By Sibyl McLendon

Graphics are to a web site what spices are to a good stew, they make it more interesting. Good graphics are essential to the successful web site. Few Internet surfers are going to stick around to read a lot of text on a web site unless it is broken up by good graphics (or unless they are specifically looking for articles to read). Few Internet shoppers are going to buy a product unless there is a picture of it for them to look at. You are going to need graphics.

But graphics can make or break a site. What is worse than waiting and waiting for a large graphic to load?

If you are like most people, you will simply move on to the next site. And don't you just hate it when a picture or graphic is out of focus, or compressed to the point that it looks like an abstract painting? Don't even get me started on flashing, hopping, twirling graphics, or color combinations that imprint themselves on my retinas like staring into the sun. How about those flashing graphics that cause your mouse to do a herky-jerky dance all over the screen?

I don't like them and the average surfer doesn't like them. If you use them, you stand a real chance of having people click off of you site just as quickly as they can. Clear, tasteful graphics are a delight; huge, dancing, wild-colored ones are an invitation to obscurity.

So, what can you do to make your graphics good? Besides using good judgment when you choose them, there are free utilities available to work with graphics that can be very helpful. I recommend downloading PaintShop Pro, and getting to know it. You can get an excellent free trial version that will allow you to work with your graphics until you get them right. You can easily save them as a compressed .jpeg or .gif, and see exactly how they are going to look. To get your free version:

http://www.jasc.com/products/psp/

Here are some sites that have lists of free downloads for graphic utility programs:

http://www.tips-tricks.com/webgraphicutilities.asp http://desktoppublishing.com/graphicsutil.html http://www.absolutelyfreebies.com/freeware/graphic_design_software.html

Remember, just because you think it looks cool doesn't mean that others will. Good luck!