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Color: Pixels, Bits, and Bytes

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  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Computer Graphics and Games

  • 15 Accesses

Synonyms

Bit; Byte; Color; Color primaries; File format; Pixel; RGB

Definitions

Color (in computing) is represented by three values: red, green, and blue which are often also referred to as RGB.

Pixel is the basic, smallest and square-shaped element of a digital image.

Bit is a binary value and the basic unit of computational data.

Byte is the smallest unit of digital information in computational processing and storage.

File format is the structure with specifications on how the information to be organized and displayed.

Pixel and Path

The rapid development of computing and imaging encourages digital creations. Creative software can be largely divided into two types: one for image manipulation and the other for image fabrication.

Image manipulation refers to the changing or enhancing the appearance of existing images. Those images are often regarded as raster images with pixels as their basic composition. Image fabrication is oriented for generating original illustrations. The approach...

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Further Readings

  • Berns, R.S.: Billmeyer and Saltzman’s Principles of Color Technology, 3rd edn. Wiley, New York (2000)

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  • Cheung, V., Rhodes, P.A.: Uniform colour space. In: Blankenbach, K., Yan, Q., O’Brien, R.J. (eds.) Handbook of Visual Display Technology, 3rd edn. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. [in production for 2023]

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  • Fiete, R.D.: Formation of a Digital Image: The Imaging Chain Simplified. SPIE Press, Bellingham, Washington (2012)

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  • Galer, M., Horvat, L.: Digital Imaging, 3rd edn. Focal Press, Amsterdam (2005)

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  • Westland, S., Cheung, V.: RGB systems. In: Blankenbach, K., Yan, Q., O’Brien, R.J. (eds.) Handbook of Visual Display Technology, 3rd edn, pp. 1–7. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35947-7_12-3

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Leeds Institute of Textiles and Colour, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

    Vien Cheung

Authors
  1. Vien Cheung
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vien Cheung .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Inst. for Education Research Scholarship, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Newton Lee

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Cheung, V. (2023). Color: Pixels, Bits, and Bytes. In: Lee, N. (eds) Encyclopedia of Computer Graphics and Games. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08234-9_525-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08234-9_525-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-08234-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-08234-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Computer SciencesReference Module Computer Science and Engineering

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