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# Magick::PixelPacket Structure

The PixelPacket structure is used to represent DirectClass pixels in GraphicsMagick. GraphicsMagick may be compiled to support 32, 64, or even 128 bit pixels. The size of PixelPacket is controlled by the value of the QuantumDepth define. The default build depth is 32 bit pixels, which provides minumum ("web standard") accuracy, least memory consumption, and best performance. If deeper images need to be supported or more mathematical accuracy is desired, then GraphicsMagick may be compiled with QuantumDepth=16 or QuantumDepth=32.

The following table shows the relationship between QuantumDepth, the type of Quantum, and the overall PixelPacket size:

Effect Of QuantumDepth Values
QuantumDepth | Quantum Type | PixelPacket Size
--- | --- | ---
8 | unsigned char | 32 bits
16 | unsigned short | 64 bits
32 | unsigned int | 128 bits

The members of the PixelPacket structure, and their interpretation, are shown in the following table:

PixelPacket Structure Members
Member | Type | Interpretation
--- | --- | ---
|  | RGBColorspace | RGBColorspace + matte | CMYKColorspace
red | Quantum | Red | Red | Cyan
green | Quantum | Green | Green | Magenta
blue | Quantum | Blue | Blue | Yellow
opacity | Quantum | Ignored | Opacity | Black

Note that opacity is stored inverted from most other software (i.e. maximum value is completely transparent and minum value is totally opaque).

Note that for CMYKColorspace + matte (CMYKA), the opacity is stored in the assocated IndexPacket.

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