adjusts to the height and width specified. When you select a transparent GIF you can see the outline of the image while its selected. Notice that as soon as you deselect the image, it becomes invisible in Dreamweaver. You can always reselect it by clicking in the area until the cursor highlights it. Just beware that selecting it can be tricky because its not visible, especially if you make it very small. For this reason, I recommend resizing the GIF as soon as you place it on the page while its still highlighted. Creating a Background Background images can bring life to a Web page by adding color and fullness. Used cleverly, a background image helps create the illusion that the entire page is one large image while still downloading quickly and efficiently. The trick is to use a small background image that creates a dramatic effect when it tiles (repeats) across and down the page (see Figure 5-8). Background images are often called tiles, because they repeat like tiles across a kitchen floor. However, if you use a long, narrow image as a background or a large image thats small in file size, you can create many effects beyond a repeating tile. Beware that certain backgrounds (such as the one shown in Figure 5-9) can make reading text thats placed on top of them hard. Choose your background images carefully and make sure your background and your text has plenty of contrast - reading on a computer screen is hard enough. Chapter 5: Adding Graphics 143 Figure 5-9: Using the wrong background makes the text on your Web page illegible. Figure 5-8: This background example shows whats possible when you insert a background image that repeats and tiles to fill a page. 144 Part II: Looking Like a Million (Even on a Budget) As you work with backgrounds, you may find another use for a transparent GIF. If you place a graphic on top of a patterned background, you end up with a rectangular area around the graphic that obscures the patterned background, as shown in Figure 5-10. To allow the background to be visible around, say, a headline, you can create your headline graphic on top of a color similar to the dominant color used in the background. When you save the GIF, set that color to be transparent. Placed on the page, the headline looks as if its floating on top of the pattern (see Figure 5-11).