Camera pixels are tiny light-sensitive units on a digital camera's image sensor that capture light and convert it into an electrical signal, which is then processed to create an image.
Here's a breakdown of how they work:
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Light Sensitivity: Each pixel is essentially a tiny bucket that collects photons (light particles). The more photons a pixel captures, the brighter it appears in the final image.
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Photosite and Color Filters: Each pixel contains a photosite which does the job of capturing light. Because photosites themselves are colorblind, they are paired with tiny color filters (typically red, green, and blue – RGB) arranged in a pattern (often a Bayer filter). This allows each pixel to record the intensity of one of these colors.
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Electrical Signal Conversion: After capturing light, the pixel converts the amount of light into an electrical charge. The strength of the electrical charge corresponds to the brightness of the light that was captured.
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Analog-to-Digital Conversion (ADC): The analog electrical signal is then converted into a digital value by an Analog-to-Digital Converter. This digital value represents the brightness and color information for that specific pixel.
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Image Processing: The camera's processor then takes the data from all the pixels and uses algorithms to demosaic the image. Demosaicing is the process of interpolating the missing color information for each pixel based on the values of its neighboring pixels. This creates a full-color image.
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Image Formation: These digital values are then used to create the final image, with each pixel representing a specific color and brightness at a specific location. The number of pixels on the sensor determines the image's resolution; more pixels mean more detail can be captured.
Summary: Camera pixels work by capturing light, converting it to an electrical signal, and then converting that signal to a digital value representing color and brightness. This information is then processed to create a digital image.
