.gif files can I mak them?

Question

I want to create my own Icons. Can I make my own .gif files using Java graphics? I know how to make a .java file using java; can I convert this to a .gif file so I can add it to my Java program as a Icon or .gif file?
For example,
cutAction.putValue(Action SMALL_ICON, new ImageIcon("cut.gif"));I want to be able to design my own .gif like the "cut.gif" in the preceding code. I want to do this using Java graphics. Can I simply make a .java graphics panel and save it as a .gif? This question might be pretty far off but I just need a push in the right direction to get the wheels rolling. If anybody could give me a hand the help would be much appreciated.

Answer 1

Does PNG format support compression in general, and
how can you achive this with ImageIO in particular?1) Yes.
2) Apparently it can't.
Here's how I found out:import java.util.*;
import javax.imageio.*;
public class TestPngImageWriter {
  public static void main(String[] argv) {
    Iterator i = ImageIO.getImageWritersBySuffix("png");
    while(i.hasNext()) {
      Object o = i.next();
      Class c = o.getClass();
      System.out.println(c.getName());
      showParam((ImageWriter) o);
  private static void showParam(ImageWriter iw) {
    ImageWriteParam iwp = iw.getDefaultWriteParam();
    System.out.println("WriteParam:\n  " + iwp);
    System.out.println("It " + (iwp.canWriteCompressed() ? "CAN" : "can NOT") +
" write compressed images.");
}That's with JDK 1.4.2. 1.5 may do better. Otherwise, it seems like an enhancement request is in order.