CMOS stands for Complementary metal-oxide-semicoductor, and refers to a type of image sensor in a digital camera. In a CMOS sensor, individual active pixel sensors capture light and convert them into electrical signals. Each pixel sensor can read and interpret this electrical signal, which makes processing the digital image faster. However, this method captures one scan line at a time, and may sometimes produce a rolling shutter effect. Compared to a CCD sensor, CMOS sensors use less power, have fewer components and are cheaper to produce.