vignette
Short literary snapshot
A vignette is a brief evocative scene or description—a sketch that captures a moment without telling a complete story: The book is a series of vignettes from her childhood.
In photography and design, a vignette is an image that fades gradually at the edges rather than having a sharp border.
The word extends to any small decorative illustration or ornamental design.
Hasty informal drawing
- anecdoteBrief account of incident
- sceneDramatic unit or locale
- snapshotInformal photograph taken quickly
- glimpseFleeting view
episode · portrait · character study · slice of life · moment · impression · description · passage
Striking pictorial arrangement
- sceneDramatic unit or locale
- skitBrief comic performance
- playletBrief dramatic work
- one-actSingle-segment theatrical format
monologue · staging · mise-en-scène · spotlight · blackout · curtain · performance piece · interlude
Thing that beautifies
- borderOuter edge or limit
- illustrationPicture explaining something
- embellishmentDecorative addition or exaggeration
- flourishTo grow vigorously
motif · headpiece · tailpiece · engraving · woodcut · etching · scrollwork · arabesque
Lose intensity gradually
- blurLack of sharpness
- soft focusDeliberately blurred image technique
- oval frameOblong picture surround
- featheringAdjusting blade pitch horizontally
gradation · filter · dreamy · hazy · softened · aperture · bokeh · edging
Assembled sequence of images
- sequenceOrdered succession of elements
- flashbackInvoluntary past memory
- cutawayView with exterior removed
- establishing shotOpening scene showing location
mood piece · short film · clip · interstitial · title card · transition · tone poem
sketch
Hasty informal drawing
- anecdoteBrief account of incident
- sceneDramatic unit or locale
- snapshotInformal photograph taken quickly
glimpse · episode · portrait · character study · slice of life · moment · impression · description · passage · excerpt
tableau
Striking pictorial arrangement
one-act · monologue · staging · mise-en-scène · spotlight · blackout · curtain · performance piece · interlude
ornament
Thing that beautifies
- borderOuter edge or limit
- illustrationPicture explaining something
- embellishmentDecorative addition or exaggeration
flourish · motif · headpiece · tailpiece · engraving · woodcut · etching · scrollwork · arabesque · filigree
fade
Lose intensity gradually
- blurLack of sharpness
- soft focusDeliberately blurred image technique
- oval frameOblong picture surround
feathering · gradation · filter · dreamy · hazy · softened · aperture · bokeh · edging · masking
montage
Assembled sequence of images
- sequenceOrdered succession of elements
- flashbackInvoluntary past memory
- cutawayView with exterior removed
establishing shot · mood piece · short film · clip · interstitial · title card · transition · tone poem
- illuminationillumination, illuminated manuscripts, illuminators, historiated initials, miniature
- literaturebooks, book, fiction, poetry, stories
- storiesstory, tale, tales, myth, legend
- visualsimage, illustrations, photograph, images, diagram
- picturespicture, photograph, photo, image, pic
- talestale, funny stories, tall tales, short story, yarns