The BitMap Format Description Bitmaps are the simplest form of raster image available and many variations of the Bitmap exist. They typically consist of a header specifying height and width for the image followed by a long string of binary encodednumbers, each of which represent a col orfor an individual pixel.
Bitmaps can come ina number of color depths.
These can range from 2 colors to millions. As the color depth increases, so too does the size of the bitmap, even though the dimensions of the picture do not change. Typical file extensions for BMPs are .bmp. It is hard to point out any benefit in using a bitmap image except that you can determine the range of colors used and retain all of the original image quality. Small bitmaps are used for icons and images that need to be loaded quickly.