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Image Formats
Graphics are images/pictures. There are several different types of graphic files, depending on it's purpose, quality and size of file. Here are some of the more common types. Each type has more than one level of quality:
- Bitmap (*.bmp)
- Very high quality
- Large file size
- Not suitable for the Internet
- JPeg file interchange (*.jpg)
- Suitable for the Internet
- Small file size
- Good for photos
- Not good for sharp edges
- CompuServe's Graphics Interchange - GIF (*.gif)
- Suitable for the Internet
- Small file size, especially if few colors are used
- Good for sharp edges and single color blocks
- Not suitable for color photos, but is good for black and white
- It is the format also used for animated images
Ready-made Graphics:
If you're looking for some ready-made graphics for your site, here are two places worth checking out:
- Animation Factory - free animated gifs,
clip art and graphics.
- Windy's free image gallery
- Heaps of backgrounds, buttons, bars...
Taking Screen-shots
Sometimes people like to show something on the screen that cannot be saved or copied and pasted. When you take a screen shot, you are literally taking a shot of how your screen looks, including any programs visible, layout of the desktop, a snapshot of a live chat room ...whatever you have open. To take a snap shot:
- Make sure you have the screen looking the way you want it to appear in the image
(i.e. Have the right window open),
- Press the "Print Screen" key on your keyboard,
- Open a graphics package (e.g. Microsoft Paint),
- Go up to the "Edit" menu and select "Paste", then
- Resize the image or select certain parts ...manipulate the image however you like and "Save" it.
Click on the image above to see a larger version of the screenshot.
Create your own graphics:
My favourite programs for creating and editing graphics/pictures are:
- Ultimate Paint - especially good for higher quality GIFs and most other image types.
- uLead Systems - Some useful free demos including a good animated GIF program.
- Microsoft - Microsoft Paint is good for bitmaps with quality resizing and touch-ups for images. It is a standard program as part of the Windows 95+ package.
- Microsoft - Microsoft Photo Editor/ Microsoft Imaging seem to be the same program. They are great for changing format from bitmap to GIF or JPEG, although it's often better to change to GIF in Ultimate Paint first, to get the quality, then Imaging/Photo Editor to reduce the file size further.
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