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What is bit depth?

Bit depth refers to the color information stored in an image. The higher the bit depth of an image, the more colors it can store. The simplest image, a 1 bit image, can only show two colors, black and white. That is because the 1 bit can only store one of two values, 0 (white) and 1 (black). An 8 bit image can store 256 possible colors, while a 24 bit image can display about 16 million colors.

Along with an image's resolution, the bit depth determines the size of the image. As the bit depth goes up, the size of the image also goes up because more color information has to be stored for each pixel in the image.

While an image has a bit depth, so does your display. You can change the bit depth of your display by accessing the display preferences. To change the number of colors (bit depth), select System Preferences from the Apple menu, then click on the Displays button.

System Preferences, Displays

In the Display tab, select the number of colors using the Colors pulldown menu.

System Preferences, Displays, Display: Colors pulldown menu

You can also change the resolution of your display using the Display tab. The bit depth, as well as the resolution, are actually determined by the capabilities of your graphics adapter.

Additional Websites

USF Laptop Initiative: iPhoto Basics (PDF)

Apple Support: iPhoto

Kodak.com: Taking Great Pictures

Webmonkey: Graphics

Sitepoint: GIF, JPG, and PNG - What's the Difference

Scantips.com

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Tech-Ease for Mac is your source for just-in-time answers for classroom technology questions. A companion Tech-Ease for Windows site is also available. This collection is a part of the Educational Technology Clearinghouse. Funding for Tech-Ease content development has been provided by the USF College of Education and various grants from the Florida Department of Education. Copyright 2009 by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology, College of Education, University of South Florida.

			Quick answers to real classroom technology questions. An online service of the Educational Technology Clearinghouse.
ETC HOME	TECH-EASE HOME	IMAGES FAQ	SEARCH
What is bit depth? Bit depth refers to the color information stored in an image. The higher the bit depth of an image, the more colors it can store. The simplest image, a 1 bit image, can only show two colors, black and white. That is because the 1 bit can only store one of two values, 0 (white) and 1 (black). An 8 bit image can store 256 possible colors, while a 24 bit image can display about 16 million colors. Along with an image's resolution, the bit depth determines the size of the image. As the bit depth goes up, the size of the image also goes up because more color information has to be stored for each pixel in the image. While an image has a bit depth, so does your display. You can change the bit depth of your display by accessing the display preferences. To change the number of colors (bit depth), select System Preferences from the Apple menu, then click on the Displays button. In the Display tab, select the number of colors using the Colors pulldown menu. You can also change the resolution of your display using the Display tab. The bit depth, as well as the resolution, are actually determined by the capabilities of your graphics adapter.			Additional Websites USF Laptop Initiative: iPhoto Basics (PDF) Apple Support: iPhoto Kodak.com: Taking Great Pictures Webmonkey: Graphics Sitepoint: GIF, JPG, and PNG - What's the Difference Scantips.com
ETC HOME	TECH-EASE HOME	IMAGES FAQ	SEARCH
Site Map \| Submit a Question \| About Tech-Ease \| Privacy Policy \| ETC Home Tech-Ease for Mac is your source for just-in-time answers for classroom technology questions. A companion Tech-Ease for Windows site is also available. This collection is a part of the Educational Technology Clearinghouse. Funding for Tech-Ease content development has been provided by the USF College of Education and various grants from the Florida Department of Education. Copyright 2009 by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology, College of Education, University of South Florida.