bitmap

bitmap [-options ...] [filename]

-help
    Displays program usage message and exits.

-version
    Shows the program's version information.

-name name
    Sets the name of the created image for XBM output.

-foreground color
    Specifies the initial drawing (foreground) color.

-background color
    Specifies the initial background color.

-grid size
    Sets the pixel grid overlay size (e.g., 8 for 8x8).

-size widthxheight
    Sets the initial image dimensions.

-width width
    Sets the initial image width.

-height height
    Sets the initial image height.

-tool toolname
    Sets the initial drawing tool (e.g., pencil, line, floodfill).

-toolbar position
    Specifies the toolbar's initial position (e.g., left, top).

-square
    Forces drawing operations to be square (e.g., ellipses drawn as circles).

-proportional
    Forces proportional resizing during scale operations.

-mono
    Configures for monochrome (1-bit) drawing.

-gray
    Enables 2x2 gray scaling (simulating gray tones with pixels).

-stipple
    Pre-sets size to 16x16 and names the bitmap "stipple".

-cursor
    Pre-sets size to 16x16 and names the bitmap "cursor".

-icon
    Pre-sets size to 32x32 and names the bitmap "icon".

-tile
    Pre-sets size to 64x64 and names the bitmap "tile".

-pattern
    Alias for -tile, pre-sets size to 64x64 and names the bitmap "tile".

-noresize
    Disables the resize functionality.

-noselection
    Disables the selection box.

-notoolbar
    Hides the toolbar.

-nogrid
    Hides the grid overlay.

-nomono
    Disables monochrome mode.

-nogray
    Disables gray scaling.

-nostipple
    Prevents setting the default stipple configuration.

-nocursor
    Prevents setting the default cursor configuration.

-noicon
    Prevents setting the default icon configuration.

-notile
    Prevents setting the default tile configuration.

-nopattern
    Prevents setting the default pattern configuration.

-noversion
    Prevents displaying the version message on startup.

-noforeground
    Prevents setting a default foreground color.

-nobackground
    Prevents setting a default background color.

bitmap is an interactive graphical utility for the X Window System, primarily used for creating and editing small monochrome images, specifically in the XBM (X BitMap) file format. These images are commonly employed as icons, cursors, and patterns within X applications. Users can draw, erase, copy, paste, and manipulate pixels on a grid. The command offers various drawing tools like pencil, line, circle, rectangle, and floodfill. Options allow specifying initial image dimensions, colors, grid visibility, toolbar placement, and pre-setting common image types such as cursors, icons, or stipples. While its primary output is the XBM format, a legacy format, bitmap remains useful for simple, pixel-level artwork compatible with older X applications. It's a GUI application that launches its own window.

bitmap primarily supports the legacy XBM (X BitMap) format, which is simple and monochrome. While historically significant for X Window System applications, modern GUIs and web applications often use more versatile formats like PNG or SVG, which support full color and transparency.

bitmap is an interactive GUI tool and not suitable for automated batch processing from the command line. Its feature set is basic compared to modern image editors.

The bitmap command exclusively reads and writes files in the XBM (X BitMap) format. This is a plain text file format that defines a monochrome (1-bit) image, often embedded directly into C source code for use in X applications. XBM files store the image data as C arrays of static data.

bitmap is an interactive graphical application. When launched, it opens a window with a drawing canvas, a toolbar containing various drawing tools (pencil, line, rectangle, etc.), and menus for file operations (load, save, clear), editing (copy, paste), and view options (grid, mono/gray). Users manipulate pixels directly on the canvas.

bitmap is a venerable utility originating from the early days of the X Window System, designed to create graphical assets for X applications. It's part of the xbitmaps or xorg-apps distribution, reflecting its foundational role in the X environment. Its design predates widespread adoption of richer image formats, thus focusing on the simple, efficient XBM format suitable for icons and cursors in resource-constrained graphical environments of its time. While its core functionality remains, its prominent usage has diminished with the rise of modern desktop environments and more sophisticated image editing tools.

xbm(5), xsetroot(1), convert(1), display(1), gimp(1)