Even though the increasing amount of multimedia material available for technology-assisted classrooms can make presentations more attractive and aesthetically pleasing, instructors and administrators should be aware of the increased demand on technology resources that the new graphics and animation programs create. Use of these materials invariably increases the memory requirements of hardware, while attempts to create multimedia materials can put strains on a system's storage and transfer capacities. To more effectively use technology assisted programs, individuals should have an understanding of the nature of graphics files and elements which effect the size of files. Graphics can be either bitmaps, a matrix of dots drawn on the screen and used for photo-realistic images, or vector-drawn, used for geometric shapes. In terms of memory for creating and storing graphics, the size and resolution (i.e., number of pixels per linear inch) should be taken into consideration, as well as the bit depth of the color palette, which ranges from 1-bit for black and white or any two colors to 24-bit, providing more than 16 million colors and used for photo-realistic images. The most common image formats include the Macintosh graphics format (PICT); the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) format, allowing for considerable compression; and Graphics Interchange format (GIF). (BCY)