Which of the following is the smallest component of a digital image?

The smallest component of a digital image is a pixel. Pixels serve as the individual points of light or color that compose the whole image when viewed collectively. Each pixel represents a single point in the image and contains color information that can be mixed with surrounding pixels to create a full range of visual detail.

In digital imaging, an image is typically made up of a two-dimensional grid of pixels. Each pixel can be manipulated independently to change the color or brightness of the overall image. This granularity allows for complex images to be displayed and edited with precision.

Other components, such as frames, patches, and grids, serve different purposes in imaging. A frame usually refers to the entire image's outer bounds or the context in which the image is displayed. A patch might indicate a section of an image that has been highlighted or modified, while a grid is a structural arrangement used in various applications but does not represent the smallest definable unit of the image itself. Thus, pixels are fundamentally the basic building blocks of all digital images.