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What Are Video Bits?
Kamera Express
The bit depth of video
The ability of a camera to create a smooth transition in colours and tones is an important factor when creating beautiful videos. The range of available colours that the camera can capture is expressed in bits. Below we will tell you everything you need to know about bits.
8-bit, 10-bit, 12-bit video. What does it actually mean?
The term bits comes down to the number of colours and tones that can be stored in an image.The term bits comes down to the number of colours and tones that can be stored in an image. The bit depth is written in binary digits (bits) and can be 0 or 1. Video images consist of multiple pixels and the colour of a specific pixel is determined by a certain mix of the colours red, green and blue (RGB). The bit depth in this context refers to the number of bits (zeros and ones) used for the colour of each pixel and therefore determines how many different levels of brightness are available in RGB.
What is the difference between 8-bit, 10-bit and 12-bit video?
With more bits, there is more data in each pixel. Below we will explain it to you per bit depth.
8-bit
With 8-bit video, there are 8 bits of data storage possible for each colour channel (RGB), allowing for a variation of 256 shades per colour channel. The combination of 256 shades of red, green and blue means that there are 16,777,216 (256 x 256 x 256) different colours per pixel possible in an 8-bit video.
10-bit
With 8-bit video, there are 8 bits of data storage possible for each colour channel (RGB), allowing for a variation of 256 shades per colour channel. The combination of 256 shades of red, green and blue means that there are 16,777,216 (256 x 256 x 256) different colours per pixel possible in an 8-bit video.
12-bit
With 12-bit video, there are 12 bits of data storage possible for each colour channel (RGB), allowing for a variation of 4,096 shades per colour channel. The combination of 4,096 shades of red, green and blue means that there are more than 68 billion different colours per pixel possible in a 12-bit video.
Does this difference matter much?
Many screens can only display up to 8-bit video. This results in no visible difference between 8-bit and 10-bit. But what is the benefit of 10-bit video (or more)? With a higher bit depth you have more data in your footage, which also gives you more control during post-processing. You can make more aggressive adjustments to the brightness, contrast and colour in your footage without losing quality. In 8-bit video, after certain adjustments you will start to see 'banding', these are colour lines that should blend into each other. Whereas these lines do blend smoothly in 10-bit footage.
Chroma subsampling
Bit depth is often followed by a series of numbers. But what does 4:2:2, 4:2:0 or 4:4:4 tell you about your image quality? This series of numbers indicates how much colour information is available in a pixel and is read as follows: With a subsampling of 4:2:0, for every 2 rows of 4 pixels, colour is sampled from only 2 pixels in the top row and zero pixels in the bottom row. When your camera supports 4:2:2, the colour resolution is doubled by adding colour from 2 pixels on the second row. Logically, with 4:4:4 you get the best quality. This involves no subsampling, which means that every pixel has its own colour information. The difference cannot be seen directly through the camera. But it is important in post-production. When you have been working with a green screen, for example, the difference between 4:2:0 and 4:2:2 can make the difference between a smooth transition from background to subject or a jagged outline around the subject.
Which bit depth is the right one for you?
That depends entirely on what you are recording your video for and where it will be played back. If your videos are intended for the internet, for example, little will be visible of your 10-bit video recordings. Services such as YouTube and Vimeo compress video to 8-bit. However, if your footage is intended for a different platform, you could opt for a higher bit depth.
