GLOSSARY
The language of listing content.
47 terms, zero jargon-for-jargon’s-sake. Each one: what it is, and why it matters for your listings.
Camera & Exposure
Frame RateHow many individual images your camera records per second, measured in fps. 24fps is the cadence movies use, 30fps is the clean standard for tours, 60fps captures enough frames to slow footage down smoothly in the edit.Resolution (4K vs 1080p)The pixel dimensions of your footage. 4K is roughly four times the pixels of 1080p — which matters less for "sharpness" than for **flexibility**: you can crop a vertical reel out of a horizontal 4K frame and still deliver full-quality 1080.Exposure TriangleThe three settings that control how bright your image is: aperture (how much light the lens lets in), shutter speed (how long the sensor drinks it), and ISO (how much the signal gets amplified). Change one, and you compensate with the others.ISOThe amplification applied to your sensor’s signal. Low ISO (100–400) = clean image. High ISO = brighter but noisier, like turning up a quiet recording until you hear hiss.Shutter SpeedHow long each frame is exposed. The cinematic rule of thumb: shutter at double your frame rate — 1/60 for 30fps, 1/48-ish for 24fps. That produces natural motion blur, the invisible ingredient that makes footage feel like film instead of a security camera.ApertureThe size of the lens opening, written as f-numbers — f/1.8 is wide open (lots of light, blurry backgrounds), f/8 is small (less light, everything sharp). Counter-intuitive: smaller number, bigger hole.ND FilterNeutral Density filter — sunglasses for your lens. It cuts light without changing color, letting you keep a slow, cinematic shutter speed in bright daylight instead of the camera cranking the shutter and making motion look jittery.HDRHigh Dynamic Range — capturing or displaying detail in both the darkest and brightest parts of a scene at once. In listing photography it usually means blending multiple exposures so the room AND the view out the window both survive.BracketingShooting the same frame at several exposures — typically 3 or 5, from dark to bright — so an editor (or software) can blend the best of each. The raw material of quality HDR interiors.White BalanceThe color temperature setting that makes white things actually white. Indoor bulbs push orange, shade pushes blue; white balance corrects for the light source so the whole image reads neutral.Dynamic RangeThe spread between the darkest and brightest values a camera can capture in one frame before shadows crush to black or highlights clip to white. Bigger sensors generally hold more range.LOG FootageA recording profile that captures flat, washed-out-looking video on purpose — preserving maximum dynamic range for color grading later. Apple LOG on Pro iPhones and D-Log on DJI drones are the versions you’ll meet.LUTLook-Up Table — a preset color transformation you drop on footage. Technical LUTs convert LOG to normal color; creative LUTs apply a "look" (warm film, crisp editorial) in one click.
Drone & Flight
Part 107The FAA regulation covering commercial drone flight in the US, and shorthand for the Remote Pilot Certificate you earn by passing its knowledge test. Any flight that furthers a business — including marketing your own listing — falls under it.Recreational ExceptionThe carve-out (49 U.S.C. 44809) that lets hobbyists fly without a Part 107 certificate — strictly for fun, after passing the free TRUST safety test.Controlled AirspaceAirspace around airports (classes B, C, D, and some E) where drone flights need authorization before takeoff. Much of suburban America sits inside it — proximity to a regional airport is enough.LAANCLow Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability — the FAA’s automated system that grants near-instant authorization to fly in controlled airspace, through apps like Aloft or DJI Fly.ActiveTrackDJI’s subject-tracking mode: the drone locks onto a person or vehicle and keeps them framed automatically while avoiding obstacles.POI (Point of Interest)An intelligent flight mode where the drone orbits a fixed point — the house — at a set radius and speed, keeping it perfectly centered.WaypointsPre-programmed GPS points the drone flies through automatically, with altitude, speed, and camera angle set per point. Plan once, fly the identical path every time.Return-to-Home (RTH)The failsafe where the drone flies itself back to its takeoff point — triggered manually, by low battery, or by signal loss. It climbs to a preset altitude first, then comes home.GeofenceSoftware boundaries built into the drone that restrict or block takeoff in sensitive areas — airports, stadiums, temporary restrictions. DJI enforces them in-app, sometimes requiring an unlock even where you hold valid authorization.BVLOSBeyond Visual Line of Sight — flying farther than you can physically see the aircraft. Under standard Part 107 it’s prohibited without a waiver; keeping the drone in sight is a core rule.
Filming
GimbalA motorized stabilizer that keeps a camera level and smooth while you move — the tech inside every drone camera mount, and the handheld rigs (DJI Osmo Mobile, etc.) agents use for gliding walkthroughs.B-RollThe supporting footage that plays under your main content — steam off coffee in the kitchen, curtains moving, the street sign, hands opening the front door. "A-roll" is the subject; b-roll is the texture.Talking HeadA framed shot of a person speaking to camera — the backbone of authority content. Eye-level lens, subject slightly off-center, light on the face, background with depth.WalkthroughThe continuous moving shot through a property — the spine of every listing video. Shot smooth (gimbal, Action Mode, or careful heel-toe walking), paced slower than feels natural, following the natural path a visitor would take.Establishing ShotThe opening image that tells viewers where they are — for listings, usually the wide exterior or an aerial approach. It sets scale, context, and mood before any interior makes sense.Orbit ShotA shot that circles the subject — the drone arcing around a house, or a phone circling a kitchen island. Constant radius, constant speed, subject centered.Reveal ShotA shot engineered to withhold, then show: rising over the roofline to reveal the ocean, pushing through the hallway into the great room, racking from the faucet to the whole kitchen.Pattern InterruptAny deliberate break in visual or audio rhythm — a whip cut, zoom punch, sound drop, angle snap — that resets the viewer’s attention before it wanders.HookThe first 1–2 seconds of a video — the words on screen, the opening line, the first frame — whose only job is to stop the scroll and open a curiosity loop.POVPoint-of-view framing — shooting (or captioning) so the viewer experiences the scene as themselves: "POV: your Saturday morning if you lived here."Jump CutA cut between two very similar frames — same shot, slightly different moment — creating a deliberate skip. In talking-head content it tightens speech by cutting the breaths and rambles.Match CutA cut that links two shots through matching shape, motion, or action — the round pendant light becomes the round mirror; a door closing in one room opens in another.
Editing & Social
TransitionHow one clip hands off to the next. The pro palette is small: hard cuts on the beat, whip pans, masked wipes through doorframes, and match cuts. The amateur tell is the star-wipe buffet — using every effect the app ships.Sound FX LayeringAdding designed sound — whooshes on camera moves, clicks on cuts, ambient room tone, a door latch — under footage that was shot silent. Sound tells the brain the motion is real.Captions / SubtitlesOn-screen text of everything spoken. The majority of feed viewing happens muted — captions are not accessibility garnish, they’re the primary channel for your words.Aspect RatioThe width-to-height shape of your frame: 16:9 horizontal for MLS/YouTube, 9:16 vertical for Reels/TikTok/Shorts, 4:5 or 1:1 for feed posts.Safe ZonesThe regions of a vertical video that platform UI doesn’t cover — captions, buttons, and usernames eat the bottom ~15% and right edge of Reels/TikTok.Trending AudioSounds currently surging on a platform, which the algorithm rewards with extra distribution. Found via the arrow/trending icons in the audio pages, or by noticing repetition in your own niche feed.CTA (Call to Action)The specific next step you ask a viewer to take: "DM me TOUR," "Save this for your search," "Full video on my profile." One per video, stated plainly.Engagement RateInteractions (likes, comments, saves, shares) divided by reach — the percentage of people who saw your content and did something about it. Saves and shares weigh heaviest; they signal utility.Reach vs ImpressionsReach = unique humans who saw it. Impressions = total times it was shown, repeats included. Impressions running well above reach means people are rewatching — a strongly positive signal.AlgorithmThe ranking system deciding who sees your content, optimizing for predicted watch time and interaction. It tests each post on a small audience, reads the retention curve, and scales distribution to match.UGCUser-Generated Content — footage shot in a personal, handheld, "real person" style rather than polished-brand style. In ads and organic alike, UGC aesthetics often outperform gloss because they read as testimony, not marketing.Content Pillars3–4 recurring themes that structure everything you post — e.g., listings, local life, market education, behind-the-scenes. Pillars turn "what do I post today?" into a rotation.