färgupplösning

Färgupplösning, often translated as color depth or bit depth, refers to the number of bits used to represent the color of a single pixel in a digital image or display. A higher color depth allows for a greater range of colors to be displayed, resulting in more nuanced and realistic images.

Common color depths include 8-bit, 16-bit, 24-bit, and 32-bit. In an 8-bit system, each pixel can display 2^8 = 256 different colors. A 24-bit system, which is very common, uses 8 bits for each of the red, green, and blue color channels, allowing for 2^24 = 16,777,216 possible colors. This is often referred to as "true color." Some systems may use an additional 8 bits for an alpha channel, which controls transparency, leading to 32-bit color.

The choice of color depth impacts file size, as more bits per pixel require more storage. It also affects the visual quality of an image. Insufficient color depth can lead to banding, where smooth gradients appear as distinct steps, or posterization, a similar effect with larger areas of flat color. In applications requiring high fidelity, such as professional photography and graphic design, higher color depths are preferred.