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The number of bits used to represent each channel (or pixel) in a digital image, directly determining how many distinct colors can be encoded. Common depths are 1-bit (2 colors), 8-bit per channel (16.7 million), and 16-bit per channel (trillions).
Bit depth defines the precision of each color channel in a digital image. An 8-bit-per-channel image uses values 0–255 for each of red, green, and blue, yielding 256³ = 16,777,216 possible colors. Reduce that to 1 bit per pixel and you get exactly two colors — pure black and pure white — the foundation of classic monochrome art.
Our image analysis pipeline uses 256 as the threshold between indexed and RGB analysis modes. This is not arbitrary — it exactly corresponds to the maximum palette size of an 8-bit indexed image. An artwork with 256 or fewer unique colors is almost certainly working within an indexed-color paradigm (pixel art, GIF, limited-palette work), and every single color is intentional and should be preserved.
Above 256 unique colors, the image is effectively true-color, and exact color enumeration becomes meaningless — a solid gradient may contain thousands of mathematically unique but visually similar values. At this point, the system switches to grouped palette extraction using Euclidean RGB distance.
Use these sections to discover artworks, read technical context, and navigate the full algorithmic art ecosystem.
