

Enlarger contrast depends both on the light source and on the enlarger lens, but assuming an equally contrasty lens in both cases, a condenser enlarger will give more contrast than a diffuser enlarger. The old rule of thumb was that the condenser enlarger printed about a stop harder than the diffuser, i.e. that it required paper one grade softer or negatives developed to a lower contrast in order to print on the same grade.

Finally, paper contrast may be expressed simply, or with some precision. Put simply, if a print is flat and grey looking, it will usually benefit from being reprinted on a harder paper grade; but if there are pure blacks or pure whites (or worse, both) where there should be subtle greys with texture and detail, it will usually benefit from being reprinted on a softer grade. For more precision, to replace the old subjective terms of ‘soft’, ‘medium’, and ‘hard’ (or ‘vigorous’), the most useful measure is the ISO (R) of the paper. This is the log exposure range required to give a full range from black to white, to two places of decimals, with the decimal point removed. Thus, a Grade 5 paper might have an ISO(R) of around 40 (0.40, 1 1/3 stops) while Grade 00 may be ISO(R) 160 (1.60, 5 1/3 stops). ISO(R) figures give a means of comparing different manufacturers' grades: ‘Grade 2’ is likely to be anywhere in the range of 90 to 100, for example.

— Roger W. HicksRoger W. Hicks

See also optical transfer function.

Bibliography

• Hicks, R., and Schulz, F., The Black and White Handbook: The Ultimate Guide to Monochrome Techniques (1997)

Radiographically the degree of perceptible difference between two color tones. Black and white images on the one film is said to be high contrast; an all gray film has low or nil contrast.

• c. agents — contrast agents are used for injection into the vascular system for either a local visualization of a system or organ or for outlining an excretory system. Radiolucent (negative) contrast media are gases such as air, oxygen or carbon dioxide. The radiopaque (positive) contrast media include the insoluble salt barium sulfate and a variety of organic iodine compounds.
— Barium is used for gastrointestinal studies. Water-soluble, iodinated contrast media excreted by the kidneys are used for many procedures, including all types of angiography and for intravenous and retrograde urography. Those excreted by the liver are used for oral or intravenous cholangiography or cholecystography. New, nonirritant iodine compounds have been developed for myelography. Oily iodinated media are used for lymphangiography and bronchography.
• double c. — the use of two contrast agents or two routes of administration in the one patient. For example, radiopaque dye and then air in the urinary bladder.
• c. materials — see contrast agents (above).
• c. medium — a substance used in radiography to permit visualization of internal body structures. Called also contrast agent, contrast material.
• negative c. — a contrast material that is not radiopaque such as air or carbon dioxide.
• c. pattern — the pattern made by the contrast agent. Includes confined extension patterns in diverticula and similar confined spaces, and unconfined extensions, e.g. in bladder rupture.
• positive c. — the use of a contrast material that is radiopaque such as barium sulfate and iodinated products.
• triple c. — the use of three contrast media or routes in the one patient at the one time.
• water-soluble c. agents — agents used for injection into the vascular system for either a local visualization of a system or organ or for outlining an excretory system. In the past these have consisted mostly of iodine preparations which are irritant and cause tissue damage so that they must be injected intravenously. However, there are now available some recently developed water-soluble iodine preparations that are nonirritant and which can be used in myelography. See also contrast.

IN BRIEF: To compare in a way that shows differences.

His boots shone splendidly, in contrast to his intellect, which did not. — Joseph Wright Alsop (1910-1989).

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - modsætning, kontrast
v. tr. - kontrastere, stille op som modsætning
v. intr. - stå som modsætning

idioms:

• by contrast    derimod
• in contrast    i modsætning til
• in contrast to    i modsætning til
• in contrast with    som modsætning til

Nederlands (Dutch)
contrast, tegenstelling, contrasteren

Français (French)
n. - contraste, (Phot, TV) contraste
v. tr. - faire ressortir le contraste entre
v. intr. - contraster (avec)

idioms:

• by contrast    par contraste
• in contrast    par contre
• in contrast to    par opposition à, à la différence de
• in contrast with    contraster avec

Deutsch (German)
v. - kontrastieren, sich abheben, einen Vergleich anstellen
n. - Kontrast, Gegensatz

idioms:

• by contrast    im Gegensatz (dazu)
• in contrast    im Gegensatz dazu
• in contrast to    im Gegensatz zu
• in contrast with    im Gegensatz zu

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - αντιπαραβάλλω, αντιδιαστέλλω
n. - αντίθεση, αντιπαραβολή

idioms:

• by contrast    σε σύγκριση
• in contrast    σε αντίθεση
• in contrast to    σε αντίθεση προς
• in contrast with    σε σύγκριση με

Italiano (Italian)
contrastare, contrasto

idioms:

• be in contrast to    essere in contrasto con
• by contrast    per contrasto
• contrast with    contrastare con
• in contrast    in contrasto
• in contrast to    al contrario di

Português (Portuguese)
v. - contrastar
n. - contraste (m)

idioms:

• be in contrast to    estar em contraste com
• by contrast    através de contraste
• contrast with    contraste com
• in contrast    em contraste
• in contrast to    em contraste com

Русский (Russian)
контрастировать, контраст

idioms:

• be in contrast to    контрастировать с
• by contrast    по сравнению
• contrast with    контрастировать с
• in contrast    в отличие
• in contrast to    в отличие от

Español (Spanish)
n. - contraste
v. tr. - contrastar
v. intr. - contrastarse, hacer contraste

idioms:

• by contrast    por contraste, en comparación
• in contrast    por contraste
• in contrast to    en contraste con, a diferencia de
• in contrast with    por contraste, en contraste con

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - bilda en motsats, ställa upp som motsats, kontrastera, jämföra
n. - kontrast, motsats

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
对比, 差异, 对照, 使对比, 使对照, 形成对照

idioms:

• by contrast    相比之下, 对比之下
• in contrast    相反, 大不相同
• in contrast to    与...相比
• in contrast with    与...相比

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 對比, 差異, 對照
v. tr. - 使對比, 使對照
v. intr. - 形成對照

idioms:

• by contrast    相比之下, 對比之下
• in contrast    相反, 大不相同
• in contrast to    與...相比
• in contrast with    與...相比

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 대조 , 현저한 차이, 대조법
v. tr. - 대조하다, 대조적으로 돋보이게 하다
v. intr. - 대조를 이루다

idioms:

• by contrast    대조함으로써
• in contrast    대조적으로
• in contrast to    ~와 대비하여
• in contrast with    ~와는 현저히 달라서

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 対照, 対照法, 差異, 対照となるもの, 反対
v. - 対照させる, よい対照をなす, 対照する, 対照をなす

idioms:

• be in contrast to    著しく異なっている
• by contrast    対照してみると
• contrast with    と対照させる
• in contrast    と反対に
• in contrast to    反対して, 対して

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) قارن أو طابق بين, أبرز الفرق بين (الاسم) تباين, تفاوت‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮ניגוד, ניגוד בין כהה לבהיר ובין צבעים‬
v. tr. - ‮השווה, הקביל, עימת‬
v. intr. - ‮היה מנוגד ל-‬

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Contrast Ratio	high contrast da mat
contrast ratio	High Contrast Grey Screen Cheap