Q. I need to resize one of the gif images for my web page but when I do it looks terrible. The edges are jaggy and it's burry. How can I resize them properly?

A. That's a common problem with resizing gifs. You can't simply enter in new dimensions or resize them on screen. The reason is that they have been converted from RGB color to Index color which does not support the edge smoothing known as anti-aliasing.
In order to resize a gif properly you need to open it in an image editing program like Photoshop, convert it to RGB, resize it, then save it as a gif file again. This will result in a smooth image.

Q. Are your images drawn or traced on the computer?

A. I draw my cartoons traditionally using pen and ink on paper. I then scan them into the computer and use an application called Adobe Streamline to convert the lines to vector shapes. I open the newly vectorized image in Adobe Illustrator and spend a fair amount of time tweaking the image, removing unnecessary points and smoothing lines and finally adding color.

Q. I recently had a problem with my hard drive and lost a number of my toonaday images. Is there any way of getting them back?

A. Yep! Just email Ron and we'll help you get your missing toons.

Q. I'm not sure what is the best file format for me to request. What is the difference between EPS, TIF, and WMF?

A. That's a good question. EPS, TIF, and WMF files each have their advantages and disadvantages. I'll attempt to sort out, in very basic terms, the differences so that you can make an informed choice. Feel free to let me know of any errors or omissions or to offer more insight.

Just want gif? Gif files are included with the EPS, TIF, and WMF files.

EPS graphics.
EPS or vector graphics are resolution independant, meaning that you can enlarge them any number of times without having their resolution deteriorate. Vector images give you crisp, clean lines at any size. They don't, however, look as nice on screen as bitmap graphics do. If you have an illustration program like Adobe Illustrator, Freehand or Corel DRAW you can import and edit the images. Regardless of how they look on screen, EPS images print beautifully to a Postscript printer.

TIF graphics
TIF or raster graphics are bitmapped graphics. Raster images are best used for images such as photographs or paint style graphics. They are versatile and can be imported into most software but their biggest disadvantage is that they are resolution dependant. Bitmapped graphics can be reduced in size successfully but if you try to enlarge them you will be subject to serious deterioration as evidenced in the example at left. By the way Toonaday tifs are saved at a resolution of 300 DPI.

WMF graphics
WMF (Windows Metafile) is a Windows format used primarily for clipart. The majority of WMF files are vector based so they can be resized without degradation in quality. If you are primarily interested in using the images in applications like PowerPoint then WMF is your best choice. In the PowerPoint slide on the left, notice that the EPS graphic looks terrible. Not only is it jaggy but it has an ugly white box around it making it unsuitable for placing on colored backgrounds. A tif file will look smoother but will have the same white box around it. The gif file is better in that there is no white box around it but you have the same problem as with trying to place a gif on a colored web page; that white fringe around the image. That can be overcome in an image editing application but it means more prep work. The WMF image by contrast, looks great on any background and can be sized up or down with no degradation.

The Bottom Line.
If you have a postscript printer or will be creating documents that will be output to a postscript device then your best bet is to go with EPS graphics. Better yet, if you have a program like Photoshop that allows you to convert to other formats then EPS is definitely the way to go. You'll have the best of both worlds. If, on the other hand, you don't print to a Postscript device and your software doesn't support EPS graphics (although most do) then maybe TIF files are the way to go.
And finally if you want images primarily for PowerPoint then go with WMF.

For more detailed information on these and other file formats go to:
http://graphicssoft.about.com/cs/formatsnonweb/