FAQ-0679 Can I reduce a bitmap footprint?


FAQ-0679 Can I reduce a bitmap footprint?

» Symbian OS » Developer Knowledgebase » FAQ-0679

Classification:	C++	Category:	Graphics
Created:	09/29/2000	Modified:	12/27/2001
Number:	FAQ-0679
Platform:	Symbian OS v6.0

Question:
How do I tailor the bits per pixel of an EPOC multi-bitmap file for a particular resolution screen

Answer:
Detailed information on using the Bitmap Converter tool to convert bitmaps between EPOC and Windows bitmap format is contained in the SDK documentation under » Quartz Version 6.0 Edition for C++ » Tools And Utilities » File Conversion Utilities Reference » Bitmap Converter syntax .exe

BMCONV /v FILENAME.MBM will display information about the bits per pixel of the bitmaps in the file. If the attributes are greater than the capabilities of the device screen for a particular device then it may be worth considering reducing the palatte of the bitmap to match the screen. This may producer ROM footprint savings when porting applications between devices.

The bmconv tool can be used specifying an argument before each bitmap file which specifies the number of bits per pixel to be used for it; also specified in this argument are whether the converted bitmap should be colour or gray-scale. The options are: /1, /2, /4, /8, /c4, /c8, /c12, /c16 or /c24, eg. >bmconv....../c12myfile.bmp....
If the original source bitmap files are not available, the MBM can be decompiled using the /u option and recompiled using the required bits per pixel.
For version 6.0 an argument /m allows an existing mbm file to be used as a source.