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 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."
• Backgrounds Archive

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.