"Flash" Sites:
Now the standard file type used for fast loading, big, beautiful animations and web sites is called "Flash". Unlike JPEGs and animated GIFs which are images made up entirely of pixel information "Flash" is a vector based file.

Vector files can be quite small as far as file size is concerned and load quickly because instead of providing information for each independent pixel in the image, it is a mathematic equation that simply tells your computer how to construct and display the image. For instance, say we have two blue squares which are the same size; ones a GIF, the other is a Flash file. The GIF is made up of hundreds of pixels with each pixel having to store information, in this case, that the color of the pixel is blue. Although all the other pixels in the GIF are exactly the same, each one still has to store the information that it is blue. The Flash file instead simply instructs the computer to create a square and to fill it with the color blue.

This type of file works great for graphics and animations that have areas of flat or gradated colors but not as well with graphics that have subtle shading or detail. New browsers are equipped with the plug-in needed to view Flash. The plug-in can quickly and easily be installed on older browsers too.

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