**Course Title:** HTML & Web Development Fundamentals: Building Modern Websites **Section Title:** HTML Images and Media **Topic:** Inserting images using the `<img>` tag and attributes (`src`, `alt`, `width`, `height`) **Introduction** Images play a crucial role in web development, allowing us to convey complex information, add visual appeal, and create engaging user experiences. In this topic, we'll explore how to insert images using the `<img>` tag and its essential attributes. **The `<img>` Tag** The `<img>` tag is used to embed an image into an HTML document. It is a self-closing tag, meaning it doesn't have a closing tag. The basic syntax of the `<img>` tag is: ```html <img src="[image URL]" alt="[alternative text]"> ``` **Attributes** The `<img>` tag has several attributes that provide essential information about the image. Let's discuss the most important ones: * `src` (Source): specifies the URL of the image file. * `alt` (Alternate Text): provides a text description of the image, which is displayed if the image cannot be loaded. This is also important for accessibility and search engine optimization (SEO). * `width` and `height`: specify the width and height of the image in pixels. **Example** Here's an example of using the `<img>` tag with its attributes: ```html <img src="image.jpg" alt="A beautiful landscape" width="500" height="300"> ``` In this example: * The `src` attribute points to the image file named "image.jpg" in the same directory. * The `alt` attribute provides a descriptive text "A beautiful landscape" for the image. * The `width` and `height` attributes set the image dimensions to 500x300 pixels. **Best Practices** When working with images, keep the following best practices in mind: * Use descriptive file names and alt text to improve accessibility and SEO. * Set the `width` and `height` attributes to ensure proper image rendering. * Use the `src` attribute to specify the image URL, but avoid using absolute URLs unless necessary. * Consider using responsive image techniques to adapt images to different screen sizes. **Responsive Images** With the increasing use of mobile devices, it's essential to make images responsive to adapt to different screen sizes. You can use the `max-width` attribute to ensure the image doesn't exceed its container width: ```html <img src="image.jpg" alt="A beautiful landscape" width="500" height="300" style="max-width: 100%"> ``` Alternatively, you can use the `picture` element, which allows you to specify multiple image sources for different screen sizes. **Tools and Resources** For more information on working with images in HTML, check out the following resources: * [MDN Web Docs: `<img>`](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/img) * [W3Schools: HTML Images](https://www.w3schools.com/html/html_images.asp) **Conclusion** In this topic, we explored how to insert images using the `<img>` tag and its essential attributes. We discussed the importance of descriptive file names, alt text, and responsive image techniques for accessibility and SEO. By following these best practices, you can create engaging and accessible web experiences for your users. **What's Next** In the next topic, we'll discover how to use the `<figure>` and `<figcaption>` elements for image captions. **Get Help or Leave a Comment** If you have any questions or need help with this topic, please leave a comment below.