Banners and Banner generators

Banner World has thousands of blank banners, all free to do with as you please. You'll also find loads of tutorials on creating banners, lots of example banners, and buttons to use on your banners.

The Banner Generator Form has several options, including a large number of fonts - but no direct way to set the image dimensions, so you have to experiment with the fonts to get the size you want.

Animation Online has several animated banner templates, to which you can add your own text. There's no control over font size and style unless you "Join the Deluxe Membership".

CoolArchive Logo generator

CoolText.com is a totally free online service which provides real-time generation of graphics customized exactly the way you want them.

Banner Ad Creation lists software, online tools, individuals and agencies).

Tools

If all else fails - roll your own! Even if you don't feel like a Rembrandt, quite often some needs can be met just as quickly and effectively - sometimes more so - creating your own graphics. This for example is what I've done for many of the optical illusions at EncycloZine - which are usually simple line drawings. And with some practice and experimentation, and the right tools, you can create some interesting effects. Especially if you study some tutorials first, such as those in WDVL's graphics section.

Paint Shop Pro (try before buy) is a very popular painting and image manipulation package. See Abstract Dimensions (PSPtips.com) for some great PSP tutorials! They also have lists of fonts, picture tubes, plugin filters, and tutorials here.

WDVL's Graphics Tools lists a lot more tools, both free and commercial.

Art, Pictures, and Photographs
How To Build a Web Site with Free Stuff Table of Contents
Miscellanea