chromatic aberration: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples

Purple (or sometimes green) fringing is the most common visible symptom of lateral chromatic aberration, especially in digital photography. So, purple fringing is a type of chromatic aberration, but chromatic aberration is the broader technical term for the optical cause.

Yes. It can be minimized using specialized lens elements (like achromatic or apochromatic lenses) during manufacturing. It can also be corrected after the fact using software (like Adobe Lightroom or Camera Raw) which has profiles to remove it digitally.

To some degree, yes. All simple lenses disperse light by wavelength. High-quality, modern lenses use compound elements and special glass to reduce it to levels that are often imperceptible in final images, but it is a fundamental optical principle that must be managed.

In strict technical and photographic terms, yes, it is considered an optical flaw. However, some digital artists and game designers intentionally add subtle chromatic aberration in post-processing or rendering to mimic vintage lens character or to create a specific stylistic, sometimes surreal, look.

A common optical defect where a lens fails to focus all colors of light at the same point, causing colored fringes (especially purple or green) around high-contrast edges in an image.

Chromatic aberration is usually technical in register.

Chromatic aberration: in British English it is pronounced /krəʊˌmæt.ɪk ˌæb.əˈreɪ.ʃən/, and in American English it is pronounced /kroʊˌmæt̬.ɪk ˌæb.əˈreɪ.ʃən/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.