New Image Formats: Step By Step

Follow these steps to use .BMP and animated .GIF images in your Web pages.

Step 1: Adding .BMPs is easy.

You can create a .BMP using Microsoft Paint and embed it in your Web page just as you would any other image:

<IMG SRC="http://www.mycompany.com/images/mybitmap.bmp">

This is especially useful if you do not have software to edit .GIF and .JPEG images.

.BMP images give you a quick way to post software screen shots on your Web pages. Simply capture the screen shot by activating the window and pressing ALT+PRINTSCREEN, paste the picture into Microsoft Paint, save it to your Web server, and use the syntax above to place the image in your page.


Step 2: Animated .GIFs require a little construction.

Animated .GIF files effectively consist of several stationary .GIF images combined into one file. To make an animated .GIF, you start by making a collection of separate .GIF images, one for each frame of your animation. These images should be the same size, and ideally should share the same palette to prevent palette flicker.

Once you have collected the images, the easiest way to combine them is to use a shareware utility such as GIF Construction Set for Windows, or a freeware utility such as GifBuilderinternet link for the Macintosh.

The following resources may also be helpful in your quest to create animated .GIFs:


Congratulations!

That's all it takes to add .BMP and animated .GIF images to your pages!

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