Title: “Basic Concepts in Graphics: Pixels, Framebuffers, Resolution,
Color Depth”
Purpose: Building a Foundational Understanding of Digital Imagery
Session Learning Outcomes:
● Define a pixel and its role as the fundamental
unit of a digital image.
● Explain the concept of a framebuffer and its
function in the graphics pipeline.
● Understand the meaning of resolution and its
Presenter: Dr. Rohit Kumar
impact on image clarity.
Assistant Professor
● Describe color depth and how it determines the ES Department
range of colors available. ABV-IIITM Gwalior
● Relate these core concepts to the quality of
digital images and displays.
Outline:
1. Session Objectives
2. What are Pixels?
3. What is a Framebuffer?
4. Resolution Explained
5. Understanding Color Depth
6. Interactive Activity
7. Summary
8. Quick Quiz
9. Short Assignment
Title: “Basic Concepts in Graphics: Pixels, Framebuffers, Resolution, Color Depth”
Purpose: Building a Foundational Understanding of Digital Imagery
Session Objectives (Teacher Oriented):
By the end of this session, you will be able to:
■ Define what a pixel is and what information it holds.
■ Explain the role of the framebuffer as a memory storage for display
data.
■ Differentiate between various display resolutions and their common
uses.
■ Calculate the number of colors for a given color depth.
■ Recognize the interplay between these concepts in forming a
complete digital image.
Title: “Basic Concepts in Graphics: Pixels, Framebuffers, Resolution, Color Depth”
Purpose: Building a Foundational Understanding of Digital Imagery
What are Pixels?
● A pixel (short for "picture element") is the smallest unit of a digital image or
display.
● It is a single point in a raster image, and each pixel contains a value that
determines its color and intensity.
● Pixels are arranged in a grid to form a complete image. The human eye blends
these individual dots of color together, creating a continuous visual.
Title: “Basic Concepts in Graphics: Pixels, Framebuffers, Resolution, Color Depth”
Purpose: Building a Foundational Understanding of Digital Imagery
What is a Framebuffer?
● A framebuffer is a dedicated memory area used to store the pixel data for an
image that is being displayed on a screen.
● The GPU writes the color information for each pixel into the framebuffer.
● The display device then reads from this memory area, line by line, to refresh the
image on the screen, typically multiple times per second (e.g., 60 Hz).
Title: “Basic Concepts in Graphics: Pixels, Framebuffers, Resolution, Color Depth”
Purpose: Building a Foundational Understanding of Digital Imagery
Resolution Explained
● Resolution refers to the number of pixels a
display can show, expressed as width x
height.
● A higher resolution means more pixels, which
results in a sharper, more detailed image.
● Common Resolutions:
○ HD (1280x720): High Definition
○ Full HD (1920x1080): Standard for most
monitors and TVs
○ 4K UHD (3840x2160): Ultra High
Definition, four times the pixels of Full
HD
● Pixel Density (PPI): Pixels Per Inch,
measures the sharpness of a display.
[Image Courtesy: Internet]
What is 4K- High-definition Video Digital Transmission Protocol
Title: “Basic Concepts in Graphics: Pixels, Framebuffers, Resolution, Color Depth”
Purpose: Building a Foundational Understanding of Digital Imagery
Understanding Color Depth
● Color depth (or bit depth) is the number of
bits used to represent the color of a single
pixel.
● A higher color depth allows for a wider range
of colors.
● The number of colors is calculated as .
○ 8-bit color: 2^8=256 colors (e.g., old
GIFs)
○ 16-bit color: 2^16=65,536 colors
○ 24-bit True Color: 2^24=16.7 million
colors (8 bits for Red, Green, and Blue
each)
[Image Courtesy: Internet]
[Learn Display] 8. Color Depth
Title: “Basic Concepts in Graphics: Pixels, Framebuffers, Resolution, Color Depth”
Purpose: Building a Foundational Understanding of Digital Imagery
Interactive Activity – Concept Match-Up
● Highlight the correct descriptions of:
○ A. Pixel
○ B. Framebuffer
○ C. Resolution
○ D. Color Depth
Title: “Basic Concepts in Graphics: Pixels, Framebuffers, Resolution, Color Depth”
Purpose: Building a Foundational Understanding of Digital Imagery
Summary
● Pixels are the fundamental building blocks of all digital images.
● The framebuffer is the memory where these pixel values are stored before being
sent to the screen.
● Resolution defines the total number of pixels, directly impacting the clarity and
detail.
● Color depth determines the number of colors each pixel can represent, affecting
the richness and realism of the image.
● These four concepts are foundational to understanding how digital visuals are
created and displayed.
Title: “Basic Concepts in Graphics: Pixels, Framebuffers, Resolution, Color Depth”
Purpose: Building a Foundational Understanding of Digital Imagery
Quick Discussion/Quiz
● What information does a single pixel contain?
● How does the size of a framebuffer relate to the display's resolution?
● If a display has a 10-bit color depth, how many colors can it show?
● Why is high resolution important for a large screen display?
Title: “Basic Concepts in Graphics: Pixels, Framebuffers, Resolution, Color Depth”
Purpose: Building a Foundational Understanding of Digital Imagery
Short Assignment (Self-Learning)
● Task: Choose a digital image from your device and find its properties (e.g.,
right-click and check details). Write a short paragraph (5–6 sentences) on:
○ What is the image's resolution?
○ What is its color depth?
○ Based on these properties, describe the visual quality of the image (e.g.,
sharpness, number of colors).
○ Explain how changing either the resolution or color depth would affect the
image.
● Deadline: Before the next class!
Thank You !!
Any Questions ☺
