Binary image

A binary image is a <a href="/facts/Digital_image/3TNT47Mv">digital image</a> that consists of <a href="/facts/Pixels/UzwBvXBV">pixels</a> that can have one of exactly two colors, usually black and white. Each pixel is stored as a single <a href="/facts/Bit/S972NSaD">bit</a> — i.e. either a 0 or 1.
A binary image can be stored in memory as a <a href="/facts/Bitmap/Fr80ySnT">bitmap</a>: a packed array of bits. A binary image of 640×480 pixels has a file size of only 37.5 <a href="/facts/Kibibyte/BNHUp9Qq">KiB</a>, and most also compress well with simple <a href="/facts/Run-length_encoding/3k6x9afM">run-length compression</a>. A binary image format is often used in contexts where it is important to have a small file size for transmission or storage, or due to color limitations on displays or printers.
It also has technical and artistic applications, for example in <a href="/facts/Digital_image_processing/zenalNCf">digital image processing</a> and <a href="/facts/Pixel_art/m2TghGMD">pixel art</a>. Binary images can be interpreted as <a href="/facts/Subset/SJGERmbA">subsets</a> of the <a href="/facts/Square_lattice/mcVtpcQK">two-dimensional integer lattice</a> Z2; the field of <a href="/facts/Mathematical_morphology/qVpYux75">morphological image processing</a> was largely inspired by this view.

Binary image open-in-new

Binary image