Java development question about bit manipulation

Hello,

I am new to programming in Java. I am using the IntelliJ IDEA platform and interested in manipulating bits using Java. I wish to convert a given file to binary and then manipulate the bits. The question is how do I convert the file to a binary format and in processing the bits should I store the binary file in an array and then process the bit value, 1 or 0, in the array, based upon the program.

Or is there a better way to do this? Any recommendations, links, code or video references appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Michael