In packed pixel or chunky framebuffer

Framebuffer

A framebuffer is a video output device that drives a video display from a memory buffer containing a complete frame of data.The information in the memory buffer typically consists of color values for every pixel on the screen...

 organization, the bits defining each pixel

Pixel

In digital imaging, a pixel, or pel, is a single point in a raster image, or the smallest addressable screen element in a display device; it is the smallest unit of picture that can be represented or controlled....

 are grouped together. For example, if there are 16 bits per pixel, each pixel is represented in two consecutive (contiguous) 8-bit bytes in the framebuffer (a.k.a. screen buffer

Screen buffer

In computing, screen buffer is a part of computer memory used by a computer application for the representation of the content to be shown on the computer display....

). If there are 4 bits per pixel (16 colors), each frame buffer byte defines two pixels, one in each nibble

Nibble

In computing, a nibble is a four-bit aggregation, or half an octet...

. The latter example is as opposed to storing perhaps half of the bits—2 bits—for each of four pixels in one byte and the other two bits for each of those four pixels in another byte or bytes. It is also as opposed to interleaving the bits of the two pixels within the byte. As this illustrates, packed pixel organization can be directly contrasted with planar organization.

See also

• Highcolor
• Planar (computer graphics)
• Truecolor