Bit Depth

The term "bit depth" is used to describe the number of bits used to store information about each pixel of an image. The higher the depth, the more colors that are available for storage. The bit depth of an image will determine how many levels of gray (or color) can be generated. Look at the examples below:

			Monochrome image 1-Bit image 1 bit = 2 levels of gray More Info. . .
			Grayscale image 8-Bit image (1 x 8-Bit channels) 8 bit = 256 levels of gray More Info. . .
			Four Color (CMYK) image 32-Bit image (4 x 8-Bit channels) 8 bit = 256 levels of gray per color More Info. . .

Bit depth can also be used to control you computer monitor. Making adjustments to the settings of your Display or Monitor can alter the bit depth, and therefore the number of colors that your monitor will display. As with images, the higher you set your monitor bit depth, the more colors that will be generated and displayed.