I'm pretty new at this. Where are some good basic sites on creating and manipulating Web graphics?

• BUILDER.COM - Web Graphics - Web graphics 101
• Creating Web Graphics
• Creating Web Graphics

Where can I found out a LOT about Web graphics in just one place?

• i-us Your graphics community, emphasizing Adobe Photoshop plug-in compatible products
• web / authoring / graphics / faqs ~ A large collection of links to FAQs about all aspects of graphics, from WebReference.
• GraphicsUser ZDNet Products
• devhead -- Graphics ~ Excellent!

Adobe Photoshop is a great graphics program, but it's hard! Help!

• Photoshop Web Reference Annex
• CoolType - Photoshop Tips n Tricks

Macromedia Fireworks is a great graphics program too, but it's also hard!

• Macromedia Fireworks Support Center: Tutorial and Article Index ~ Straight from the horse's mouth, here is a nice collection of articles & tutorials. Quite a bit here, actually.

I've heard about this free, open source graphics program called The GIMP. Tell me more.

• GIMP Documentation ~ Straight from the source, here are GIMP tutorials from the makers of the GIMP. Enjoy.
• GIMP Tutorials! ~ Well, this page is butt-ugly, but it does have some nice tutorials. They're written by different folks, so they're of varying quality. But you're sure to learn something here.

Where can I find programs on the Web that will optimize my graphics?

• d e v h e a d Resources Web Tools GIFBot
• GIF Wizard Home Page

How do I use a scanner?

• A few scanning tips - scanner basics 101

What do I need to know about dithering?

• Dithering - good, bad, and ugly

What do I need to know about color?

• Choosing A Color
• "Color Theory" from "Chapter 2: Using Color" in Web Graphics for Non-Designers ~ A nice introduction to basic color theory.

I'd like to find out more about the psychology of color.

• Winning Colors and Shapes for Your Company ~ A short piece on color psychology
• Color Associations and Web Examples ~ Colors, the feelings associated with them, and sample Web sites illustrating those colors
• Color Associations ~ Colors, words, & the associations people make between the two
• Color Psychology ~ A collection of useful links from About.com

Are there any tools I can use to pick colors?

• EasyRGB ~ It advertises itself as the "first RSG and COLOR search engine on the Web", but it's a lot more than that. In particular, you can enter a color, and this wonderful site will show you several colors that work well with that color. Excellent.
• Color picker for html ~ A Java applet that allows you to select from the full range of colors and get the RGB value. Very cool.
• Iconico Color Picker ~ A free, Windows-based program that allows you to pick colors from your computer screen and get the RGB values for them. Very, very useful.

What do I need to know about animated GIFs?

• GIF Animation on the WWW
• PC Magazine's InternetUser - Internet Toolkit (Animated GIFs)

How do I make an image map?

• Zen and the art of image maps

Where can I find clip art on the Web?

• StockObjects
• ArtToday - Internet's largest image and font archive ~ Highly recommended.
• Under Construction ~ The dreaded "Under construction" icon

Where can I find graphics on the Web?

• stock.xchng ~ When last I checked, this site had 70,995 photos available, all free for the taking and using. Free registration required.
• Zyris - Generate Free Graphics
• Free Media ~ Free photos, all available under a Creative Commons license.

Where can I find backgrounds on the Web?

• WebReference.com ~ "Our collection of background and tile links will help you find just the right backdrop for your project without having to 'reinvent the wheel' by massaging your own images."

I'd like some eye-candy for my Web site. Any suggestions?

• Comet Systems, Developers of the Comet Cursor

I'm using a Mac/PC. Why don't my graphics look right to people using the other platform?

• Proper Gamma (Brightness) for Cross Platform WWW Images

Why don't my graphics look right to people using AOL?

• Compression, Fuzzy JPEGs, and AOL

Want to suggest a Web site we've missed, or let us know about a broken link? Email & let us know!

Note: These links lead to Web sites that are not under my control. I bear no responsibility for the content of these sites.