Kokonaisvärisyvyyteen

Kokonaisvärisyvyyteen, sometimes translated as total color depth, refers to the maximum number of distinct colors that can be represented in a digital image. This is determined by the number of bits used to store the color information for each pixel.

In a truecolor system, where each pixel is represented by 24 bits (8 bits for red, 8 for green, and 8 for blue), the total number of possible colors is 2^24, which equals over 16.7 million. This is the standard for most modern displays and image formats, allowing for photorealistic representation of images.

Color depth can be lower, such as in 16-bit color (Highcolor), which can display around 65,536 colors, or even 8-bit color, which limits the palette to 256 colors. Lower color depths are often used in older systems or for specific applications where file size or processing power is a major concern. Indexed color images use a lookup table to assign colors from a limited palette, and the total color depth is determined by the size of that palette. The concept is fundamental to understanding how digital images are stored and displayed, impacting both visual quality and file size.