GLOSSARY
The language of video craft.
Plain-English definitions for the measurements behind a CutScore report — what each term means, the target to hit, and how we measure it. Organized by the 13 families we analyze.
DEFINITIONS
The measurements, A to M.
Color cast
A · EXPOSURE & COLOR
A
Daylight ≈ 5600K · tungsten ≈ 3200K
Exposure clipping
A · EXPOSURE & COLOR
A
Pure white or black = zero detail left
Frame rate
B · SHARPNESS & TECHNICAL
B
24 film · 30 talking · 60 fast motion
Video bitrate
B · SHARPNESS & TECHNICAL
B
≈8 Mbps at 1080p30, 35–45 at 4K.
Video resolution
B · SHARPNESS & TECHNICAL
B
4K uploads earn the better codec.
Video sharpness
B · SHARPNESS & TECHNICAL
B
Edge contrast, measured frame by frame
Camera shake
C · STABILITY & MOTION
C
Fix at capture; stabilizers crop ≈ 5%
Rolling shutter
C · STABILITY & MOTION
C
Line-by-line readout = the jello wobble
Audio clipping
E · AUDIO LOUDNESS
E
0 dBFS is the hard ceiling
Loudness range (LRA)
E · AUDIO LOUDNESS
E
4–8 LU comfortable for speech
LUFS for YouTube
E · AUDIO LOUDNESS
E
The −14 LUFS loudness target.
True peak (dBTP)
E · AUDIO LOUDNESS
E
Keep it under −1 dBTP.
Noise floor
F · AUDIO QUALITY & BALANCE
F
floor below −60 dBFS under the voice
Voice-to-music balance
F · AUDIO QUALITY & BALANCE
F
music 15–20 dB below the voice
Filler words per minute
G · VOICE & SPEECH
G
The "ums" that dilute delivery.
Speech rate (WPM)
G · VOICE & SPEECH
G
130–160 WPM conversational
Average shot length
H · EDITING & RHYTHM
H
A number for your cutting pace.
B-roll ratio
H · EDITING & RHYTHM
H
≈ 20–40% of runtime for talking heads
Jump cut
H · EDITING & RHYTHM
H
When to use it, when to vary it.
Caption safe area
I · ON-SCREEN TEXT
I
Clear of the bottom 530px and right rail.
Text contrast
I · ON-SCREEN TEXT
I
Hold 4.5:1 on the worst frame.
The video hook
J · NARRATIVE STRUCTURE
J
The first 3 seconds that decide retention.
Aspect ratio
K · PLATFORM & METADATA
K
16:9 wide, 9:16 vertical, 4:5 feed.
Caption reading speed
L · ACCESSIBILITY & SAFETY
L
Keep captions under 160–180 WPM.
More on the way
The glossary grows alongside the analysis engine — the rest of the 60+ measurements each get an entry over time. See the full map of the 13 families on What we analyze.
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