People encounter and use different image formats during their lifetime, including BMP and SVG. However, choosing the best file type necessitates a comprehensive understanding of the SVG and BMP formats' features or built-in capabilities and area of application.
In this article, we compare the features of BMP vs. SVG: structure, web performance, compression method, file size, web browser support, transparency support, image quality, animation, and storage needs.
When is SVG better than BMP?
SVG images are smaller, highly web-responsive, and consume fewer bytes when loading or downloading on websites, while BMP images are larger, less web-responsive, and use more bytes during online transmission.
SVG is ideal for designing and displaying simple illustrations, 2D graphics, and charts and creating dynamic and interactive application icons and charts that update promptly. The benefits of SVG files include smaller files, support for interactive elements such as hyperlinks and animations, and scalability.
When is BMP better than SVG?
BMP images have the advantage of supporting additional color profiles and higher bit depths, resulting in high-quality images, while SVG images are resolution-independent and can be scaled without losing quality.
The BMP file type is ideal for displaying and storing icons, logos, illustrations, and photographs and for creating engaging multimedia content, online advertisements, compelling social media posts, and medical imaging.
BMP versus SVG Comparison Table
| Variable/Factor | BMP | SVG |
| Transparency | Does not support transparency. | Supports transparency |
| File Size | Larger files compared to SVG files. | Smaller files compared to BMP files |
| Image Quality | Higher quality images than SVG images. | Slightly low-quality images than BMP images. |
| Performance | Loads or downloads are slower online than SVG. | Loads or downloads faster on websites than BMP. |
| Structure | Raster-based with file header, data header, pixel information or data, and a color table. | Vector-based with XML markup language and codes that specify texts, colors, paths, and shapes. |
| Animation | Does not support animation. | Supports animations. |
| Storage | Requires more storage space compared to SVG. | Requires less storage space than BMP. |
| Compression | Supports lossless compression with RLE. | Supports lossless compression with gzip algorithms. |
| Browser Support | Wider web browser support. | Wider web browser support. |
Differences and similarities between SVG and BMP images
From the BMP versus SVG comparison table, it can be observed that the formats support lossless compression and wider browser support but differ in performance, structure, storage needs, image quality, file size, transparency, and animation support.
Transparency
SVG supports transparency, while BMP does not. BMP file extensions lack advanced features or layers that enable transparency. In contrast, SVG files have the 'Default' transparent setting with extra features that indicate their definite functions. The format uses the HML language or codes that are integrally transparent. Its support for transparency allows users to produce transparent images that are easily embedded in other web elements.
File Size
BMP files are generally larger than SVG files because the BMP format stores detailed, uncompressed data, which increases their overall size. BMP files can have a maximum dimension of 32,767×32,767 pixels, and their file size can be huge due to the uncompressed nature of the format. In contrast, SVG files use mathematical equations to represent images, resulting in much smaller file sizes, especially for images with simple shapes and lines.
Image Quality
BMP and SVG are high-quality and high-resolution formats, although BMP supports more color profiles, making its images sharp and visually appealing than SVG. BMP supports 1-bit monochrome, 4-bit, 8-bit, 16-bit, and 24-bit true color per channel images. SVG is not bitmapped but supports high-quality images. BMP supports ICC, RGB, and monochrome color spaces, producing high-quality images.
In contrast, the XML code in SVG files specifies all texts and color profiles and stores scalable resolution-independent digital data. An embedded SVG file supports 16.7M colors, but it defines and uses only 147 colors.
Performance
BMP files are larger than SV files. BMP's larger files necessitate more bytes, incur additional costs, and load or download slowly on websites compared to SVG files. SVG image files have smaller bandwidths, and their sizes reduce web loading time, making them very efficient for transmission.
BMP files are unsuitable for bigger projects with limited storage spaces. They are less web-responsive, minimize online user experiences, and have lower search engine optimization than SVG files.
Structure
BMP is a bitmapped file type, while SVG is a vector-based format. The structural variations are appealing to compare. BMP stores bitmap digital images individually depending on the presentation devices, such as graphics adapters. The files start with a header, data header, color table, and pixel data.
The BMP header has file type, size, and the Device-free bitmap file layout, whereas the data header denotes the file's color format, compression method, and dimensions. The color table has bitmap features, including color profiles, but pixel data describes the bit depths and bytes described using endless scan lines and rows.
On the other hand, the SVG file extension stores files based on mathematical formulas, which support and define images on grid points, curves, shapes, and lines. It uses XML markup language or code to define and specify vector-based graphics like texts, shapes, colors, and paths and stores and transmits digital data.
The XML code can be easily embedded directly into HTML documents or XML texts or inserted and saved to the SVG file. Scripting languages like JavaScript and CSS interactively manipulate or animate every feature and element within the SVG file.
Animation
SVG file extensions support animations and lively content, while BMP extensions do not. However, BMP’s digital bitmap images can be edited and manipulated to support animations in other file formats. The format’s pixels have detailed color values used to create lively content.
Graphic designers and web developers use JavaScript to handle SVG files to create interactive images and animations. The format has a markup that enables and displays animations on websites. The feature can be accessed in JavaScript and used to support animation modules using scripting or CSS.
Storage
BMP and SVG files retain all file details with lossless compression. The BMP image format can store raw data as 2D digital images in monochrome and other color formats with different color depths than SVG. Thus, BMP files are larger and require more memory or storage space compared to SVG files.
Both file formats can be stored indefinitely in Content Delivery Networks, File Systems, Base64 Encoding, Cloud, Hard Drives, and Floppy Drives. However, the storage periods depend on the storage conditions, handling procedures, and mediums.
Compression
Although SVG and BMP formats can support lossless compression, they differ in the algorithms used. Lossless BMP uses the run-length encoding (RLE) algorithm to compress 4-bit and 8-bit bitmaps, ensuring that file information and details are preserved. BMP compression can be either encoded or absolute. For encoded compression, the initial byte specifies the number of subsequent pixels to be drawn using the color index provided in the second byte. In absolute mode, the initial byte is zero, and the subsequent byte must be between 03H and FFH, indicating the number of literal pixels that follow.
Conversely, SVG images can be compressed using the gzip algorithm, reducing the file size by 20-50% compared to the original file. SVG and BMP compression algorithms aim to preserve all image information, resulting in higher-quality files. However, BMP files tend to be larger due to their uncompressed nature or minimal compression.
Browser Support
SVG and BMP formats are widely compatible and supported by almost all web browsers, such as Vivaldi, Brave, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Discord, Samsung Internet, and Safari. SVG files are also supported by all versions of Internet Explorer except IE 8, while BMP is only incompatible with Internet Explorer 6.
Whereas Internet Explorer 6 is incompatible with or does not support BMP files and images, additional file extensions or plug-ins enhance its features, making it compatible with IE web browsers.
Convert SVG to BMP or BMP to SVG
Convert SVG to BMP easily using a modern and efficient online file converter called convertjack. BMP images are info-rich and precise, and they retain all image data during lossless compression, increasing universal adoption in medical imaging and online advertisement.
Convertjack is the finest and most uncomplicated online BMP to SVG converter. SVG files are data-rich, web-responsive, high-quality, and simple to manipulate. They allow for downward and upward scaling without losing image resolution levels.