Bitmap, also known as a raster image, is a data structure used to represent a rectangular grid of pixels, each bearing color and/or intensity information.
Here’s an overview:
- Pixel Grid: Bitmap images are made of pixels arranged in a grid, where each pixel is the smallest addressable unit.
- Color Depth: Each pixel in a bitmap image has a color value which can vary in bit depth, commonly 1-bit (monochrome), 8-bit (256 colors), 16-bit (65,536 colors), or 24-bit (16.7 million colors) and beyond.
- File Formats: Common bitmap file formats include BMP, JPEG, GIF, and PNG, each with its own advantages in terms of quality, file size, and support for transparency.
- Resolution: Bitmap images have a fixed resolution, usually described in pixels per inch (PPI) or dots per inch (DPI), which affects their clarity and detail.
- Scaling Limitations: Bitmap images can become pixelated or blurry when scaled up or down because the pixel grid either has to be expanded or compressed.
- Memory Usage: Bitmap images can consume a lot of memory, especially at high resolutions and color depths, as each pixel’s data is stored individually.
- Usage: They are used extensively in digital photography, web images, icons, and many other applications where images are manipulated or displayed.
- Editing: Bitmap images can be edited using graphic editing software, allowing for a wide range of manipulations including color correction, cropping, and filtering.
- Compression: Bitmap images can be compressed to reduce file size, though this can also result in a loss of image quality, especially in lossy compression formats like JPEG.
- Comparison with Vector Graphics: Unlike vector graphics, which represent images using mathematical expressions and can be scaled indefinitely without loss of quality, bitmap images have a fixed resolution and exhibit quality loss when scaled.
Bitmaps are a fundamental concept in digital imaging, providing a flexible way to represent images digitally, albeit with some limitations especially regarding scaling and file size.
Bitmap refers to a type of digital image that is made up of pixels arranged in a grid. Each pixel has a specific position and color value, and together they form a complete image. Bitmap images are often saved in formats such as BMP, JPEG, GIF, or PNG. They are also known as raster images. The quality of a bitmap image is determined by its resolution, which is measured in pixels per inch (PPI) or dots per inch (DPI). Bitmap images can become pixelated or blurry when enlarged, as each pixel’s size increases.