The first and easiest way is to go to a site that offers graphics for free. The one that I really like for just regular graphics and backgrounds is found at: http://www.resourcelane.com/. This is a new address for this site but I have been getting graphics from these people since I started doing web sites. Using frames, the people who work on and own this site are able to have thousands of graphics available for download at all times. They are still working on the site so some things are not available. The way to download a graphic and get it ready to up load to your web page, or to modify it to what you need is to find the graphic, use the right button of your mouse and click on it. This brings up a menu with several options, one of the options is to "save picture as". When you click on that you will get a window that asks you where you want to save it. Personally I always put it on my desktop until I have time to work with it. Then I may use it on a site or put it away in the My Document files until I need it. PLEASE NEVER LINK DIRECTLY TO A GRAPHICS SITE. This can not only mess up your computer but mess up the source site also.
Okay, now you have this great graphic downloaded and on your desktop. Now what do you do? Personally, I like to work with them a bit and fine tune them so to speak. I have a great program for that. It allows me to edit pictures that I scan in or get off the web, or graphics that I get off the web. The graphics program is called is called Micrografx Windows Draw and the one for the photos is called Micrografx Magic 6 for Photos. Draw programs are not expensive and most Windows 95 and 98 have some type of them built right in. In most cases you go to start and then to Accessories and there is a draw and photo imaging program right there.
I take the graphic and put it in my draw program and experiment with different ways of viewing it, ways to make it bigger or smaller, and ways to make it fit what I want. Then I am ready to load it. I go to my web site access area and up load it to my files. Then I can put it right on my web page. I do the same things with pictures but the one thing that you must make sure of, my gentle readers, is that the picture you are working with is not copyrighted. That is why I only get my graphics and pictures from my own scanner, or from sites like the site above. To close this out let me get you a few more graphic sites so that you have a choice of different pictures and backgrounds.
http://www.free-n-cool.com/freecgph.html, this site is called Free and Cool. You may have to look around the site though before you find the free stuff.
http://www.eclipsed.com/ This one is called the Animation Factory and seems to be just what it says it is, a place to get free animated graphics. This site will help you to build your own animated graphics to download also.
http://prodraw.com/index.htm This site has a lot of everything including some pictures and all for free. All they ask is that you give them credit and a link back to their site. Hey, I didn't know about this one until a minute ago. I am thrilled, they have some great things that I can really use.
One more http://www.christart.com/index.html-ssi, This web site has free graphics from Christian pages. I have used a lot of their graphics and they are very well done.
Well Gentle Reader, it is time to say goodbye for now. Meanwhile, keep on surfing and remember E mail is not only fast and fun, it is also free. Christine Dunne, May, 1999
