What is the BMF file format?
.bmf files in this context are proprietary binary material files created by Corel Gallery, a clip-art and stock imagery library product from Corel Corporation that was popular in the 1990s. The format stores image and texture material data referenced by Corel Gallery's catalog browser and related Corel applications such as CorelDRAW.
The format is identified by its ASCII file header @CorelBMF, which distinguishes it from other uses of the .bmf extension. Corel Gallery BMF files are a proprietary, undocumented binary format - Corel has never published a specification, which means third-party support is virtually nonexistent. The format is considered frozen: Corel Gallery has been discontinued, and modern Corel imagery is distributed in standard formats such as PNG and SVG.
If you encounter a .bmf file, XnView and possibly Corel PaintShop Pro are the most commonly reported applications that can open them.
Note that the .bmf extension is also used by AngelCode BMFont binary font descriptor files, which begin with the ASCII signature BMF followed by a version byte - entirely unrelated to Corel's format. Do not confuse .bmf with .bmp (Windows Bitmap), which is a completely different and widely supported raster image format.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWA Corel Gallery BMF is a passive image/material data file with no executable code. Opening one in a modern viewer is safe. The format is so obscure that it carries no significant malware risk.
Format details
in a nutshell- AngelCode BMFont Binary Font - Bitmap font file generated by AngelCode's BMFont utility; starts with magic 'BMF' (0x42 0x4D 0x46) + version byte; widely used in games.
- GLBasic Shoebox Archive - Compressed data bundle created by the Shoebox tool bundled with the GLBasic game SDK.
Programs that open BMF files
Windows2 apps
XnView
Free Open the .bmf in XnView (File → Open); it has limited Corel BMF support. Results vary by file age. 
Corel PaintShop Pro
Paid Try opening the .bmf via File → Open; Corel products have the best chance of reading legacy BMF materials. Technical details
deep spec| File type | Proprietary binary image/material file |
| Developer | Corel Corporation |
| Application | Corel Gallery (discontinued clip-art and stock-image library product) |
| Encoding | Binary |
| Byte order | Little-endian |
| Container | Proprietary Corel binary container (undocumented structure) |
| Compression | Internal/proprietary (not publicly documented) |
| Typical file size | 10 KB - 5 MB |
| Magic bytes | 40 43 6F 72 65 6C 42 4D 46 ("@CorelBMF") at offset 0 |
| Color depth | 8-32 bpp (inferred from typical Corel Gallery clipart output) |
| Specification | Undocumented; Corel has never published the format structure |
| Format status | Frozen/discontinued - Corel Gallery is no longer sold; no updates planned |
| Associated OS | Windows |
| Distinction from AngelCode BMFont | Corel BMF begins with "@CorelBMF"; AngelCode BMFont (.bmf) begins with "BMF" + version byte - unrelated formats |
| Released | Mid-1990s (Corel Gallery clipart/material library product) |
| Latest version | N/A - Corel Gallery is discontinued; format is frozen |
BMF conversions
Community Q&A
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