Which term describes the number of bits used for each colour in an image?

Which term describes the number of bits used for each colour in an image?

• A. Bits per colour
• B. Resolution in images
• C. Sample rate
• D. Colour depth

Answer: (D)

Colour depth is the term for how many bits are used to represent the color of a single pixel. It tells you how many different color values can be shown for each color channel (for example, red, green, and blue in an RGB image). In a common setup, each channel uses 8 bits, giving 256 shades per channel, which amounts to 24 bits per pixel overall. More bits per colour expand the range of possible colors and reduce banding, at the cost of larger file sizes. This differs from resolution, which measures how many pixels fit in the image (spatial detail), and from the sample rate, which relates to how often samples are taken during digitization. The standard term for this concept is colour depth.

Colour depth is the term for how many bits are used to represent the color of a single pixel. It tells you how many different color values can be shown for each color channel (for example, red, green, and blue in an RGB image). In a common setup, each channel uses 8 bits, giving 256 shades per channel, which amounts to 24 bits per pixel overall. More bits per colour expand the range of possible colors and reduce banding, at the cost of larger file sizes. This differs from resolution, which measures how many pixels fit in the image (spatial detail), and from the sample rate, which relates to how often samples are taken during digitization. The standard term for this concept is colour depth.