ANIMATED KIMIS: To make an animated Kimi, you need a special kind of graphics file called an "Animated GIF" file. "GIF" files are a special type of image file that are similar to BMP, JPG, TIF, PNG, etc.

AN OVERVIEW OF IMAGE FILES: There are hundreds of different types of image files. One way or another, all the different types of files store images as computer data. The more familiar Image File types are BMP, JPG, GIF, TIF and PNG. Normally, you tell what type of image file you have by looking at the three-letter extension at the end of the file. For example, "Fox.bmp" would be a "BMP" file and "Cat.jpg" would be a "JPG" file.

The primary difference between the different types of Image Files is the way the image information is stored and the capabilities and features that are available. GIF files are one of the few Image files that can contain animations. This is the reason that Imikimi is specially written to support GIF animations.

GETTING ANIMATED GIFS: The current version of the Kimi editor cannot animate images by itself. As a result, you either need to find an already existing animated GIF or create your own. You can find animated GIFs by searching on the internet. For example, if you enter the phrase "Animated GIF" into the Google "Image Search" page, you will see hundreds of web pages offering animated GIFs. 

Copyright Notice: Do not use copyrighted material for which you don't own the rights or have permission from the owner.

MAKING ANIMATED GIFS: You can also make your own animated GIFs. There are dozens of programs available to do this. Many of the programs are available free. For example, if you enter the phrase "Create Animated GIF" into Google, you will find hundreds of GIF Animation Programs, including a few that will create animated GIFs on line.

ANIMATION: Animations are accomplished by playing several images in rapid sequence. If the objects in the images are changing, playing the images in sequence will make it seem like the objects are moving. As a result, to create an animation, you will need to create a series of pictures that gradually change from picture to picture. Animations can be made from all kinds of things. For example, they can be made from a series of photographs taken with your camera. They can also be made from a series of cartoon drawings. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination.

One of the most powerful tools for creating Animated GIFs is a program called GIMP. GIMP is a very powerful image editor that is similar to Adobe Photoshop. One of the big advantages of GIMP is that it is free. On the downside, it is very complicated and it takes a real effort to learn to use it. However, there are lots of tutorials on the internet that show you how to create animations in GIMP. You can find a copy of GIMP for Windows here:

http://www.gimp.org/windows/

PUTTING ANIMATIONS IN IMIKIMI: Once you have found or created an animated GIF, loading it into Imikimi is easy. Just save the GIF somewhere on your computer's hard drive. Next, when you are in the Imikimi Editor, simply use the "Insert Picture" option and browse to find the GIF file on your computer. The GIF should now appear in your Kimi. For the first 30 seconds or so, the image will animate and then it will stop. The Kimi Editor does this so the animations won't be distracting while you are working. Once the Kimi has been saved and posted on a web site, the animation will play continuously.