Java Programming

Hello, i have an allucinating problem i cannot snap out of.

I made a small program which uses gifs, and the directory structure is as follows:

-Project folder
---classes
------mypackage
---------variousclasses.class
---------main.class
---gifs folder
------variousgifs.gif

the gif folder is at the same level of the classes folder.
I use Jdeveloper, and in the main class and in other classes i specify gif paths like this: "gif folder/variousgifs.gif"
It works perfectly when i use jdev.

Now, i have made a JAR, following instructions properly and including the gifs folder in the project. When i open the Jar in Winrar to verify the directory structure, its like this:

mypackage (folder)
meta-inf (folder)
gifs folder (folder)

so i assume it is how it should be (the main class, again, is in mypackage/main.class).

But when i run the program with java -jar or doubleclick, it just doesn't show any image!
Can anybody help me? T-T