[RESOLVED] How to database images and access them?

[pjrage]

I have a project where the application needs to display certain images based on different user inputs and selections. There are hundreds of pictures and it's OK for them to be statically linked, however the application will need to be distributed eventually, probably by CD.

I could just make one big directory for all of the images, and hard link them all, and that would get the job done, but I was wondering if it would be any better to create a database of images (or something else even)? I've never worked with databases at all, so I don't know what the advantage of doing this might be, and how I would go about creating the database in the first place? One advantage I was thinking of was a cleaner install/file structure, rather than having the user be able to access each image file on the CD, really only the application could access them, and it's just the 2 files necessary to run the application, the executable and the database.

So, is there any benefit to using a database for the images, or should I just statically link them? If there is a benefit to using a database, can anyone point me in the right direction as far as how to create the database?