Pixels and graphical types (Digital)

What is a Pixel

A pixel (Picture element) is a unit of information. 

'Each pixel can only be one colour at a time. However, since they are so small, pixels often blend together to form various shades and blends of colours. The number of colours each pixel can be is determined by the number of bits used to represent it. For example, 8-bit colour allows for 2 to the 8th, or 256 colours to be displayed. At this colour depth, you may be able to see "graininess," or spotted colours when one colour blends to another.'

Image resolution
The number of pixels, a picture contains a matrix layout of pixels, when stored in a digital format.
Pixel intensity
Refers to a colour scale. A hexadecimal colour format would be lower intensity than a 64 bit (2^64).

Digital graphical types 

This comparison between vector and raster graphics shows the pixelation on enlargement 

The difference between vector and raster graphics is that raster graphics are composed of pixels, while vector graphics are composed of paths. A raster graphic, such as a GIF or JPEG, is an array of pixels of various colours, which together form an image.

"https://pc.net/helpcenter/answers/vector_and_raster_graphics"

.BMP (Bitmap)
An uncompressed raster image, comprised of a rectangular grid of pixels. It contains a file header that is used as an identifier for attributes (Resolution, Colour options)

.TIF (Tagged Image Format)
Image saved as a high-quality graphics format. It is used to store a large colour depth and can be lossy or lossless.

.GIF (Graphical Interchange Format File)
Used for web graphics. It may contain up to a 255 indexed colour palette and are lossless.

.JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)
A compressed (Lossy) graphic (24-bit colour) format.
Additional Information

.PSD (Adobe Photoshop Document)
A Photoshop specific vector imaging format.

'What .PSD supports'

.WMF (Windows Meta File)

A windows graphic format developed by microsoft. It can include raster graphics but, has mostly been replace.

.FLA (Adobe Animate Animation)

An animation project format by Adobe Animate. Storing assets, often exported as .SWF 

Additional information

.AI (Adobe Illustrator)

A vector graphics drawing file, composed of paths connected by points.

Additional Information


BMP uses a lower colour range and looks duller but is uncompressed so can be easily edited whereas, TIF uses a high colour depth and has lossless compression.The JPG is a lossy compression so it losses detail in exchange. GIF has the lowest colour range.