What Are Pixels?

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A pixel (abbreviated from picture element) is the smallest unit of information that makes up an image on a computer screen or in a digital photo. Each pixel represents a tiny dot of color and is usually represented as a square, although other shapes are possible. A series of pixels creates the visible image that we see on a monitor or in print, with more dots creating a higher resolution and sharper image.

When using a digital camera, each image the camera takes is composed of thousands or millions of pixels arranged in a two-dimensional grid. The more pixels used to represent an image, the more closely it will resemble the original photograph or graphic. Pixels are also used to describe the brightness or color of an image: In RGB systems, each pixel can store a number that is a combination of three components, such as red, green and blue; in CMYK systems each pixel can store a number that represents cyan, magenta, yellow and black.

A pixel can also be described as a digital square, although graphics pioneers such as Alvy Ray Smith have made the point that it is more abstract and fluid from a conceptual and mathematical standpoint. The term was first used in 1957 by engineer Russell Kirsch, who invented digital scanning techniques. He chose to translate areas of light and dark in a photographic image into pixels that are essentially square dots on a display screen because it was the simplest, cheapest and most effective technical solution at the time.