A pixel map is a computer art consisting of a map rendered using pixels. It was once used due to technology limitations, but now it has become a style of its own. It can be purchased from art dealers and is favored by video game enthusiasts. It is usually created in black and white and is more for decoration than utility.
A pixel map is a work of computer art consisting of a map of a region or the entire world rendered using pixels. A pixel, or image element, is the smallest or most basic component of a raster image. Raster images use small dots, squares, lines, or other shapes to create a larger image. Such images may appear to be one smooth image, but when viewed through magnification they reveal hundreds or thousands of tiny pixels of individual color that make up the entire image.
This type of pixelated image was often seen when the technology was unable to produce a uniform image economically. Since many inexpensive printers are now capable of creating a smooth image with nearly imperceptible pixels, using pixels to create artwork has become a style of its own. Any work that shows a map that appears blocky or made up of smaller dots or squares is likely to be considered a pixel map.
This type of pixel map can often be purchased from art dealers or novelty art stores. Similar to the pop art of artists such as Andy Warhol, such pieces are believed to reflect a certain era or time through artistic representation. The pixel map represents the visualization of earlier technology that couldn’t easily create the smooth artwork you find today.
Such pixelated representations may find favor with video game enthusiasts who fondly remember the pixelated games of their youth. Likewise, anyone who worked with computers or created early computer art such as clip art can also find a fond connection with such pieces of pixel art. A pixel map is easy enough to make with any decent raster imaging software, and while it can be rendered in any color an artist desires, it is usually created in black and white. This adherence to grayscale also emulates the monochromatic simplicity of previous computer systems.
This type of digital map won’t be a particularly useful map for looking at places in the world; it is usually preferred for decoration rather than utility. A decent pixel map, however, will be one that accurately scales and illustrates the world, and could easily allow a traveler to pinpoint where he’s been with pins or notes. Such a simplified map may, in fact, make it easier for someone to show where they’ve been because it emphasizes the places they’ve visited on the terrain of the world.
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