Pixel: Short for 'picture element.' A digital camera's image sensor consists of millions of pixels, each one building up a tiny charge of electricity in response to the light it 'sees.' The more pixels an image sensor has, the higher the camera's potential resolution. Also see effective pixel count for more info.

 

Related Words

Pixel: A combination of the words ''picture'' and 'element ' A pixel is the smallest discernible sample of video information, the 'little squares' that make up an overall picture. Pixels per inch ( . . . View Full Definition

Pixelization: Pixelization occurs due to errors in decoding the MPEG bit stream where areas or patches of color appear instead of the higher resolution image. It might be described as the picture 'breaki . . . View Full Definition

Pixelated: The effect whereby the individual pixels in an image are very apparently visible.

Megapixel (MP): One million pixels. The more megapixels a camera has, the higher its maximum resolution — and the better its potential picture quality.