What Does Pixelated Mean? | Webopedia

Although pixelation is often used negatively to describe a low-quality image, sometimes it is used to deliberately hide a portion of an image. Definitions Insights Reference Topics AboutUs Signin Welcome!Logintoyouraccount yourusername yourpassword Forgotyourpassword? Passwordrecovery Recoveryourpassword youremail Search searchterm Definitions Insights Reference Topics AboutUs typetosearchtermSearch HomeMonitors Pixelated VangieBeal May5,2003 Updatedon:May28,2021 Share Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Thetermpixelatedisusedtodescribeanimageinwhichtheindividualpixelsarevisibletothenakedeye.Apixelatedimagewillappearblurryandblocky.Anexampleofthiswouldbethestaircaseeffect,whichiswhenastraightlineonadigitalscreenappearstobemadeoutofsquaresandresemblesasetofstairs. Whatcausespixelation? Pixelationcanbecausedbymanyfactorssuchas: Resizinganimage Lowscreenresolution Poorstreamingconnection Bitmapvs.vectorgraphics Anyimagethatisdisplayedinpixelsiseitherarasterorbitmapimage.Someofthemostcommonbitmapimageformatsincludejpg,png,andgif.Sincebitmapimagesarecreatedwithpixels,thesearethetypesofimagesthathavethepossibilityofappearingpixelated. Animagethatiscreatedbymathematicalcalculationsandformulasisavectorgraphicimage.ThemostcommonvectorimageformatistheSVG,whichhasstartedtogrowinpopularity.Vectorimageformattingisnotusedforreal-lifeimagesorphotography,butitisoftenusedforlogosandillustrationssincetheyareabletoberesizedwithoutbecomingpixelatedandlosingquality.Zoominginonavectorgraphicdoesnotcausetheimagetobecomegrainyorlosedetail. Deliberatepixelation Althoughpixelationisoftenusednegativelytodescribealow-qualityimage,sometimesitisusedtodeliberatelyhideaportionofanimage.Ithasbeenusedontelevisiontodisguiseapersonsfacewhohasnotconsentedtobeoncameraortoprotectsomeonesidentity.Ithasalsobeenusedtocensornudity,obscenegestures,andprofanity. VangieBealVangieBealisafreelancebusinessandtechnologywritercoveringInternettechnologiesandonlinebusinesssincethelate'90s. TopArticles TheCompleteListof1559CommonTextAbbreviations&Acronyms SocialMedia VangieBeal-April6,20210 FromA3toZZZwelist1,559SMS,onlinechat,andtextabbreviationstohelpyoutranslateandunderstandtoday'stextinglingo.IncludesTop... Readmore ListofWindowsOperatingSystemVersions&History[InOrder] OperatingSystems VangieBeal-January16,20120 TheWindowsoperatingsystem(WindowsOS)referstoafamilyofoperatingsystemsdevelopedbyMicrosoftCorporation.WelookatthehistoryofWindows... Readmore HowtoCreateaWebsiteShortcutonYourDesktop Browsers VangieBeal-April6,20210 WebsiteShortcutonYourDesktopreviewedbyWebWebster   ThisWebopediaguidewillshowyouhowtocreateawebsiteshortcutonyourdesktopusing... Readmore GenerationsofComputers(1stto5th) Computers VangieBeal-April6,20210 ReviewedbyWebWebster Learnabouteachofthe5generationsofcomputersandmajortechnologydevelopmentsthathaveledtothecomputingdevicesthat... Readmore RelatedArticles Definitions Hotfix Ahotfix,alsoknownasquick-fixengineering(QFE)update,isatermused... ChikaCUchendu-December6,20210 Readmore Definitions ColdCalling Coldcallingistheprocessofcontactingsalesleadswithoutany... KaitiNorton-December4,20210 Readmore Definitions Skillshare Skillshareisaproject-drivenonlinelearningcommunity.Skillshareusershaveaccess... KaitiNorton-December4,20210 Readmore WebopediaisanonlinedictionaryandInternetsearchengineforinformationtechnologyandcomputingdefinitions. FacebookLinkedInTwitter Definitions Insights Reference Topics AboutUs TermsofService About PrivacyPolicy Contact Advertise California–DoNotSellMyInformation More ADVERTISERDISCLOSURE:SOMEOFTHEPRODUCTSTHATAPPEARONTHISSITEAREFROMCOMPANIESFROMWHICHTECHNOLOGYADVICERECEIVESCOMPENSATION.THISCOMPENSATIONMAYIMPACTHOWANDWHEREPRODUCTSAPPEARONTHISSITEINCLUDING,FOREXAMPLE,THEORDERINWHICHTHEYAPPEAR.TECHNOLOGYADVICEDOESNOTINCLUDEALLCOMPANIESORALLTYPESOFPRODUCTSAVAILABLEINTHEMARKETPLACE. ×