Definition

Relating to photography, this term describes a type of film that accurately reproduces colors except for red, allowing for better representation of tones in images.

Example

The photographer used orthochromatic film to capture the landscape without the influence of red hues.

Conversation

I just bought some orthochromatic film for my camera.

That sounds cool! What’s special about it?

It’s sensitive to all colors except red, which is great for certain lighting.

Nice! I bet it will give your photos a unique look.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Ortho- comes from Greek 'orthos' (meaning straight or correct), 'chroma' comes from Greek 'chroma' (meaning color), and '-tic' is a suffix used to form adjectives. The word 'orthochromatic' refers to something that is sensitive to all colors in the visible spectrum, thus 'correctly colored'.

Memory Tip

Think of 'straight' or 'correct' ('ortho-') and 'color' ('chroma') to remember that 'orthochromatic' means something that accurately represents all colors.

Visually Confused Words