pixel picture element The image displayed on monitors or in a graphic produced by a scanner or paint program is made up lots of dots called pixels. Collectively, the number of pixels displayed is referred to as the image's resolution. A pixel on a monitor is a number of red, green, and blue phosphor dots. These dots are "excited" to varying degrees by the monitor's three electron guns, and the results mix additively to generate a specific color. By manipulating large numbers of pixels in precise ways, patterns emerge to make up an identifiable picture. See also: electron gun, resolution, texel