Graphics Mode

Graphics Mode, on computers such as the IBM PC, the display mode in which lines and characters on the screen are drawn pixel by pixel. Because graphics mode creates images from individual dots on the screen, programs have more flexibility in creating images than they do in the opposite display mode, text (or character) mode. Thus, the computer is able to display a mouse pointer as an arrowhead or other shape rather than as a blinking square or rectangle, and it can display character attributes, such as boldface and italics, as they will appear in print rather than using conventions such as highlighting, underlining, or alternate colors. See also Text Mode.

In relation to video hardware, graphics mode can also refer to the resolution of the image together with the number of colors a particular video system can display. For example, on the IBM PC, a Color/Graphics Adapter can display 4 colors at a resolution of 320 by 200 pixels, and an Enhanced Graphics Adapter can display 16 colors at a resolution of 640 by 350 pixels. Both of these (and other combinations of colors and resolutions displayed by these and other adapters) are considered different graphics modes. See also High Resolution; Low Resolution.