IF animations are moving pictures that you can put on your Web site. They're not that hard to make and can be lots of fun. You've probably seen them already - they can be anything from little cartoons to advertisements with flashing words. Here's an example:

There are lots of programs out there that can help you make these animations, but the best ones are the GIF Construction Set for Windows and GifBuilder for the Mac - and they're free. We're going to look at the things you'll have to deal with using any GIF animation program, and then we'll tell you how to make one yourself.