1) Animated GIFs: These are simple collections of a handful of graphic images that flash onto the screen one after another. Animated GIFs can be built easily using GIF Builder for the Mac or GIF Construction Set for Windows.

The best animated GIFs are simple presentations that show how something works. For example, here's one that shows how to remove and replace the childproof cap from a prescription bottle.

Notice that the animation ran once, then stopped. That's far better than the endless loop animations that are becoming popular, such as this one. After one or two cycles, they do little more than annoy the reader. In addition, whether they run continuously or not, animated GIFs can cause problems for some Web browsing software, particularly when more than one is used on a page.

2) Full animations: Sometimes a few images are not enough to show a complicated procedure, or narration is needed to fully explain what's happening. In those cases, you can use full animations such as this one on a new dental technique for detecting cavities. Because full animations are large, you should not have them load automatically, but simply provide a link for visitors who choose to download and watch the animations play.

Another nifty graphic tool is the image map. Not necessarily maps in the conventional sense, image maps permit Web producers to make any part of an image "clickable" to lead the viewer to another page. Many Web publications use image maps as a visual table of contents; check out how News.com uses an image map this way at the top of the page. Preparing image maps is simple with shareware programs such as Live Image for Windows, as well as with multifunction programs such as Macromedia Dreamweaver and Adobe Image Ready.

Ultimately, using graphics on a Web page is a balancing act. You want to create lively looking pages, but you don't want to annoy your visitors with worthless graphics. If you strike the correct balance, your pages will be picture perfect.

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