bit depth
Samples per pixel
Bit depth measures how many bits of data encode each sample or pixel in digital media.
In audio, higher bit depth captures more dynamic range—16-bit for CDs, 24-bit for professional recording.
In images, bit depth determines how many colors or shades are possible: The photo looked banded because the bit depth was too low.
More bits mean finer gradations and larger file sizes.
Conversion to discrete values
- dynamic rangeSignal amplitude span
- samplingExtracting subset for study
- signal-to-noise ratioWanted versus background level
- ditheringProlonged indecisive hesitation
headroom · clipping · distortion · amplitude · waveform · digital audio · resolution · analog-to-digital
Surface for mixing pigments
- gradationIncremental transition between stages
- bandingAdding decorative strips
- posterizationAbrupt tonal transitions digitally
- ditheringProlonged indecisive hesitation
true color · HDR · RAW · JPEG · PNG · TIFF · gamma · grayscale
Altering image tones digitally
- bandingAdding decorative strips
- HDRExtended luminance technique
- SDRTransmitter abbreviation
- codecData compression algorithm
broadcast · streaming · compression · Dolby Vision · dynamic range
Interpretive depiction or performance
- textureSurface tactile quality
- shadingDepicting light and darkness
- antialiasingEdge-smoothing rendering technique
- aliasingSignal misidentification from undersampling
raster · colormap · framebuffer · alpha channel · transparency · gradient · GPU · display
quantization
Conversion to discrete values
- dynamic rangeSignal amplitude span
- samplingExtracting subset for study
- signal-to-noise ratioWanted versus background level
dithering · headroom · clipping · distortion · amplitude · waveform · digital audio · resolution · analog-to-digital · DAC
palette
Surface for mixing pigments
- gradationIncremental transition between stages
- bandingAdding decorative strips
- posterizationAbrupt tonal transitions digitally
dithering · true color · HDR · RAW · JPEG · PNG · TIFF · gamma · grayscale · monochrome
color grading
Altering image tones digitally
codec · broadcast · streaming · compression · Dolby Vision · dynamic range
rendering
Interpretive depiction or performance
- textureSurface tactile quality
- shadingDepicting light and darkness
- antialiasingEdge-smoothing rendering technique
aliasing · raster · colormap · framebuffer · alpha channel · transparency · gradient · GPU · display · monitor
bit depthsample rate
Captures per time unit
image resolution · frame rate · dots per inch · megapixels · screen resolution