File Extension BMP

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BMP File Extension Description

The BMP file extension, at most times referred to as the bitmap, is a file format for images and is used for bitmap digital images storage, especially on Microsoft Windows and OS/2 operating systems. There are several graphical user interfaces that utilize the file extension BMP through their built-in graphic subsystems. For instance, the OS/2 and Windows operating systems have the GDI or Graphics Device Interface, where the specific file extension used is the OS/2 and Windows bitmap file format, normally suffixed with the file extension BMP.

Uncompressed files with the .bmp file extension, and other file formats for bitmap images, store image pixels within a color depth of 1, 4, 8, 16, 24, or 32 bits for each pixel. Those file with the .bmp file extension with images that have 8 bits and lower can be classified as either indexed color or grayscale.

In addition, files with the .bmp file extension that are uncompressed are generally larger than those that are compressed, through the use of several methods, even though they still carry the same images within them. However, due to the simplicity of the BMP file extension, it is the common file format that several image processing programs from several operating systems can read and write from.

Within files with the .bmp file extension, the bits that represent the bitmap pixels are filled in rows. A pixel in an image will normally take up no less than n/8 bytes, where n is the depth of the bit and 8 is for bits.

The file extension BMP was designed by Microsoft and the company has defined a specific representation of bitmap colors of varying color depths. This was developed to help in the exchange of files with the .bmp file extension between machines and programs that carry a variety of internal representations. Hence, these files are called device-independent bitmaps that still carry the BMP file extension.

A typical file with the .bmp file extension would have several components. These components that constitute a file with the .bmp file extension are: the BMP header, which stores the general information regarding the file; the Bitmap Information, which stores the detailed information about the image; the Color Palette, which storage the description of the colors that are used for indexed color bitmaps; and the Bitmap Data, which stores the real image.

• Properties:

• Common Path:
  N/A
• Associated Applications:
  Image Viewers, Image Processing Programs

Additional BMP File Info:

Microsoft , BMP File Created by: http://www.microsoft.com/

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