Get Bitmap from ImageView | Android Studio | Java

Atif Pervaiz
3 min readDec 20, 2023

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Introduction: In the dynamic world of Android app development, understanding and effectively manipulating images are crucial skills for creating visually appealing and efficient applications. One fundamental aspect of image processing in Android is working with Bitmaps. In this blog post, we will delve into the world of Bitmaps, exploring their significance, and learning how to handle them using Java in Android Studio.

Section 1: What is a Bitmap? To kick things off, we’ll provide a clear definition of what a Bitmap is in the context of Android development. Readers will gain insights into how Android represents images as Bitmaps and why they are the go-to data structure for handling pixel information.

Section 2: Loading Bitmaps Here, we will guide readers through the process of loading Bitmaps into their Android application. Whether it’s loading from resources, assets, or the web, we’ll cover the various methods available in Android Studio to seamlessly incorporate images into your project.

Section 3: Manipulating Bitmaps Understanding how to manipulate Bitmaps is essential for tasks such as resizing, cropping, and applying filters to images. We’ll walk readers through practical examples and Java code snippets to demonstrate how to perform these operations efficiently.

Section 4: Memory Management Bitmaps can be memory-intensive, and improper handling can lead to performance issues or even crashes. This section will focus on best practices for managing Bitmap memory in Android Studio, including techniques such as caching and recycling.

Section 5: Displaying Bitmaps Now that readers have a solid grasp of Bitmaps and how to manipulate them, we’ll explore different ways to display these images in an Android app. This includes using ImageView, custom views, and other UI components to showcase the final results to users.

Section 6: Performance Optimization Optimizing the performance of your app is crucial for providing a seamless user experience. In this section, we’ll cover advanced techniques for optimizing Bitmap-related tasks, ensuring that your app runs smoothly, even when dealing with large or numerous images.

Conclusion: To wrap up the blog post, we’ll summarize the key takeaways and encourage readers to apply their newfound knowledge of Bitmaps in their Android projects. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced developer, mastering Bitmap handling is an essential skill for creating visually stunning and performant Android applications.

By the end of this comprehensive guide, readers will have the confidence and skills to effectively work with Bitmaps in Android Studio, elevating the quality of their image-related tasks in app development.

Code Snippet

BitmapDrawable bitmapDrawable = (BitmapDrawable) wallImageView.getDrawable();
Bitmap bitmap = bitmapDrawable.getBitmap();

In the above code snippet, the wallImageView is the ImageView from which you want to get Bitmap

Full Example

Layout File e.g. activity_main.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:orientation="vertical"
tools:context=".MainActivity">

<ImageView
android:id="@+id/wallImageView"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:layout_weight="1"
tools:src="@tools:sample/backgrounds/scenic" />

<com.google.android.material.button.MaterialButton
android:id="@+id/getBitmapBtn"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:layout_margin="10dp"
android:text="Get Bitmap" />

</LinearLayout>

Activity/Class File e.g. MainActivity.java

package com.technifysoft.myapplication;

import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity;

import android.graphics.Bitmap;
import android.graphics.drawable.BitmapDrawable;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.view.View;
import android.widget.ImageView;

import com.google.android.material.button.MaterialButton;

public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {

@Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);

//init ImageView from which we want to get Bitmap
ImageView wallImageView = findViewById(R.id.wallImageView);
//init MaterialButton which we will click to get Bitmap from ImageView
MaterialButton getBitmapBtn = findViewById(R.id.getBitmapBtn);

//handle getBitmapBtn click, get Bitmap from ImageView
getBitmapBtn.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
@Override
public void onClick(View view) {
BitmapDrawable bitmapDrawable = (BitmapDrawable) wallImageView.getDrawable();
Bitmap bitmap = bitmapDrawable.getBitmap();
}
});

}
}

Run you project

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Atif Pervaiz

I'm Android & iOS Application developer & graphics Designer. Learning & delivering knowledge by making it easier to understand for others is my hobby & passion.