Image Pixel
(0028,0004)
Photometric Interpretation
Keyword: PhotometricInterpretation
Specifies the intended interpretation of the pixel data.
Tag Attributes
- Tag ID
- (0028,0004)
- Compact
- 00280004
- Keyword
- PhotometricInterpretation
- VR
- CS — Code String
- VM
- 1
- Retired
- No
Module(s)
Image Pixel Module
Engineering Notes
Critical for correct display. Determines whether pixel values represent optical density, luminance, colour, etc. MONOCHROME2 is standard for CT/MR; PALETTE COLOR for some NM images.
Troubleshooting
Inverted images (bones dark, air white in CT) are caused by MONOCHROME1 where MONOCHROME2 is expected or vice versa. Confirm the modality conformance statement.
Common Values
| Value | Meaning |
|---|---|
| MONOCHROME1 | Minimum value is intended to be white |
| MONOCHROME2 | Minimum value is intended to be black (standard for CT/MR) |
| RGB | Colour — 3 samples R, G, B |
| YBR_FULL | Colour — YCbCr full range |
| YBR_FULL_422 | Colour — YCbCr 4:2:2 subsampled (JPEG) |
| PALETTE COLOR | Single sample with colour lookup table |