ok so I am in massive need of some definitions. Feel free to laugh at me as well. Thanks.

What is a render?
How does a render and a stock differ?
What is a sprite?

a render is anything you take off/out of something larger. a character taken out of a stock is a render. another example is in cooking, when you render fat, basically taking it off

a stock is an image that isn't altered, such as any picture

a sprite is a figure; usually from video games. the character in my sig is a sprite fyi

my definitions might not be the most accurate =/ ~

Render:
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g225/OhhSnap50893gimp/Renders/ShadowHedgehogRender.png

stock:
http://fc81.deviantart.com/fs19/f/2007/250/d/1/stock_by_dutchystock.jpg

Sprite:
http://fc07.deviantart.com/fs23/f/2007/350/5/7/Street_Fighter_Sprite_by_Innate_Arts.gif


^.^

Render -
An Image edited for no Background (Transparent) For everything but the character/object you want

Stock -
A Resource image used to enhance images, usually used in backgrounds

Sprite -
A small bitmap image

render is when you save or an edited image

awesome thanks guys