To create your own bulbs, you need to start with a GIF file. GIF files are the standard image format for graphics on the World Wide Web. Your paint program can probably create GIF files, or you can save a picture from the Web onto your hard disk.

For best results, use a GIF file that has a transparent border. If the GIF file is animated, your bulb will be animated, too. If you can, try to use GIF files that don't change shape as they animate: this will make the bulbs display much more quickly and use far less computer power to display.

Confused about GIF files? Since they're the same format people use to create animated Web graphics, there are many resources on the Web that can help teach you how to create them. A good place to start is Make Your GIFs Dance, from builder.com.

Once you have a GIF file saved on your hard disk, turning it into a bulb is easy. Just choose the Bulb Factory in the Settings window, then press "Add Bulb" (this button is marked "Import New Bulb" in some older versions). Choose the GIF file you saved, then press OK. That's all there is to it!

If you'd like to get fancy, you can use different GIFs for each side of your bulb, or add different flavors. Flavors are different images used on the same side: for example, if you were making a bulb showing your pets, you might have a cat flavor and a dog flavor. When you use the bulb, Fluffy and Fido will both appear. Many of the 40 bulbs that come with Holiday Lights use flavors — for example, the Carolers bulb includes many different pictures along each side.