Choosing (or Creating) Images Suited for Imagemapping

You can use any GIF or JPEG image for an imagemap, whether it's one you created or a copyright-free piece of clip art. The best image for an imagemap is one that's clearly and obviously divided into distinct regions .

After seeing the image, a visitor must instinctively expect different regions to lead to different places. If the image's regions are not clearly defined, a visitor might assume that the image is a picture link leading only one place and click it without carefully choosing a region. Or the visitor might not even realize that the picture contains any links and fail to exploit the useful tool you have so thoughtfully provided.

For example, consider the image shown in Figure 29.3. This image is a poor choice for an imagemap because it does not appear to have distinct segments or regions. The image shown in Figure 29.4 is a better choice because it is divided naturally into identifiable shapes that visitors will naturally assume contain different links.

Figure 29.3. This image would make a poor imagemap. How could you tell which parts to click?

Figure 29.4. This image, clearly divided into distinct regions, is a better choice.