For Bit Depth we have terms and definitions in 4 topics. The topics are Computer Technology, Real Time 3D, Scanner and Technology.

Bit Depth (Computer Technology)

How many bits it takes to represent the color in one pixel. The larger the bit depth, the more colors you can display and the more power it takes to display.

Bit Depth (Real Time 3D)

Bitdepth is used to denote how many colors a game or application needs to function properly, which is the number of colors plus other channels like alpha. The more colors, the smoother the image. 1-bit is two colors-- black and white. 2-bit is four colors, 4-bit is sixteen, 8-bit is 256 colors, etc. The number of colors at any bit depth = 2bitdepth. For instance, 8-bit = 28 = 2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2 = 256 colors. If game uses alpha or heightmaps, then they are additional channels that can be added to the bitdepth number. 16-bit is 65536 colors without any additional channels, but if you want to add an alpha channel, then 16 would be divided into RGB and alpha, which can be done a number of ways. For example, if you use 4 bits each for Red, Green, and Blue, then that leaves 4 bits for the alpha, so you have 16 colors for alpha. Or else 5 bits for each RGB means you have 1-bit for alpha, which is only 2 colors, but gives you more RGB colors to work with. It's a trade-off.

Bit Depth (Scanner)

The number or bits used to represent each pixel in an image, determining its color or tonal range

Bit Depth (Technology)

How many bits it takes to represent the color in one pixel. The larger the bit depth, the more colors you can display and the more power it takes to display.

Similar

Browse words that start with:

• Bi
• Bit
• Bit
• Bit D

Browse All Terms by First Letter

Term Search