In this post, we will explain in detail What Is Resolution? What’s this for? And Is It Important?
Resolution can be defined as the maximum number of pixels that a display can display. 1920 pixels are located horizontally and 1080 pixels are located vertically in the conventional 1920×1080 resolution.
What is Resolution?
The number of pixels, or individual points of color, that may fit on a display screen or in a camera sensor, is referred to as resolution. Resolution, in real-world terms, refers to the sharpness or clarity of an image or picture. The amount of pixels that can be displayed both horizontally and vertically is how it is expressed.
To evaluate the visual quality of digital photographs, photos, and videos, resolution is a crucial aspect. A image with a greater resolution will have more pixels, which means it can display more visual data. A high-resolution image is consequently crisper and more distinct than a low-resolution one.
Resolution is often used to rate the visual quality of different pieces of hardware
- Computer displays
- laptop Displays
- Digital billboards
- TVs
- Mobile phones
- Printers
Another element affecting image quality is monitor size. When compared to an identical image on larger monitors with the same resolution, an image presented on a smaller panel will appear crisper. This occurs as a result of the pixels’ increased dispersion over a greater area of inches, which reduces their clarity and sharpness.
The image on a smaller screen will be clearer and more vivid since it has more pixels per inch (PPI) than a larger screen. This phenomena necessitates greater resolutions for larger screens in order to maintain image quality.
Resolution Expressed: Displays, Printers and Audio
The majority of displays and digital images express resolution as PPI, which stands for pixels per inch and refers to the number of pixels that may be shown on an inch of a screen or monitor.
Higher quality and clearer images are produced when the PPI is high, which indicates there are more pixels per inch. Low PPI produces fuzzy, grainy, or blocky images that are challenging to view and understand.
Dots per inch (DPI), which refers to the quantity of dots produced in the printer’s output, is typically used to describe resolution for printers. The higher the DPI and sharper the printed, the smaller and finer the dots.
Consumer-grade laser and inkjet printers have substantially lower DPIs than printers made for businesses. Due to the need for high-quality output, the former are inappropriate for printing some material, such as pictures.
Digital audio also makes use of the term resolution. It refers to the quantity of bits or bit depth in the digital audio recording or audio sample. A larger bit depth directly corresponds with the output quality, just like PPI and DPI do.
Types of Resolution
Resolution can be of two types:
Image Quality: The number of pixels per inch, or PPI, in an image is referred to as its resolution. Contrast this with picture dimension, which is calculated by counting the number of rows and columns of pixels an image has, for example, 640×480.
Display Resolution: How many pixels are present throughout a display or the full screen is expressed by its resolution. The greatest resolution of a given display will be determined by how well it can physically focus light. For instance, a 15-inch 640×480 monitor will have about 50 dots per inch of resolution. More PPI would be present on a smaller monitor.
Screen resolution, in general, refers to how many pixels a screen can display both horizontally and vertically. In other words, a screen with a 1920×1080 resolution, often known as full HD or 1080p, can display 1,920 pixels horizontally and 1,080 pixels vertically.
A display can handle a number of lower resolutions in addition to its highest resolution. For instance, a 1280×1023 display may also accommodate resolutions of 1024×768, 800×600, and 640×480.
While using the highest resolution on a larger monitor might produce a crisper image, it might not produce the same result on a smaller screen.
On screens set up with a higher resolution than what they were designed to support, icons and text may appear to be too small. On the other side, a low screen resolution typically yields images of poor quality.
A Connection Between Screen Size and Resolution
Screen resolution and screen size are occasionally used synonymously. They aren’t the same, though. Screen size relates to the actual dimensions of the screen, whereas screen resolution refers to the quantity and density of pixels. The latter is often measured diagonally, from one screen corner to the other, in inches.
Due to the possibility of varying physical dimensions between two displays with the same resolution, pixel density, measured in PPI, is a crucial consideration. The size of the screen and the number of available pixels have an impact on how clear an image is.
The resolutions of two monitors with the same screen size can vary similarly. A screen with more pixels and a higher PPI will have a higher resolution than a screen of the same size with fewer pixels.
If two screens have the same resolution but different sizes, the image quality will also be impacted. A crisper, more detailed image will appear on the smaller monitor with the same resolution since it has a higher PPI.
Screen Resolution & Screen Size
The display’s size in relation to its resolution, or pixel density, is another crucial factor to take into account. The image won’t seem the same on every screen because monitors of various sizes can have the same resolution.
For instance, a monitor with a 24-inch resolution of 1920 x 1080 has 91 PPI (Pixels Per Inch), while a monitor with a 27-inch resolution has 81 PPI.
So, on a 24-inch display, the 1080p image will appear more detailed and roomy due to the higher pixel density.
Displays with above 90 PPI typically have decent image quality, while anything less results in slightly pixely details and a little amount of screen space, which may be acceptable for gaming and other multimedia applications but isn’t the best for work or if you need particularly clear details and text.
Many people believe that the sweet spot for displays is around 110 PPI since it offers both crisp details and plenty of screen space without the need for scaling.
Even more screen space is available on panels with pixel densities higher than 110 PPI, although you may need to use scaling to make small text and icons readable.
Scaling up the text will make it look crisper, but you’ll lose part of the additional screen space.
Some applications also struggle with scaling; instead of using the scaling established by your OS settings, they use their own.
For instance, if you find that 150% scaling is perfect for your display’s pixel density, many applications may only offer a few scaling options (such 100% and 200%).
Therefore, if you’re purchasing a monitor with a high pixel density, make careful to examine how the scaling is handled by the applications you use. Fortunately, most recent apps won’t experience any problems.
TV Size/Viewing Distance
The distance you are seated from the TV in relation to its size is crucial for viewing the extra details of a higher resolution because TVs are larger than monitors and you watch them from a greater distance.
In light of the aforementioned diagram, if you own a 55-inch 4K TV, you will only be able to appreciate its advantages if you are seated 2.2 meters (7.2 feet) or closer to the screen.
A 55-inch 1080p TV would have a sufficient pixel density for your eyes to be unable to differentiate the individual pixels at a distance greater than that.
Of course, other factors like the panel, color gamut, contrast ratio, brightness, HDR capability, etc. also have an impact on the visual quality of TVs.
Common Resolutions & Abbreviations
- 1920×1080 – Full HD, 1080p
- 2560×1440 – WQHD, 1440p
- 2560×1080 – UWHD, 1080p ultrawide
- 3440×1440 – UWQHD, 1440p ultrawide
- 3840×1600 – UWQHD+
- 3840×1080 – DFHD, Dual Full HD
- 5120×1440 – DQHD, Dual Quad HD
- 3840×2160 – 4K, Ultra HD, 2160p
- 5120×2880 – 5K
- 7680×4320 – 8K
- 15360×8640 – 16K
Screen Resolution for Gaming
Make sure the resolution and refresh rate of any gaming monitor you consider are compatible with your PC.
For gaming at 1080p and 60 FPS with respectable settings, the most affordable CPU and GPU components are adequate.
You will need a more powerful system, though, if you wish to play at greater frame rates, resolutions, or even both.
We advise searching for benchmarks of the GPU or CPU you’re considering to determine whether it can deliver the frame rate and screen resolution you want.
How to Check The Screen Resolution?
Screen resolution can be checked in a variety of ways, depending on the device you’re using. Numerous additional devices, including smartphones, tablets, TVs, monitors, printers, and many others, need various methods of resolution testing. A thorough tutorial on how to verify resolution on various devices has been created!
So, What Is Resolution?
To evaluate the visual quality of digital photographs, photos, and videos, resolution is a crucial aspect. A image with a greater resolution will have more pixels, which means it can display more visual data. A high-resolution image is consequently crisper and more distinct than a low-resolution one.
