Bitmap textures

Bitmap textures are digital images representing a surface, a material, a pattern or even a picture. The textures are created by an artist or designer using a bitmap editor software such as Adobe Photoshop or GIMP, or simply by scanning an image and, if necessary, retouching it on a personal computer.

Textures can be built as an image larger than the final destination, so as to fill the complete area without repeating the image, avoiding visible seams. Bitmap textures can also be created to be used as repetitive patterns to fill an infinite area.

When designed for print, textures are generally high-resolution in order to achieve good results in the final print. If the texture is meant to be used in multimedia, 3D animation or web design, they are created in a maximum resolution equal to that of the final display.