Bildmatrix

Bildmatrix, in English commonly referred to as image matrix, is the two‑dimensional array used to store digital image data. Each element corresponds to a picture element, or pixel. In grayscale images the matrix holds a single intensity value per pixel, while color images assign multiple channels to each pixel, typically red, green and blue.

The matrix has a width and a height, defining the image resolution. Pixel values can be represented in various data types, such as 8‑bit unsigned integers (uint8), higher bit depths (uint16), or floating point values typically normalized to a standard range. For color images, the matrix is often three dimensions, with a channel dimension appended to the spatial grid, or an interleaved sequence where each pixel carries its channel values.

In memory, Bildmatrix data may be stored as a single 3D tensor (height, width, channels) or as separate planar channels. The channel order can differ by software or format, commonly RGB or BGR for color images. File formats encode the same image data but in compressed or encoded forms; loading an image converts the file into a matrix for processing.

Image processing algorithms operate on the matrix through indexing, cropping, resizing, and normalization. Local filters apply convolution kernels, and transforms such as the Fourier transform or discrete cosine transform can be applied to the matrix. Resampling uses interpolation methods to estimate new pixel values during scaling.

Bildmatrix is a foundational concept in image processing and computer vision. It underpins display pipelines, digital photography, medical imaging, and machine learning workflows, where images are treated as numerical arrays for analysis and manipulation.