So now if you see the hex value 0xff then you know that the binary representation is 11111111 or 255 (15 * 16 + 15 or 16^2 - 1).
If the left-hand operand of a shift operator, <<, >> and >>>, is of type int, then the shift distance is always within the range of 0 to 31, inclusive; and is specified by the least significant 5 bits of the right hand operand. Similarly, if the left-hand operand of a shift operator is of type long, then the shift distance is always within the range of 0 to 63, inclusive; and is specified by the least significant 6 bits of the right hand operand. The left shift operator, <<, shifts each bit of the left operand to the left a distance specified by the shift distance. A number of bits that is equal to the shift distance are shifted out of the left-most bit position and are lost. A number of bits that is equal to the shift distance are shifted in at the right. The signed right shift operator, >>, shifts each bit of the left operand to the right a distance specified by the shift distance. A number of bits that is equal to the shift distance are shifted out of the right-most bit position and are lost. A number of bits that is equal to the shift distance are shifted in at the left. The value of each bit that is shifted in at the left is equal to the value of the sign bit. The signed right shift operator maintains the sign of the left operand. The unsigned right shift operator, >>>, is similar to the signed right shift operator except for the fact that each bit shifted in at the left is zero.