ABSTRACT
A bitmap is a digitized image in which each dot is represented by a numeric value. Bitmap images are used in graphics programming at least as frequently as vector representation. The high resolution and extensive color range of current video display systems allows encoding bitmapped images with photo-realistic accuracy. The powerful storage and processing capabilities of the modern day PC make possible for software to rapidly and effectively manipulate and transform bitmaps. The two possible ways of representing images in a computer screen, or a digital graphics device, are based on vector and raster graphics technologies. An image of Leonardo’s Mona Lisa, or a photograph of the Crab nebulae, can hardly be vectorized. When geometrical elements are not present, or when the image is rich in minute details, vector representations cease to be practical. In these cases it is better to encode the image as a data structure containing all the individual picture elements.
