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.bmpimage

BMP

Bitmap Image File

MIME type: image/bmp

BMP is an uncompressed raster image format native to Windows. It stores pixel data directly, resulting in large files but zero quality loss and fast rendering.

Advantages

  • +Zero compression artifacts
  • +Fast to render (no decompression)
  • +Simple format, easy to parse
  • +Native Windows support

Limitations

  • -Extremely large file sizes
  • -No transparency support
  • -No web browser optimization
  • -Obsolete for most modern use cases

Common Use Cases

Windows system graphicsLegacy application supportSimple image processing pipelines

Technical Details

BMP files store pixel data in rows (bottom-up by default) with optional RLE compression. The header contains image dimensions, bit depth (1, 4, 8, 16, 24, or 32 bits), and color table.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a BMP file?

BMP is an uncompressed image format native to Windows. It produces large files because it stores every pixel's color data without any compression.

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