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Bitmap graphics

Bitmap graphics describe images using colored dots, called pixels, arranged within a grid. For example, the image of a leaf is described by the specific location and color value of each pixel in the grid, creating an image in much the same manner as a mosaic.

When you edit a bitmap graphic, you modify pixels, rather than lines and curves. Bitmap graphics are resolution-dependent, because the data describing the image is fixed to a grid of a particular size. Editing a bitmap graphic can change the quality of its appearance. In particular, resizing a bitmap graphic can make the edges of the image ragged as pixels are redistributed within the grid. Displaying a bitmap graphic on an output device that has a lower resolution than the image itself also degrades the quality of its appearance.