Bitmap metadata

When we look at a bitmap image, we see a grid of pixels. But how does the computer know the size of the image, and what colours to display, etc?

Some of those details are stored in the metadata of the image.

Metadata is information about an image which is not part of the image data itself.

What’s stored in metadata?

The image’s resolution
The colour depth of the image (i.e. how many different colours it can display)
Some image formats also store information about the image’s creator, copyright information, the image location, and more!

Question	Answer
bitmap metadata	Metadata is information about an image which is not part of the image data itself.
What two pieces of image data are stored in bitmap metadata?	The image’s resolution and the colour depth of the image.
What does colour depth tell you about an image?	How many different colours the image can display.
What additional information might some image formats store in metadata?	Information about the image’s creator, copyright information, and the image’s location.