A system maintains data from different resolution levels of an image in textures of a graphics processing unit (GPU). Image data is organized into multiple resolution layers of an image. Data from the lower resolution level(s) is used to process an image while higher resolution data is loaded. In one embodiment, a first resolution representation of the image having a lowest resolution level using data resident in the GPU memory is drawn prior to drawing a portion of a second resolution representation having a higher resolution level using data resident in the GPU memory.