How to Convert Bmp to Png

Convert a BMP file to PNG format using a graphic manipulation program.

Bitmap (BMP) is a digital graphic file format used on Microsoft Windows systems. The images are uncompressed, contain limited colors and grayscale channels, and are often found embedded in Microsoft Word documents as clip art. Portable Network Graphic (PNG) files are digital image files that contain true color and grayscale channels and are compressed. The compression process reduces the size of the PNG file so it consumes less space in a website or on a Web server. A graphic manipulation program is needed to convert a BMP file to the PNG format.

Things You'll Need

• Adobe Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, OpenOffice Draw or a similar graphic manipulation program

Instructions

Converting a BMP to PNG Using Photoshop

1. Open Adobe Photoshop.

2. Click "File," "Open." Navigate to the directory containing the BMP file you want to convert. Double-click the file's name to open the BMP file.

3. Edit the BMP file, if desired.

4. Click "File," "Save As." Click on the down arrow on the box next to "Format:." Select "PNG (*.PNG)."

5. Enter a different name for the image file in the box next to "File name:," if you want to change the BMP file's name.

6. Click "Save." Click on the circle next to "Interlaced" if you want the PNG file to display a low-resolution of the image file as it is being loaded from a Web server. This option will result in a larger PNG file.

   The default setting for Interlacing is "None."

7. Click "OK."

Converting a BMP to PNG Using Paint Shop Pro

1. Open Paint Shop Pro. Click "File," "Open."

2. Navigate to the directory containing the BMP file you want to convert. Double-click on the file's name to open the file.

3. Edit the BMP file in Paint Shop Pro, if you want to.

4. Click "File," "Export," "Png Optimiser."

5. Click on the "Color" tab. Click on the circle next to the wording "16.7 Million Colors (24 Bit)," if the image is color, or "Grayscale (8 Bit)" if the image is black-and-white.

6. Click on the "Transparency" tab. Click on the circle next to "Single-Color Transparency" or "Alpha Channel Transparency."

7. Click "OK."

8. Click "File," "Save As." Click on the down arrow on the box next to "Format:." Select "PNG (*.PNG).

9. Enter a different name for the image file in the box next to "File name:," if you want to change the BMP file's name. Click "Save."

Converting a BMP to PNG Using OpenOffice.org Draw

1. Open OpenOffice.org Draw.

2. Click "File," "Open." Navigate to the directory containing the BMP file you want to convert. Double-click on the file's name to open the BMP file.

3. Edit the BMP file, if you want to.

4. Click "File," "Export."

5. Click on the down arrow on the box next to "File format:." Select "PNG - Portable Network Graphic (.png)."

6. Enter a different name for the image file in the box next to "File name:," if you want to change the BMP file's name.

7. Click "Save."

Tips & Warnings

• PNG file compression is done automatically.

• Once the BMP file is converted to PNG, you can delete the BMP file from your computer, if you want.

References

• Morris Photographics: The PNG File Format
• Live Docs.Adobe: Save a File in PNG Format
• MardiWeb: Paint Shop Pro 7 - File Menu
• Paint Shop Pro By Wendi: Optimise Jpegs Plus Paint Shop Pro And Png Images Explained - Beginners
• Blogs.Sun: Bitmap Pictures and Line Art

Resources

• Atala Soft: Benefits of the PNG Image Format