Pixelkanter

Pixelkanter is a term used in digital art and graphic design to describe the jagged or stair-stepped appearance of diagonal lines or curves when rendered on a pixel-based display. This artifact arises because digital screens are composed of a grid of discrete pixels. When a line or curve is drawn at an angle that does not perfectly align with this grid, the software must approximate its path by illuminating or coloring individual pixels. This approximation, particularly at low resolutions, can result in a visible stair-step effect, often referred to as "aliasing."

To mitigate pixelkanter, various anti-aliasing techniques are employed. These methods aim to smooth out the jagged edges by introducing intermediate shades of color to the pixels along the edge. This blending creates a visual illusion of a smoother line or curve, making the image appear more refined. Common anti-aliasing techniques include super-sampling, where the image is rendered at a higher resolution and then downscaled, and fractional anti-aliasing, which attempts to predict coverage of pixels by vector graphics.

The severity of pixelkanter is often dependent on the resolution of the display and the complexity of the graphic element. Higher resolution displays generally exhibit less noticeable pixelkanter due to the smaller size of individual pixels and the greater number of pixels available to represent a given shape. Similarly, graphics with less sharp angles or curves may appear smoother even without extensive anti-aliasing. While often considered an undesirable artifact, in some retro gaming contexts or specific artistic styles, pixelkanter is embraced for its characteristic aesthetic.