Alpha Blending



See Microsoft's Image Composer for more info on these images




Alpha blending simulates the opacity
of celluloid layers


General rules:
  • Adds one channel to each pixel [a, r, g, b]
  • Usually process layers back-to-front (using the over operator)
  • 255 or 1.0 indicates an opaque pixel
  • 0 indicates a transparent pixel
  • Result is a function of foregrond and background pixel colors
  • Can simulate partial-pixel coverage for anti-aliasing
Lecture 4   Slide 2   6.837 Fall '00