ModelRefs / Visual Encoder — AI Glossary
Visual Encoder — AI Glossary
The image-processing component of a multimodal model that converts pixels into token-like embeddings for the language model.
Overview
Visual encoders are typically Vision Transformers (ViT) pretrained with CLIP or SigLIP. Images are divided into patches, each producing an embedding. A projection (MLP or Q-Former) maps visual embeddings to the LLM's input space. Image resolution and patch granularity trade off between detail and token count.
Reference details
| Topic | architecture |
|---|---|
| Also known as | image encoder, vision tower, ViT encoder |
| Last reviewed | 2026-06-24 |
Related terms
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Frequently asked questions
What is Visual Encoder?
The image-processing component of a multimodal model that converts pixels into token-like embeddings for the language model.
Is Visual Encoder the same as image encoder?
Yes — image encoder, vision tower, ViT encoder are common aliases for Visual Encoder.
What concepts are related to Visual Encoder?
Closely related concepts include multimodal architecture, cross attention, embedding.