Understanding Color/Digital imaging systems and characteristics | Index | Home |
Images that can be manipulated by the computer |
The color gradations of photographs and pictures change continuously. Before they can be processed on the computer, such images must be digitized (converted into electrical signals expressed as zeroes and ones) by a process called sampling and quantization (explained on next page). The smallest unit constituting a digitized image is called a pixel (picture element). A digital picture is a collection of pixels. |
Another form of computer graphics is called vector graphics, which relies on numerical formulas. When vector images are sent to a monitor or printer, they are converted into pixels according to the size of the output image. |