| Full Name | Bitmap Image File |
| Extension | BMP |
| Type | Image |
| Mime Type | image/bmp |
| Format | Binary |
A BMP file is an image file format created by Microsoft in the '80s for use with their Windows operating system. Due to its integral support within Windows and the prevalence of Windows-based computers over the years, the BMP format has become well supported by many image editing applications.
Uses
The BMP format is largely considered a legacy format at this point, with designers and digital artists preferring more modern formats such as PNG and JPG for storing and distributing their work.
| Full Name | Portable Network Graphics |
| Extension | PNG |
| Type | Image |
| Mime Type | image/png |
| Format | Binary |
A PNG file is a two-dimensional image file format often used to store high-quality logos, icons, and other imagery. PNG files first emerged in the early 1990s as an alternative to the GIF format, which was in widespread use at the time. PNG files have garnered support over the years to at least equal or surpass that of the GIF format. You will find all modern image editing or viewing applications will support PNG files.
Part of the success of the PNG format is its use of special compression techniques that allow a high-resolution image to be compressed into a very small file size. The compression used in the PNG format is lossless compression, ensuring no image detail is lost when an image is saved to the PNG format.
Uses
The PNG format is ideally suited for storing images that require no loss of detail or have transparent areas, such as company logos and computer graphics icons. It is not suited for storing general photos as, due to the nature of the compression, it will result in very large file sizes. Other formats, such as JPEG, use a lossy compression method, and this format is better suited to full-color photographic images.
