Opening and editing bitmap files in Visual C++ can be achieved through various methods, including using built-in functions in .NET or leveraging graphics libraries. While some participants express skepticism about using Visual C++ as a graphics editor, others emphasize its potential for educational purposes, particularly in image processing projects. There are numerous libraries and code snippets available for handling bitmap files, and given the simplicity of the bitmap format, creating a custom implementation is also a viable option. The discussion highlights the importance of exploring existing resources and documentation, such as the C help file, to find the necessary functions for bitmap manipulation.