BMP vs EXR
A detailed comparison of BMP Image and OpenEXR Image — file size, quality, compatibility, and which format to choose for your workflow.
BMP Image
Raster & Vector ImagesBMP is an uncompressed raster image format native to Windows. Files are large but preserve exact pixel data with no compression artifacts. Rarely used on the web due to file size.
About BMP filesOpenEXR Image
Raster & Vector ImagesOpenEXR is a high dynamic range imaging format used in visual effects and film production.
About EXR filesStrengths Comparison
BMP Strengths
- Dead-simple format — trivially easy to read and write.
- Lossless and uncompressed — perfect bit-exact pixel storage.
- Universally supported in Windows applications since 1985.
- Supports 1, 4, 8, 16, 24, and 32-bit color depths.
EXR Strengths
- Genuine high-dynamic-range storage (32-bit float per channel).
- Multi-channel layers native — store an entire render pass in one file.
- Industry standard across every major VFX and animation studio.
- Deep samples enable modern compositing workflows.
- Open-source reference implementation with mature tooling.
Limitations
BMP Limitations
- Enormous file sizes — no meaningful compression in typical use.
- Not a web format — browsers support it but nobody serves BMPs over HTTP.
- No metadata support (no EXIF, no ICC profile in practice).
- Multiple header versions mean "a BMP" is ambiguous — parsers must handle several variants.
EXR Limitations
- Enormous file sizes.
- Not a web format — browsers don't display EXR.
- Decoding is CPU-intensive.
- Consumer apps rarely need HDR at this precision.
Technical Specifications
| Specification | BMP | EXR |
|---|---|---|
| MIME type | image/bmp | image/x-exr |
| Extensions | .bmp, .dib | — |
| Compression | None (typical); RLE 4/8 bit (rare) | ZIP, PIZ, PXR24, B44, DWAA, DWAB, RLE, None |
| Color depths | 1, 4, 8, 16, 24, 32 bits per pixel | — |
| Byte order | Little-endian | — |
| Extension | — | .exr |
| Bit depths | — | 16-bit half-float, 32-bit float, 32-bit uint |
| Max channels | — | Practically unlimited (arbitrary named layers) |
Typical File Sizes
BMP
- Small icon (32×32) 4 KB
- Screenshot (1920×1080) ~6 MB
- 4K image (3840×2160) ~25 MB
- Scanned A4 at 300 dpi ~25 MB
EXR
- 1080p half-float with alpha 15-25 MB
- 4K multichannel VFX render 200-500 MB
- 8K deep EXR (heavy comp) 1-4 GB per frame
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Frequently Asked Questions
BMP (Bitmap) is a raster image format developed by Microsoft for Windows. It stores images with no compression by default, resulting in large file sizes but pixel-perfect quality. It has been part of Windows since version 1.0.
BMP (Bitmap) is a raster image formato developed by Microsoft para Windows. It stores images com no compressão by default, resulting in large tamanho do arquivos mas pixel-perfect quality. It has been part of Windows since version 1.0.
BMP files open in Windows Paint, Photos, macOS Preview, GIMP, Photoshop, and virtually any image viewer. All Windows applications support BMP natively.
BMP arquivos abrir in Windows Paint, Photos, macOS Preview, GIMP, Photoshop, e virtually any image viewer. All Windows aplicativos support BMP natively.
PNG is better than BMP in almost every scenario since it provides lossless compression (smaller files), transparency support, and wider cross-platform use. BMP is mainly relevant for legacy Windows applications.
PNG is melhor que BMP in almost every scenario since it fornece sem perdas compressão (smaller files), transparência support, e wider cross-platform use. BMP is mainly relevant para legacy Windows aplicativos.