Bitmap image

A bitmap is an image file format that stores a digital image as an array of bits.

A bitmap is a type of memory organization or image file format used to store digital images. The term bitmap comes from the computer programming terminology, meaning just a map of bits, a spatially mapped array of bits.

Now, along with pixmap, it commonly refers to the similar concept of a spatially mapped array of pixels. Raster images in general may be referred to as bitmaps or pixmaps, whether synthetic or photographic, in files or memory. Many graphical user interfaces use bitmaps in their built-in graphics subsystems; for example, the

Microsoft Windows and OS/2 platforms' GDI subsystem, where the specific format used is the Windows and OS/2 bitmap file format, usually named with the file extension of .BMP (or .DIB for device-independent bitmap). Besides BMP, other file formats that store literal bitmaps include InterLeaved Bitmap (ILBM), Portable Bitmap (PBM), X Bitmap (XBM), and Wireless Application Protocol Bitmap (WBMP).

Similarly, most other image file formats, such as JPEG, TIFF, PNG, and GIF, also store bitmap images (as opposed to vector graphics), but they are not usually referred to as bitmaps, since they use compressed formats internally.

As a noun, the term "bitmap" is very often used to refer to a particular bitmapping application: the pix- map. Now along with pixmap, it commonly refers to the similar concept of a spatially mapped array of pixels. The term bitmap comes from the computer programming terminology, meaning just a map of bits, a spatially mapped array of bits.

Therefore, pixmap means that each pixel is addressable as a tuple or point in two-dimensional space, while bitmap implies an array of data without tuples (and should not be used to mean 'an image').

Raster images in general may be referred to as bitmaps or pixmaps, whether synthetic or photographic in files or memory. Many graphical user interfaces use bitmaps in their built-in graphics subsystems; for example: the Microsoft Windows and/2 platforms' GDI subsystem, where the specific format used is the Windows and OS/2 bitmap file format, usually named with the file extension of .BMP (or .DIB for device-independent bitmap).

Besides BMP, other file formats that store literal bitmaps include InterLeaved Bitmap (ILBM), Portable Bitmap (PBM), X Bitmap (XBM), and Wireless Application Protocol Bitmap (WBMP). Similarly, most other image file formats also store bitmaps. They are not usually referred to as "bitmaps", however.

Bitmaps are used by a variety of different people for a variety of different reasons. Bitmaps are often used in graphical user interfaces, as they provide a simple and efficient way to store and display images. Additionally, bitmaps are often used in computer programming to represent data structures.