Skip to content

Bayer CFA

Definition

A colour filter array arranged in a repeating 2×2 mosaic of red, green (×2), and blue filters over the sensor. Each photosite records only one colour; demosaicing estimates the other two, producing the first forensic signature of the camera.

Related terms

Colour space
A defined mapping between numerical RGB values and real-world colours. sRGB is the web default with a smaller gamut; Adobe RGB covers...
Demosaicing
The interpolation step that reconstructs all three colour channels at every pixel from the single-channel Bayer mosaic. The algorithm used is camera-specific...
Fixed-pattern noise (FPN)
Any repeatable, spatially correlated noise in an image sensor, as opposed to random shot noise. PRNU and DCNU are both forms of...
JPEG compression
A lossy codec that divides an image into 8×8 pixel blocks, applies the discrete cosine transform, quantises the coefficients, and entropy-codes the...
RAW format
A camera capture format that records unprocessed sensor data, preserving all original exposure and colour information. RAW files are preferred over JPEG...

Explained in

Your journey to becoming a forensic professional starts here.

Practice with mock tests, learn from structured notes, and get your questions answered by a global forensic community, all in one place.