Bit-Depth is a cinematography term in filmmaking. In virtual production, the nuances of this term take on special meaning. Here, we break down the definition to give you a starting point.
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Bit-depth is the number of binary digits used to store a value, such as a pixel’s color. Higher bit-depths offer greater accuracy. An 8-bit image can display 256 color values for red, green, and blue, equaling ~16.7 million colors. A 16-bit image raises that number to ~4.3 trillion colors. Some common bit depths in cinematography include 10 and 12-bit.
It determines the color range that a camera is capable of capturing. The higher the bit-depth of the file format, the more colors it’s able to capture and consequently, the larger the files. It’s one of the factors that influence gamut and color depth.
Video images are made up from pixels; the specific color of each pixel is a mix of different amounts of red, green and blue. Bit-depth refers to the number of bits of data used to record the color channels for each pixel.
For most situations, 8-bit video formats are preferred, since 10-bit or 12-bit video requires a lot of data storage and big, powerful computers to edit. However, higher rate formats prevent color banding in areas of gradation in tone, such as landscapes. It can also help when editing highlights or shadows in under- or over-exposed footage.