Lesson 2 of 4 · 2 min
Visual elements
Bands, gradients, trade bubbles and the price line — what each part of a heatmap shows.
Elements
- Colour bands — horizontal lines of colour where size rested at a price for a period. Brighter or warmer usually means larger.
- Gradient scale — the colour mapping is relative, often scaled to recent visible size. Changing the scale changes what looks "big".
- Price line — the best bid/ask or last price moving through the book.
- Trade bubbles — executed volume, often sized by quantity and coloured by aggressor side.
- Volume dots or bars — some platforms add volume-at-price or cumulative volume.
Settings matter
Contrast and scaling settings can make an ordinary resting order look like a wall. Learn your platform's default scaling before reading anything into colour.
Trading implication
Read relative changes: a band that brightens as price approaches, or one that fades just before price arrives.
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