Indexed color

Indexed color is kind of like a box of crayons. You only have a certain number of crayons to use, and each one has a specific color.

In the world of computers, indexed color means that an image can only use a certain number of colors, like that box of crayons. Each color in the image is assigned a number, called an "index."

So, imagine you have a drawing of a flower and you can only use 16 colors to color it in. Each color you choose would be given an index number, like 1 is pink, 2 is red, 3 is yellow, and so on.

The advantage of indexed color is that it uses less memory on your computer because it doesn't have to remember as many colors. It also loads faster because the computer doesn't have to figure out what colors to use each time it opens the image.

However, the downside is that images with indexed colors may not look as detailed or realistic as those with more colors. For example, if you want to color a sunset with only 16 colors, it may not look as beautiful or realistic as it would with more colors to choose from.