Final answer:
The number of bits of data describing each pixel is referred to as color depth. It determines the range of colors and shades that can be displayed on a digital image.
Step-by-step explanation:
The number of bits of data describing each pixel is referred to as color depth. Color depth is a measure of the number of colors that can be represented by each pixel. It determines the range of colors and shades that can be displayed on a digital image.
For example, an image with a color depth of 8 bits can represent 256 different colors, while an image with a color depth of 24 bits can represent over 16 million colors. Higher color depth results in more realistic and vibrant images.