Netscape Composer:  An Introduction

Tutorial 5:  Working with Images


 

Inserting an image: 

Adding graphic images to your web page will put some spice in your life.  And--the best part is that it is very easy to do.  Before you start, be sure that all your images are in the SAME FOLDER as your web page file.  Now, to insert an image, place your cursor where you want the image and click the image button pictured above.  A dialogue box that looks like this will open up:
 
 
First, select the image you want to insert by clicking on "choose file."  Select the file and click "OK".  The name of the file will now appear in the white text box. 

You can also select the text alignment by selecting one of the boxes shown.  Do this if you have only one line of text to deal with.  If you have more than one, we'll talk about tables in the next tutorial.
Click on "OK" and watch the magic - the image will now appear.

Resizing an image

OK, you've got a picture on the page, but it's either too big or too small.  You can resize the picture to fit the space you want, but be forewarned that it is much easier to make a picture smaller than it is to make it bigger.  When you enlarge a picture, it tends to "pixelate" (I think I made up that word), in other words, the dots (pixels) that make up the image get bigger and the picture blurs.  There are limits to how much bigger you can make a picture without having it go out of whack.

Let's assume you want to make a picture smaller.  Click on the image and a border will appear around it, indicating that you have selected it to work on.  Position your cursor so that it is angled in one of the corners.  The arrow-shaped cursor will change to a double-headed arrow when you are in the right spot (this is tricky!).  Hold down the left mouse button and drag the corner in towards the center of the picture to reduce the size of the image.  Let go of the mouse button when you are satisfied that the picture is sufficiently reduced.  You can also resize a picture from the top, bottom or side edges, but if you do, you will lose the original proportions of the image.  You will retain the original proportions if you click and drag from the corners.

Making an image a link

To review how to make an image a link, go back to the previous tutorial and review the links section.  I promised you I would show you how to get rid of that ugly blue border that Netscape puts around an image when you make it a link.  Here's how:  Place your cursor over the linked image, and click the RIGHT mouse button.  When the following box pops up, select, "Image Properties."
When you click on "Image Properties," the following box will pop up:
 
 
Look familiar?  This is the same box you used to insert the image in the first place. 

To get rid of the blue border, look at the area that says:  "Space around image."  Make sure the "Solid border" box says 0.  Click OK and the blue border will disappear.

 

Deleting an Image

Occasionally, you will want to get rid of an image that you have already inserted on your page.  To get rid of the image, first click once on it to select it, then hit the delete key.  Bingo.  It's history.
 

Now you're ready for the big time:  tables.  Take a look at how to use tables in the next tutorial.
 
 


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© 2000 by Pat Pecoy
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