pixelated

The appearance of individual pixels or pixel blocks in a still or video image. For example, when a still image is displayed or printed too large, the individual, square pixels are discernible to the naked eye, especially around the edges where one color or shade of gray meets another. When digital video is played, the hardware may not be fast enough to keep up with the frame's encoding rate. Since digital images are compressed in blocks of pixels, one or more blocks may not be fully decompressed in time, which results in visible pixelization. See blocking artifacts, anti-aliasing and deinterlace.

Deliberate Pixelization

Images are pixelated not only due to shortcomings in the hardware, but pixelization may be deliberately created in the material. For example, when applied to specific areas of an image, pixelization can hide nudity or sensitive data as well as keep a person's face incognito. It is also used to create special effects. See videophile and posterization.

Pixelate On Purpose

Two "Pixelate" filters in Photoshop were applied to the top image. The Mosaic filter created the middle image, while the Crystallize filter created the bottom one.

Download Computer Desktop Encyclopedia to your PC, iPhone or Android.