| FL Maps > Help Menu > "Clipart" Map Help |
"Clipart" Maps Help
- How do I download maps?
- How can I use a clipart map on my web page?
- What can I do with the transparent backgrounds?
- How can I edit these clipart maps?
How do I download maps?
Windows: Right mouse click on any of the maps and choose save image to disk. Select the destination folder and click save. You can also click and drag the map to your desktop.
Macintosh: Control click on any of the maps and choose download image to disk. Select the destination folder and click save. You can also click and drag the map to your desktop.
Note: Each clipart map will appear in four different sizes for you to choose from.
How can I use a clipart map on my web page?
Once you have downloaded the map to your computer, put it in the same folder as your webpage. Look at the name of the map you downloaded. The name of the small red Florida map is f8637-01s.gif. To place it on your web page, simply add the following code: <img src="f8637-01s.gif" alt="small red map of Florida"> (You should always add an "alt" tag to your images that describes it for those who are visually impaired.)
This is what you would then see on your web page:
What can I do with the transparent backgrounds?
The transparent background makes it easy to place these maps over most light colors or backgrounds. They will not work well, however, over dark colors because the outer edge of the black outlines fades to a grey before it becomes transparent. As long as you use these maps over fairly light backgrounds, you will not see the grey "fringe" effect that will show up over dark backgrounds. Here are some examples of the same red Florida map used over different colored backgrounds:
Very light background colors always work
Most light background colors also work
Many textured backgrounds will work
Dark backgrounds will not work well
How can I edit these clipart maps?
The file size for these maps is very small because they only use 15 different colors for each map. Here is a chart of the 15 colors (plus transparent) that are used in the red Florida map we have seen:
Before you can add colors to the clipart, you will need to change the image from "indexed color" with only 16 colors to "RBG color" with all of the colors. Different paint programs will have the mode setting in different places. You may have to look around to find it. Here is what the menus for changing the mode from indexed color to RGB color look like in Photoshop:
Once you have changed the mode to RGB color, you will be able to use any color to edit your map. Here is a simple example:
Exploring Florida Maps is a part of both the Maps ETC and Exploring Florida websites.
Produced by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology © 2008
College of Education, University of South Florida.