BMP to AV1 Converter
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Supports: BMP
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Need help?BMP to AV1 Converter
This tool turns a still BMP bitmap into a short, silent AV1 video clip — a single frame held on screen for a set duration and encoded with the AOMedia AV1 codec. It is not the same as converting BMP to a still image: the output is a silent video clip with no audio track. If you actually want a modern still image rather than a clip, you almost certainly want BMP to AVIF instead, which stores one AV1-compressed frame as a picture.
BMP vs AV1 — What You're Actually Converting
People searching "BMP to AV1" often mean one of two different things. BMP is an uncompressed raster still image; AV1 is a video codec. There is no still-image format whose extension is .av1. The closest still equivalent is AVIF, which wraps one AV1 frame in an image container.
| Property | BMP | AV1 (this output) | AVIF (the still alternative) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Media type | Still image | Video clip | Still image |
| Compression | None (raw raster) | AV1 inter/intra video coding | AV1 intra-frame coding |
| Has audio? | No | No (silent) | No |
| Container | BMP file | Matroska (non-standard .av1 extension) |
HEIF image container |
| Best for | Lossless editing source | Generating a video from a picture | Web-ready modern image |
| Get it via | — | This page | BMP to AVIF |
AV1 Format at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Full name | AOMedia Video 1 |
| Developed by | Alliance for Open Media (Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Mozilla, Netflix and others) |
| Released | Bitstream spec March 28, 2018; validated 1.0.0 June 25, 2018 |
| Type | Royalty-free video codec |
| Output here | AV1 video in a Matroska wrapper, named .av1 (video only, no audio) |
| Native browser support | Chrome 70+, Firefox 67+, Edge 121+, Opera 57+; Safari 17+ partial (hardware decoder dependent) |
| For broad playback | Rename to .mkv, or convert via AV1 to MP4 |
How to Convert BMP to AV1
- Upload Your BMP File: Drag and drop your bitmap onto the page or click "+ Add Files". You can queue several at once.
- Choose Merge Strategy and Image Duration: Pick "Video per image" for one clip per file or "Merge images" to combine them, then set how long each frame is held (default is 5 seconds per frame).
- Set Video Resolution and Quality Preset: Leave resolution on "Keep original" or pick a fixed size, and keep the Quality Preset on "Very High (Recommended)" unless you need a smaller file.
- Convert and Download: Click "Convert" and save your AV1 clip. Files are uploaded over an encrypted connection, processed on our servers, and deleted automatically after a few hours. No sign-up, no watermark.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the AV1 file play if I just double-click it?
Often not. The output is AV1 video in a Matroska wrapper with a non-standard .av1 extension, so players that key on the extension will not open it directly. VLC and ffmpeg-based tools play it as-is, but for reliable playback in browsers, phones, and editors, rename it to .mkv or convert the clip with AV1 to MP4 or a WebM tool (a re-encode).
Does the AV1 clip have any sound?
No. A BMP is a still image with no audio, so the conversion produces a silent video. There is no audio track to add during this step.
Why is my converted video so short or just one static frame?
That is expected — a single BMP becomes a single frame held for the duration you set under Image Duration (5 seconds by default). To make a longer slideshow-style clip, upload several images and use the "Merge images" strategy.
Should I convert BMP to AV1 or to AVIF?
If you want a picture, choose AVIF — it stores one AV1-compressed frame as a still image with wide modern support. Convert to AV1 video only when you specifically need a video clip, for example to drop a logo or photo into a video timeline.
Will I lose quality compared to the original BMP?
BMP is uncompressed, so any video encode applies lossy compression. In our testing, keeping the Quality Preset on "Very High" produces a clip that looks visually identical to the source bitmap at normal viewing sizes while being dramatically smaller than the raw BMP.
Is AV1 royalty-free and widely supported?
AV1 is a royalty-free codec from the Alliance for Open Media and decodes natively in Chrome 70+, Firefox 67+, Edge 121+, and Opera 57+, with partial Safari 17+ support that depends on hardware decoding. Browser support applies to AV1 inside the containers they expect (MP4, WebM); this output's non-standard .av1 extension means converting to MP4 or WebM first for in-browser playback.
What frame rate does the AV1 clip use for a single image?
There is no motion, so there is no real frame rate to speak of: the encoder holds the one bitmap on screen for the Image Duration you set (5 seconds by default). Internally it emits that frame at a low nominal rate since the picture never changes, and the visible result is a static image shown for the chosen length rather than a moving sequence.
Does a transparent BMP keep its transparency in the AV1 video?
No. A 32-bit BMP can store an alpha channel, but the AV1 video frame is opaque, so any transparency is flattened onto a solid background during encoding. If you need to preserve a see-through background, keep the file as an image instead — for example BMP to PNG, which retains the alpha channel.
Should I pick AV1 or H.264 for a video made from a picture?
AV1 compresses more efficiently and is royalty-free, but far fewer players open it directly, especially with this non-standard .av1 extension. If broad, out-of-the-box playback matters more than file size, an H.264 MP4 is the safer target. Choose AV1 when compression efficiency or a royalty-free codec is the priority and you can re-wrap the clip into MP4 or WebM for delivery.