Perhaps the best thing on the internet being the most complex is understandable, but, if you think like me, it's just plain annoying. So, you ask What's the difference if it's in JPEG, GIF, and BMP? There are a lot of differences, so I'll go over it as best I can.

To begin, let's start with .BMP files. They are created in things like MS Paint (every Windows has it). These files are huge, and can not be read (unless the Mac owner has a special program) by Macantosh computers. Why are they so huge? Well, a picture can have thousand of pixels as a BMP, and some hundred of those can only be red or blue or green. The BMP files are not reconized as readable files to some web servers, which is why you convert them with a image editor. (If you do not have one, then you can find it at Tucows.)

Next, GIF files are far smaller (load faster) and can be transperant. Take this image (to the right) that is in .GIF format. It's small, loads pretty fast, and looks the same as the BMP that you converted it from. It is also transparent. (Go ahead, try me, it is transparent!)

Now, to the left is a JPEG formated image. The same one, but, as you can see, a little different. Doesn't it look more like a photograph? That's because it's saved as a "true color" image. This means that the color red really has about three hundred different pixels and it shows. Notice also, that this image is not transparent. Yes, it might take a while longer to load, but sometimes image come out better in JPG form then in GIF.

So, now that you got all of that, here's comes the question. Why can't I just save a BMP as a JPG, or a JPG as a GIF? Why do I have to convert it? Isn't it just a file name? This is, as usual, the pain with images. If you save an image that is origanally "gra.gif" as "gra.jpg" you know what you'll get? "gra.jpg.gif" Of course, you won't see the extention ".gif" on it, but it will be there. So, when you upload "gra.jpg.gif" onto the internet, some ISP will not read it and then say it's an invalid file. Why? That's how it is.

Oh, the the FAQ for AOL people: Why is it when I download something from AOL to my computer, then upload it, it doesn't show in Netscape? This is because AOL saves files with a .ART extention. This is because they try to compress images. Macs can not see this extention, but some Windows users can. (All AOL users can.) Still, you can't save "dude.art" as "dude.gif" because it will be saved as "dude.gif.art" and that just won't work.

DO NOT TRY TO DOWNLOAD THE IMAGE AS .ART AND THEN CONVERT IT TO GIF OR JPG! The image has been "compressed" by AOL and has lost a LOT of its color. How do you get rid of this image compression?

1. Start your AOL program. (As far as I know, you don't have to be online.
2. After it has opened click on the "My AOL" button. Then choose the "Preferences".
3. Select the WWW button and click on that when the new window pops up.
4. Click the web graphics tab and uncheck the box that says "use compressed graphics".

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