Editing BMP file format (section)

{{Short description|Windows Bitmap image file format family}}
{{About|the file format|the data structure/type of image|Bitmap graphics}}{{Infobox file format
| name         = Windows Bitmap
| extension    = <code>.bmp</code>, <code>.dib</code>
| mime         = <code>image/bmp</code><ref>{{cite IETF|rfc=7903|title=Windows Image Media Types|section=5|sectionname=IANA Considerations}}</ref><br /><code>image/x-bmp</code>
| _nomimecode  = y
| type code    = <code>'BMP '</code><br /><code>'BMPf'</code><br /><code>'BMPp'</code>
| uniform type = com.microsoft.bmp
| genre        = [[Raster graphics]]
| open         = [[Microsoft Open Specification Promise|OSP]] for [[Windows Metafile|WMF]]
| developer    = [[Microsoft Corporation]]
}}
The '''BMP file format''', or '''bitmap''', is a [[raster graphics]] [[image file format]] used to store [[bitmap]] [[digital image]]s, independently of the [[display device]] (such as a [[graphics adapter]]), especially on [[Microsoft Windows]]<ref name="bmp">{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Graphics File Formats|edition=Second|date=April 1996|author=James D. Murray|author2=William vanRyper|isbn=1-56592-161-5|publisher=[[O'Reilly Media|O'Reilly]]|at=[https://archive.org/details/mac_Graphics_File_Formats_Second_Edition_1996/page/ bmp]|url=https://archive.org/details/mac_Graphics_File_Formats_Second_Edition_1996/page/|access-date=2014-03-07}}</ref> and [[OS/2]]<ref name="os2bmp" /> operating systems.

The BMP file format is capable of storing [[2D computer graphics|two-dimensional]] digital images in various [[color depth]]s, and optionally with [[data compression]], [[alpha compositing|alpha channel]]s, and [[color management|color profiles]]. The [[Windows Metafile]] (WMF) specification covers the BMP file format.<ref name="v11">{{cite web|url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc250370.aspx|title=<nowiki>[MS-WMF]:</nowiki> Windows Metafile Format|publisher=[[MSDN]]|date=2014-02-13|access-date=2014-03-12}}</ref>