SRCINVERT

SRCINVERT is one of the predefined raster-operation (ROP) codes used by the Windows Graphics Device Interface (GDI) in functions such as BitBlt and StretchBlt. It specifies a per-pixel boolean operation where the resulting destination pixel is computed as the exclusive OR (XOR) of the corresponding source and destination pixels, effectively performing D' = S XOR D.

In practical terms, SRCINVERT toggles the destination pixels wherever the source pixels are set. If a source bit is 0, the destination remains unchanged; if a source bit is 1, the destination bit is inverted. The exact visual effect depends on the bitmap formats and color depth of the source and destination, since the operation is applied bitwise across the bitmap data.

SRCINVERT is commonly used for simple masking, stamping, or creating inverted overlays in legacy Windows graphical workflows. It can be leveraged to highlight, erase, or “cut out” regions of a destination bitmap by applying a source mask, though its results can be unintuitive with complex color images or alpha channels.

Limitations include its dependence on bitwise operations rather than alpha blending, which makes it less suitable for modern, high-quality compositing. It is primarily encountered in older GDI-based applications or in scenarios requiring compatibility with 16-bit or 32-bit bitmaps and the fixed set of predefined ROP codes.

See also: SRCCOPY, DSTINVERT, SRCAND, SRCPAINT, XOR-based operations, Windows GDI raster operations.