Thread for instructions on posting pictures in forum

[mikehrz]

Seems like users are often asking how to post pictures or having problems with their pictures showing up. It might be a good idea to post a sticky somewhere with detailed instructions on how to use the attachment function and also how to use the [img] tag when your pictures are hosted elsewhere. I would be willing to try writing it, with the mods vetting it of course.

[Caitlin]

Hi Mike
Your help would be much appreciated. I'll make it a sticky in the resources forum

[mikehrz]

I've got a number of things going on in real life (DJ'ing a reception at the end of the month which I've never done before, plus work and other stuff) so I can't promise when I'll have a rough draft available, but I'll do my best. If anyone has any suggestions as to what should appear in such a post, I'm all ears (eyes?).

[mikehrz]

One of the biggest issues is resizing pics so they will fit on the page correctly. I know attaching files imposes a strict limit on pixel dimensions and file size, but when pics are hotlinked, they are sometimes so large that they mess up the way the page is displayed.

Two questions: What is the maximum size a pic should be in order to not disrupt the template the board uses? And what software do you all use to resize your pictures?

I realize some of you have professional software (or professional employees) to do your image editing and/or a moderate to extensive knowledge of how digital images work in general, but I want this tutorial thread to be understandable even for a complete tech novice. At another forum I frequent, I asked for suggestions about a free, easy-to-use image resizer and got these suggestions:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/d...powertoys.mspx
microsoft free powertoys,including a pic re-sizer

i like irfanview
http://www.irfanview.com/

and xnview
http://www.xnview.com/

If anyone would like to try these and give me feedback as to what they think is easy to use, I'd appreciate it.

[Caitlin]

I moved this thread. This is just to give it a bump.

[Raisondetre]

Oh, the image size would definitely be helpful. I'm usually too lazy to do it, but it wouldn't be hard to just shrink it with photoshop so my pics wouldn't run the words off the page.

[Hanaleimom]

I don't know much techies stuff. But I have a Canon camera and the following instruction shows how I resized my picture small enough as 620x400 pixels in order to post here. I have never used photobucket. I hope this will help Canon owners out there.

1) Open ZoomBrowserEx software that came with your Canon camera.
2) Right-click image you want to resize. Do not double click to maximize it.
3) Choose “Send images by Email”
4) In Image Settings box, click “Resize and compress images into JPEG type” button.
5) Click “Long Side” button, type in 620 in the box before the word “pixels”.
6) Click “Short Side” button , type in 400 in the box before the word “pixels”.
7) Click “Next”.
8) In the “Email settings” box, click the button that says “Save the images in the folder….support MAPI.”
9) Click the Browse button and select the folder in your PC where you want to store the picture.
10) Click finish.

Ex: if your picture’s name is IMG_1000.JPG, then the compressed picture will automatically be called IMG_1000_1_1.JPG.

Go to Pearl-guide.com to post and attach the picture called IMG_1000_1_1.JPG.

[boo]

If there are any Mac users out there, you can resize the photos directly from iPhoto. Select the photo, click "share" from the menu bar, select "export" from the dropdown menu, click on the radio button that says "scale images no larger than:" and enter your parameters in the boxes beneath. It will give you a window to choose a name and destination, then you can simply choose that file for your attachment from the "Additional Options" section of the "Reply to Thread" page.

[mikehrz]

Oh, the image size would definitely be helpful. I'm usually too lazy to do it, but it wouldn't be hard to just shrink it with photoshop so my pics wouldn't run the words off the page.

I think the max width is 660 pixels wide, which seems to stretch the border of the post a little bit but leaves all text readable. Unless one of the persons responsible for the behind-the-scenes tech stuff chimes in, go with 660 for now.

[Pearl Dreams]

Boo, that is exactly what I needed to know as I have a Mac.

But as to the photos I posted of the exotics recently (hosted in Photobucket), should I just wait for them to expire and then do the posts over so that the photos will stay indefinitely? Or is there a way to remove and replace the photos sooner?

[boo]

Pearl_dreams, I went back to check out your photos - drool! So pretty! Anyway, I think you can just swap yours out by using the edit button (in my earrings post, the photos are so big that the text runs off the edge of the page and so I can't get to the edit button to edit). If you can see the edit button, just use that to go into your message and delete the photobucket links and upload your photo files.

Ooh! I just fixed mine! I deleted the original photo from the photobucket account, which fixed the text run-off issue. Then I was able to go in and edit my post, removing the photobucket link and uploading the correctly sized picture. I had to use the "go advanced" button to add the attachment.

Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any more questions. I feel so tech-y now (this is all actually quite impressive for me - I am on beaucoup drugs for this viral bronchitis/asthma thing I have been fighting. Mac help from a codeine and steroid-addled pearl lover: you can't find it just anywhere...)

[knotty panda]

Oh Boo! You are sick! My last attack of that was when I was home. Haven't had it since my family insisted I move down here. Take such good care of yourself! That is some nasty stuff to get over.

[Pearl Dreams]

Thanks for the info, Boo! I'll tackle it this weekend--today my husband and I are off to an Intergem show

[mikehrz]

How to add images to a post as attachments:

From the "Post New Thread" or "Reply to Thread" screen, scroll down until you see the button labeled "Manage Attachments" and click on it.

This will bring up the window pictured below. First, click the "Browse" button, then find the file on your computer's hard drive. Find the picture you want to attach and click the "Open" button. Then click the "Upload" button. A list of the pictures you have attached will be displayed. You can click the "Remove" button next to any picture to cancel attaching it. You can click "Browse" again to add more pictures. When you are finished, click "Close this window." You should see a list of the attached images above the "Manage Attachments" button. You can now finish typing your post.

Once your post with attached images is posted, the images will be displayed beneath the body of your post, like this one:

[jerin]

Great help, thanks!