A pixel is the smallest unit of a digital image or graphic that can be displayed and represented on a digital display device. Show
A pixel is the basic logical unit in digital graphics. Pixels are combined to form a complete image, video, text, or any visible thing on a computer display. A pixel is also known as a picture element (pix = picture, el = element). Advertisement Techopedia Explains PixelA pixel is represented by a dot or square on a computer monitor display screen. Pixels are the basic building blocks of a digital image or display and are created using geometric coordinates. Depending on the graphics card and display monitor, the quantity, size and color combination of pixels varies and is measured in terms of the display resolution. For example, a computer with a display resolution of 1280 x 768 will produce a maximum of 98,3040 pixels on a display screen. The pixel resolution spread also determines the quality of display; more pixels per inch of monitor screen yields better image results. For example, a 2.1 megapixels picture contains 2,073,600 pixels since it has a resolution of 1920 x 1080. The physical size of a pixel varies, depending on the resolution of the display. It will equal the size of the dot pitch if the display is set to its maximum resolution, and will be larger if the resolution is lower since each pixel will use more dots. Because of that, individual pixels may become visible, leading to a blocky and chunky image defined as “pixelated”. Pixels are uniformly arranged in a two-dimensional grid, although some different sampling patterns are available. For example, in LCD screens the three main colors are sampled at different locations of a staggered grid, while digital color cameras use a more regular grid. In computer monitors, pixels are square-shaped, meaning that their vertical and horizontal sampling pitches are equal. In other systems such as the anamorphic widescreen format of the 601 digital video standard, the shape of a pixel is rectangular. Each pixel has a unique logical address, a size of eight bits or more and, in most high-end display devices, the ability to project millions of different colors. The color of each pixel is determined by the specific blending of the three main components of the RGB color spectrum. Depending on the color system, a different number of bytes can be allocated for specifying each color component of the pixel. For example, in 8-bit color systems, only one byte is allocated per pixel, limiting the palette to just 256 colors. In the common 24-bit color systems used for nearly all PC monitors and smartphone displays, three bytes are allocated, one for each color of the RGB scale, leading to a total of 16,777,216 color variations. A 30-bit deep color system allocates 10 bits each of red, green, and blue for a total of 1.073 billion color variations. However, since the human eye cannot discriminate more than ten million colors, more color variations do not necessarily add more detail, and may even lead to color banding issues. The pixel -- a word invented from picture element -- is the basic unit of programmable color on a computer display or in a computer image. Think of it as a logical -- rather than a physical -- unit. Pixels are the smallest unit in a digital display. Up to millions of pixels make up an image or video on a device's screen. Each pixel comprises a subpixel that emits a red, green and blue (RGB) color, which displays at different intensities. The RGB color components make up the gamut of different colors that appear on a display or computer monitor. When referencing the resolution of a display, numbers like 1920 x 1080 refer to the number of pixels. How do pixels work, and how are they used?The number of pixels determines the resolution of a computer monitor or TV screen, and generally the more pixels, the clearer and sharper the image. The resolution of the newest 8K full ultra-high-definition TVs on the market is approximately 33 million pixels -- or 7680 x 4320. The number of pixels is calculated by multiplying the horizontal and vertical pixel measurements. For example, HD has 1,920 horizontal pixels and 1,080 vertical pixels, which totals 2,073,600. It's normally shown as 1920 x 1080 or just as 1080p. The p stands for progressive scan. A 4K video resolution, for example, has four times more pixels than full high definition (HD), and 8K has 16 times more pixels than 1080p. Other common display resolutions include the following:
 The specific color information that a pixel describes is some blend of three components of the color spectrum -- RGB. Up to three bytes of data are allocated to specify a pixel's color, one byte for each major color component. A true color or 24-bit color system uses all three bytes. However, many color display systems use only one byte, which limits the display to 256 different colors. A bitmap is a file that indicates a color for each pixel along the horizontal axis or row -- called the x coordinate -- and a color for each pixel along the vertical axis -- called the y coordinate. A GIF file, for example, contains a bitmap of an image along with other data. Pixels are also either backlit by an additional panel or are individually lit. An LCD TV screen illuminates all pixels using an LED backlight. If the display is mostly black on an LCD screen, but only a single pixel needs to be lit, the whole back panel still must be lit. This leads to light leakage in the display. This is more noticeable during the credits of a movie, for example, where there's a slight glow around the white letters against the black background. OLED displays, by contrast, don't need a backlight, as each individual pixel illuminates itself. This means when one pixel needs to be lit, no light is leaked to the surrounding pixels. In the movie credits example, this means an OLED display won't have the same light glow around each of the credits as it would in an LCD screen. OLEDs typically have better contrast, black levels and viewing angles than LCD screens but also suffer from burn-in. OLED screens can also be folded or bent, which is a feature in many modern smartphones. Each pixel is a square that's arranged in a uniformly two-dimensional grid. Each pixel has a logical address. How big is a pixel?The physical size of a pixel depends on the set resolution for the display screen. If the display is set to its maximum resolution, the physical size of a pixel will equal the dot pitch, or the dot size, of the display. But if the resolution is set to something less than the maximum resolution, a pixel will be larger than the physical size of the screen's dot -- that is, a pixel will use more than one dot. What is a megapixel?A megapixel (MP) is a million pixels. The term megapixel comes up most often in photography; however, screen resolutions can be measured in megapixels. For example, 4K is approximately 12 MP and 1080p is 2.1 MP. In photography, megapixels typically refer to the resolution of an image and the number of image sensor elements in digital cameras. For example, the Sony A7 III camera can take 24.2 MP photos, which is 24,200,000 pixels. Smartphones typically have 12 MP cameras, while interchangeable-lens cameras typically have anywhere from 20-60 MP. Smaller action cameras like GoPros or Insta360 cameras can range from 12-48 MP. The difference between PPI and DPIScreen image sharpness is sometimes expressed as pixels per inch (PPI). PPI and dots per inch (DPI) are two similar and commonly conflated concepts. PPI is the number of pixels contained in one inch of a digital image. By contrast, DPI is the number of printed dots within one inch of a printed image. The main difference between the two terms is that PPI is the quality of a digital image displayed on-screen, while DPI is the quality of a physical, printed image. The dots in DPI refer to the number of printed dots of ink. Although DPI is technically a term used for printing physical images, it has been misused so often that it's synonymous with PPI. According to Sony, there are two reasons for the confusion between the two terms. One reason is that even though PPI refers to digital image quality, it still has an effect on an image when printed out, as prints with a higher MP count may have finer details. The second reason is that some professional print services mistakenly request images be a specific DPI in order to be printed, when they should instead be using the term PPI. Learn more about how 4K is being used in the enterprise and where it makes sense. This was last updated in August 2022 Continue Reading About pixel
Related TermsAppleApple Inc. (formerly Apple Computer Inc.) is an American computer and consumer electronics company famous for creating the iPhone... See complete definitionRGB (red, green and blue)RGB (red, green and blue) refers to a system representing the colors used on a digital display screen. See complete definitionvirtual assistant (AI assistant)A virtual assistant, also called AI assistant or digital assistant, is an application program that understands natural language ... See complete definitionWord of the Day shadow ITShadow IT is hardware or software within an enterprise that is not supported by the organization's central IT department. What is a single point on a display screen called?The correct answer is Pixel. Pixel is the smallest addressable point on a computer screen.
What is the smallest unit on a display screen?Pixels are the smallest unit in a digital display. Up to millions of pixels make up an image or video on a device's screen. Each pixel comprises a subpixel that emits a red, green and blue (RGB) color, which displays at different intensities.
What is the smallest addressable element of a display device?In digital imaging, a pixel (abbreviated px), pel, or picture element is the smallest addressable element in a raster image, or the smallest point in an all points addressable display device. In most digital display devices, pixels are the smallest element that can be manipulated through software.
What pixel is a smallest dot in a device?In digital imaging, a pixel, pel, dots, or picture element is a physical point in a raster image, or the smallest addressable element in an all points addressable display device; so it is the smallest controllable element of a picture represented on the screen.
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