BMP and WEBP are versatile formats with unique attributes spanning small file sizes, high-quality, efficient compression methods, animation, and transparency support. All these factors contribute to enhanced user experience and improved web performance.
This article comprehensively discusses the differences and similarities between BMP and WEBP regarding transparency, storage, compression technique, browser support, animation, file size, and image quality.
When is WEBP better than BMP?
WEBP images use efficient lossy and lossless compression, while BMP images are uncompressed. Thus, WEBP images are significantly smaller than BMP images, making them a versatile file format for web imagery and optimized web performance.
The WEBP file extension is smaller and supports animation and transparency, giving it a comparative advantage over information-rich and larger BMP files that do not support either animation or transparency. This makes it a flexible file format for creating top-notch web content, including lively and thrilling images.
When is BMP better than WEBP?
BMP stores uncompressed raw image data and is information-rich, resulting in detailed and high-quality images, while lossy-WEBP images are blurry with recurring compression. Hence, BMP files are suitable for medical imaging, graphics, and design because they preserve, store, and display raw, editable, and high-quality image data.
The advantages of BMP images include uncompressed raw image data, which is information-rich and supports RGB and ICC color profiles; compared to compressed WEBP files, these files preserve all image information.
BMP versus WEBP Table Comparison
Variable/Factor | BMP | WEBP |
Transparency | No inherent support for transparency | Supports for alpha channel transparency |
File Size | Uncompressed larger files | Relatively smaller files |
Image Quality | Information-rich and very high-quality images | High-quality images but encounter compression artifacts |
Performance | Uncompressed/larger files increase image loading times. | Smaller files increase and reduce image loading times. |
Structure | A raster graphics file format comprising a header, information header, color table, and pixel data. | A raster graphics file format whose structure comprises blocks predicted using basic modes, namely TrueMotion, DC, vertical, and horizontal. |
Animation | Does not support animation. | Supports animation and animated content |
Storage | Store uncompressed/large data; more storage space; uses DBI, 2D, HDD, cloud, file systems, and CDN storage mediums; stored data can last forever. | Store compressed image data; have less storage space; use CDN, Base64 coding, cloud, HDD, and file system storage mediums; store files indefinitely. |
Compression | Uncompressed; can use lossless compression with Run-Length Encoding algorithm; image quality preserved; larger files. | Compress images; use lossless and lossy compression with predictive coding (VP8/VP8L): smaller files, high quality, compression artifacts. |
Browser Support | Widely supported and compatible with most platforms and browsers: Discord, IE, Opera, Edge, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Vivaldi. | Supported by top browsers and platforms: Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Opera. Incompatible with Internet Explorer. |
Differences and similarities between WEBP and BMP images
BMP and WEBP formats are similar in lossless compression, browser support, image quality, and metadata. However, notable differences between these two file formats are animation and transparency support, file size, lossy compression, web performance, structure, and storage.
Transparency
WEBP images support alpha channel transparency, making them suitable for web imageries, including graphics, photos, and logos that require transparent backgrounds. WEBP supports multi-sample pixels by enabling the encryption of files with an alpha channel that primarily permits transparent data.
The alpha channel acts as a further sample in the WEBP file linked to every pixel, which indicates the file's transparency level. Conversely, BMP files or images support alpha channels without transparent image backgrounds.
The BMP file format lacks advanced features or support layers that enable transparent backgrounds. Nevertheless, it supports more color spaces and alpha channels.
Both file formats produce stunning, sharp-edged graphics. However, WEBP's support for alpha transparency permits diverse and detailed transparency levels, giving it an edge over BMP files on transparency matters.
File Size
Both BMP and WEBP have trade-offs regarding image quality and file sizes. The lossless-WEBP files are smaller than lossless-BMP files. Besides, lossy-WEBP significantly reduces WEBP image sizes compared to BMP, but with unnecessary data being deleted.
BMP files or images can be uncompressed or may use lossless compression, making it an information-rich file format with larger file sizes than WEBP files. BMP files have large, raw, high-quality images, making them suitable for editing, which is impossible with WEBP.
Choose BMP when quality is paramount and the image size is not a concern. However, WEBP is the best option for smaller, higher-quality images that improve user experience and web performance.
Image Quality
Both BMP and WEBP preserve image details and data under lossless compression. The file formats produce high-quality images, although uncompressed BMP is more information-rich and detailed than compressed WEBP.
BMP comprises uncompressed data, making it ideal for storing and displaying high-quality images. The file format supports multiple color depths, from ICC profile, RGB, or simple 1-bit monochrome images to 24-bit true color images. However, its color channels must be revised to what the WEBP file format offers.
WEBP images are of high quality. The file format supports a bit depth of 24-bit RGB color with an 8-bit alpha channel. It uses 8 bits for each of three RGB color channels and supports RBG, RGBA, and YUV pixels.
WEBP's broad color support makes its images superior to BMP images. While both file formats offer high-quality images, WEBP images are stunning and sharp-edged compared to BMP images.
Performance
BMP stores uncompressed data, making its files larger than WEBP files. Larger files slow down website loading time. WEBP uses predictive algorithms or VP8 or VP8L compression techniques to compress graphics and images while efficiently maintaining their high-quality structures.
Lossless and lossy-WEBP images’ compact sizes save bandwidth, improve webpage loading speed, and provide a pleasant user experience compared to BMP files. WEBP files are smaller than BMP files, hence improving web performance.
On the other hand, BMP’s uncompressed data and lossless compression ensure that it is information-rich and that all its images offer high-quality visuals comparable to lossless WEBP. While BMP provides visually stunning images comparable to WEBP, its images are larger, increasing website loading time and more storage space.
However, BMP provides editable, high-quality images, performing less efficiently than the versatile WEBP format.
Structure
BMP and WEBP are raster graphics file formats, each supporting 8-bit per channel and over 16M colors. WEBP file format has an optimal pixel size of 16,383×16,383, while BMP has a maximum file size of 32,767×32,767.
BMP stores bitmap digital images independently depending on the display devices, including the graphics adapter. Its structure comprises a header, information header, color table, and pixel data. A BMP header contains information regarding file size, type, and the Device-autonomous bitmap file layout.
The WEBP file format structure comprises block prediction. The values from three blocks predict each block from the left and above. The information header specifies the BMP file's color format, compression type, and dimensions.
The color table comprises as many bitmap elements as colors within a BMP file. WEBP’s block decoding follows a raster scan sequence: top to bottom and left to right. The four basic block prediction modes are TrueMotion, DC, vertical and horizontal.
BMP and WEBP compare in terms of bit depth. Both file formats use a 24-bit color channel. However, bitmaps with 24 color bits hardly have a color table since 24-bit RGB values represent every pixel in the actual bitmap information region. The WEBP file comprises a compressed matrix of pixels.
BMP and WEBP contain metadata, a color profile, and transparent information. WEBP’s pixel matrix makes up the image's space. As RFC 1168 describes, the bit numbering in a WEBP file chunk diagram commences from 0 for the most crucial bit.
BMP’s pixel data comprises various bytes defining the BMP bits. It includes the actual data characterized by successive scan lines or rows of the BMP. Every scan line comprises continuous bytes representing the pixels in the row in a left-to-right sequence.
The BMP system maps the pixels starting from the bottom row of the rectangular area and ending with the top row or scan line. Every scan line appears to be zero-padded to the closest 4-byte boundary.
Animation
BMP does not support animation, while the WEBP file format does, using its efficient lossless and lossy compression techniques. The WEBP file format surpasses the precincts of static pictures and boasts vigorous support for animations compared to BMP.
BMP does not support animation. Nevertheless, digital bitmap images can be manipulated and edited using software programs and used in animations. Each pixel in a BMP file can be assigned a particular color value and used to create animations in other formats that support animation.
On the other hand, WEBP can deliver lively, thrilling content necessary for appealing and fascinating web users, giving it a competitive edge over the BMP file format.
Storage
BMP stores uncompressed files in Device-Independent Bitmap formats (DIB), while WEBP stores lossy or lossless compressed data. BMP files are comparatively larger than WEBP images, and their larger bandwidths necessitate more storage space than WEBP files.
WEBP files can be stored in Base64 encoding, HDD, cloud, and file systems, which are equally used to BMP files. Both file formats store their files indefinitely.
Compression
BMP files are primarily uncompressed, although they can also use lossless compression techniques to preserve their information-rich features. BMP compresses an 8-bit bitmap using lossless compression with a run-length encoding (RLE) algorithm.
WEBP compresses images using entropy coding. The lossy WEBP compression predicts (video) pixels using a comparable technique to VP8. VP8 breaks the frame up into fragments called macroblocks, similar to all block-based codecs.
The compressed and uncompressed BMP files are larger than lossy or lossless compressed WEBP files. The efficient and advanced compression algorithms of WEBP files minimize their image sizes and preserve image qualities, leading to the best compression ratio compared to BMP.
Browser Support
WEBP is a recent next-gen file format, while BMP is an older and established image format. BMP is widely supported by almost all browsers, including Internet Explorer, Safari, Discord, Edge, Vivaldi, Chrome, Opera, and Firefox.
On the other hand, WEBP is compatible with and supported by modern browsers, including Chrome, Opera, Safari, Firefox, and Edge. The Internet Explorer and older browsers do not support it.
Conclusion
Choosing between WEBP and BMP file formats depends on the balance a user wants to strike between quality and file size.
BMP images are information-rich, uncompressed (large), and preserve all image information, making the file format ideal for medical imaging as it gives precise details.
WEBP images are relatively small and high-quality and enhance web responsiveness, making them suitable for web imagery.