Color and Resolution
Beyond the cool graphics we see on our screen are pixels that build up the images.
Resolution
The images we see on our screen, are made up of pixels.
Resolution is the number of pixels that fit the dimension.
It’s usually measured in pixels per inch or dots per inch (dpi). The higher the resolution, the more definition that image will have.
Colour
If you look at our screens with a magnifying glass, you’ll see that the pixels on our screens are actually made up of 3 lights, Red, Green and Blue (hence, RGB).
Each light shines at a certain level (a level between 0 and 255) in order for all three lights to implicate a colour. So for instance, if the red light is at 255, the blue is at 130 and the red is at 0, then it’ll implicate an Orange colour.
Red | Blue | Green | Colour implicated |
---|---|---|---|
0 | 0 | 0 | Black |
255 | 255 | 255 | White |
255 | 0 | 0 | Red |
255 | 130 | 0 | Orange |
150 | 150 | 150 | Grey |
With RGB you can create as many as 16,581,375 colours!
In our example below the colour implicated is purple.
Vector graphics
Images that are made out of pixels a in a format called raster. But images can also come in a format called vector. Vector images are made out of points and paths.
Vector vs raster
Raster images are suitable for images that contain a lot of detail within texture and gradients.
Vector images are suitable for illustrations, glyphs, icons and logos. (Vector files can also support detail within texture and gradients, but it’ll implicate a ridiculously high file sizes).
Last modified: January 8, 2022
Mark Endley