Freebies aside, there's nothing quite like custom-made graphics. That's where a graphic designer comes in. Designers can advise you about the best look for your site as a whole, and can create the kind of images for you that enhance its appearance significantly. Of course, you have to pay for their services, but sometimes it's really worth it.

If you have a bit of talent, you might want to take a course in digital design and learn how to think like a designer when approaching your Web site. You also learn how to use software tools that can help you create your own artwork.

Photography with Digital Cameras

The advent of digital cameras has made taking and uploading pictures to the Web rather simple. These days, most digital cameras take great pictures and come with software that makes transferring the photos to your desktop a piece of cake.

Many graphics applications include a nifty tool that allows you to import digital camera images directly into the program via a plug-in. A plug-in (in a graphics application) is software that enables you to manipulate a specific camera or scanner within the application. In some cases, plug-ins are bundled with the application. In other cases, you need to install a plug-in for the camera or scanner you're working with. That software comes with the camera or scanner, which also includes instructions for installing it.

When using a digital camera, take the pictures at the highest resolution you can. This will give you more flexibility when working with your images later.

Film Cameras Work, Too

If you don't have a digital camera, just how can you get your photographs into your computer? You can still use your regular camera. Take the pictures, but instead of getting paper prints, get your pictures saved to CD-ROM.

Kodak pioneered the concept of processing photographs to a CD-ROM, and this service is available at most photo counters. It's also available on the Web through such services as Shutterfly and Snapfish .

These services also publish your photos directly to the Web, usually at little or no cost above film processing. You send them your film and get hard copy photos and a downloadable file of the film roll online. Once you're notified that your photos are available online, all you have to do is surf to the site, view your images, and then download them to your computer.

Drawing on the Computer

If you have very good mouse-hand-screen-eye coordination, or have an electronic drawing pad, you might want to try drawing your own art on your computer. Microsoft Office comes with Paint, a basic drawing program that saves images in a variety of formats.

See Lesson 3 for more information on Web-ready file formats.

More sophisticated drawing programs include Adobe® Illustrator and CorelDRAW® . These programs require an investment of cold, hard cash, but it's worth it if you're interested in creating your own graphics. Download trial versions to compare the programs and pick the one that best suits you.

No matter where you decide to go for graphics for your Web site, the most important factor of all is that they add value to the site, not detract from what you're trying to accomplish. Not only do you want your site to be clear and professional looking, you want it to be easy to navigate and use. In the next section, you'll learn about usability and accessibility, and how to make your site meets these ideals.