A format that encodes each colour (and alpha) channel, one after the other, for every pixel. In contrast to planar image formats which encode an entire image using one colour at a time, interleaved image formats alternate through each channel, encoding data for all channels simultaneously within each pixel. For example, an interleaved image would encode an image in a RGBRGBRGB fashion, whereas a planar image would encode the same image as RRRGGGBBB.