What term describes the effect caused by extreme overexposure in a digital image?

Saturation refers to a phenomenon in digital imaging where areas of an image become excessively bright or lose detail due to overexposure. When an image is overexposed, it means that too much light has reached the sensor, leading to a loss of color detail in those bright areas. As a result, those highlights may not display any color variation and appear as a pure white or very bright area, effectively drowning out any information that should be present. This loss of detail characterizes saturation in images and is a critical concern when capturing high-dynamic-range scenes.

In contrast, the other terms describe different aspects of image quality or issues. Contrast refers to the difference between light and dark areas in an image, noise represents random variations in brightness or color, which can degrade image quality, and artifacts are unwanted alterations or distortions that can occur during the image capture or processing stages. Understanding saturation is essential for those working with digital imaging, as it helps maintain the integrity and detail of the captured images.