tracking

Definition: (1) Movement of camera or camera with its support over a distance to follow the path of moving subject or action. * Also known as trucking, particularly in cinematography. * Compare with panning, in which camera rotates about a fixed axis. (2) (a) Control of alignment or (b) the alignment itself: of a sensor or read-out head in recording or play-back device with respect to the tracks or sectors in the recording or storage medium. (3) Control of the movement of long strips of film through roller or transporter processing machines to ensure they go through without jamming or crossing each other's path. (4) In design and typography: the average spacing between letters. * Wide or loose tracking expands the space between letters; narrow or tight tracking condenses the space between letters. * Also known as letter-spacing.

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