What are Pixels?
Pixels are dots used to display an image on a screen or printed matter. The words pixel is a blend of the words picture and element. Usually the term refers to pixels in a digital context, but it is often more generalized to refer to any smallest unit of an image. It is important to recognize that pixels are not a measure of size, though often the term is used as though they are. Many digital cameras, for example, give a measure of pixels-per-inch (PPI), which they embed in the image files created. Users then see this measurement and assume that pixels have a real size which uniformly holds true. A monitor is made up of many millions of pixels arranged in a grid. Monitors also have a bit depth, which controls how many greys or colors each pixel is capable of displaying. In an 8-bit display, for example, each of the pixels can display 8 bits worth of color, equal to two to the eighth power, or 256, colors. With 24-bit displays, each of the pixels can display in excess of sixteen-million
When you take hold of a digital camera, or even a traditional one, you constantly read or hear about “pixels”. “This digital camera has 8.0 megapixels.” “This one has 6.5 megapixels.” So what are pixels exactly? According to My Design Primer, PIXEL came from the first letters of “pix element”- pix meaning picture. It is the smallest unit on a display screen or monitor. By dividing the monitor into rows and columns of pixels, one may be able to see the pictures displayed on the monitors. The more pixels are squeezed into a monitor’s surface, the smoother an image will appear on screen. They will appear like they’re connected to your eye because pixels are usually so close together. A monitor with more pixels per inch (PPI) will be more expensive than a cheaper one. The number of bits used to display each pixel determines how many colors a pixel can display. For example, a color monitor uses 8 bits per pixel in an 8-bit color mode. This makes possible the display of 256 (or 2 to the 8th
