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Posting Pictures...

A common question that pops up from time to time has to do with posting pictures. I personally had no clue what I was doing when I first joined the forum. As a result, I am hoping to create a crude guide to do so. There are basically three steps. First, you need to find a site to host your pictures at. There are a large number of sites that provide this service for free. A quick google search turned up the following;
http://imageshack.us/
http://tinypic.com/
http://www.flickr.com/
http://photobucket.com/
...and the list goes on and on.

The only one that I have experience with is Photobucket and therefore I will be using this host in my guide. You may find that another host fits your particular style or needs. Feel free to shop around so to speak. I chose Photobucket simply because it was the first one that was suggested to me.
Once you have chosen a host you can then upload your images. These sites tend to provide you with some type of basic editing platform, which will allow you to crop, re-size, etc.
After uploading your images all you have to do is post them onto THP.

Let's get started.

The first step is to register at the image hosting site you have chosen. As I previously stated, I will be using Photobucket. To register go to http://photobucket.com/ and click on any of the "Join Now!" tabs. They will bring you to the screen below.

step1.jpg


From what I remember, the registration process was fairly straight forward. If you have any difficulties feel free to Private Message me or post a question here.


Once you have registered you can begin uploading images. Using your E-mail or username along with you password you can log into your account. We will get to the uploading process in a minute but I think there are a few important things that should be pointed out. I would recommend creating separate Albums within your account to keep things organized; however, this is not necessary. If you want you can upload everything to the same location. This can become problematic if you ever decide to organize your photos. If you move the image, even within your account, they will no longer appear here on THP. You will understand why a little later on.

When you sign in you will see a screen similar to the one below. You want to first make sure that "My Computer" is selected under the word "From:." It should be set as the default. You can then click on the "Upload images and videos" tab.

step2.jpg


A new window will pop up as seen below.

step2b-1.jpg


Do not be alarmed if the new window does not display the images you wanted to post. You may have to navigate through your computer files, via that window, to find where you saved your images. Once you have found the images you can click on them and hit "Open" on the bottom right-hand side of that window. The images will begin to upload as seen below.

step3.jpg


You can upload images individually, but I prefer to select several at once. To do this simply click on an image file with your mouse, press and hold the "shift" key, and select the other images by either clicking on them or selecting them with the directional buttons.
 
Continued...

When your images have been uploaded a new page will appear as seen below.

step4.jpg


There is only one image in the above screenshot. If I had uploaded more than one there would have been several stacked vertically. If you wish, you can add a title, comments, etc but you can also adds these in later if you choose to do so. To save the images to your account click on the "Save & Return to Album" tab.
Once the images have saved you will be directed to the page below. The uploading process is COMPLETE.

step5.jpg


While it is not required for posting, I would recommend resizing your images so they are a bit easier to view within people's browsers. You can do this by clicking on the word "Edit" as seen in the screenshot above. You will be directed to the page below.
Click on the "Resize" button.

step6.jpg


I find it easiest to select a size from the "Preset Sizes:" drop down menu. Lately I have been selecting "Large (640x480)" but medium has worked for me in the past as well. I think your size decision will be based on what you are trying to show within the picture. You can also customize your own size if you want.

step7.jpg
 
Continued...

Once you have selected the size you want, click on the "Replace original" tab as seen below.

Step7b.jpg


The following page will appear displaying your image. Click on the linked text to return to where the image is saved. As you can see,I have the below image saved in an album titled "2010 Germination."

step8.jpg


You will be directed to a page similar to the one below and should see the image you just resized. The image is now ready to be posted here at THP. To do so, hover your mouse over the image. A menu will appear below the image. Slide your mouse down to the "IMG Code" field and click once. The text in the IMG Code field will become highlighted. Right mouse click on the highlighted text and select "Copy" from the menu that appears.

step9.jpg


Proceed to the thread on THP where you want to post the image. Right mouse click in the message field. A menu will appear as seen below. Select "Paste."

step10.jpg
 
Continued...

If you are creating a new thread, such as a grow log, select the "Submit New Thread" tab to post your message. If you are posting within a preexisting thread, the tab will say "Post Quick Reply."

step11.jpg


Congratulations, you have successfully posted your image.

step12.jpg



While it is not necessary, I usually also reduce the size of the image files BEFORE I upload them to Photobucket. Doing so is helpful to members with dial-up modems. The smaller the image files the faster they load. To do this, I use Ulead Smart Saver Pro. If you have any questions or need assistance feel free to Private Message me or post in this thread. Thanks for sticking with me through the whole process.
 
While my directions may be a bit rough around the edges, the guide is basically all there. If you have any suggestions or comments let me know. I am sure there are spelling and grammar mistakes but I am too lazy to go back through it at the moment.
 
It was very nice of you to take the time to put together such a nice tutorial, very generous of you. I've used Zenfolio for years, and of course the method would be slightly different but the conept on posting is the same.
Regards,
Bill
 
BillC said:
It was very nice of you to take the time to put together such a nice tutorial, very generous of you. I've used Zenfolio for years, and of course the method would be slightly different but the conept on posting is the same.
Regards,
Bill

Thanks for the kind words.
Yep your right and I would encourage everyone to find host's and programs that work best for them.
 
Josh- thanks for the pic tutorial.

I discovered one feature yesterday while trying to send some pics in a PM. The pics I uploaded kept showing up TINY size, I had at sometime set something as TINY. I finally found where you can set it to always upload to a certain size.

In the blue "Upload Photos & Images" box, right below the blue button it says "Use CTRL to upload multiple images (more options)". Click on the (more options) and you can select a size. It will automatically size your uploaded photos to medium or large. It saves you having to resize every photo individually.

Since Josh shows editing to the large size in Photobucket, I'm assuming that large is the preferred size for this forum. (we all know what happens when you assUme something, so hopefully Josh will confirm or deny that assumtion) :)
 
Thanks for the tip Salsalady. I will be sure to do that in the future.
In regards to the picture size, I don't know what is preferred. I have been using the large. Hopefully they are appearing on everyone's monitors without having to scroll over.
 
great tutorial Josh...pretty easy to follow...

I use PowerPoint, Paint, and Microsoft Picture Manager to do my editing...probably like driving a tack with a sledge hammer but this is the way I first found out how to do the editing and am still using it...

I download my images to my desktop...then open a new powerpoint file and drag the downloaded images to the new file...I then arrange the photos on the page how ever I want them...after I get them arranged, I "select all", then group them...then I copy that group to a paint file so I can save it as a jpg file...I then open the file with Windows Picture viewer and crop here if I need to...after I get the photo how I want it, I open Microsoft Picture manager and use the edit functions there....one of the main functions I use here are the compress feature. If you want to keep your original, make sure you make a copy first before editing (good idea any time)...I use the "document" size for compression...will take a 1 meg file to about 150-200K....makes it easier for people that still have dial up to download...
 
AlabamaJack said:
great tutorial Josh...pretty easy to follow...

I use PowerPoint, Paint, and Microsoft Picture Manager to do my editing...probably like driving a tack with a sledge hammer but this is the way I first found out how to do the editing and am still using it...

I download my images to my desktop...then open a new powerpoint file and drag the downloaded images to the new file...I then arrange the photos on the page how ever I want them...after I get them arranged, I "select all", then group them...then I copy that group to a paint file so I can save it as a jpg file...I then open the file with Windows Picture viewer and crop here if I need to...after I get the photo how I want it, I open Microsoft Picture manager and use the edit functions there....one of the main functions I use here are the compress feature. If you want to keep your original, make sure you make a copy first before editing (good idea any time)...I use the "document" size for compression...will take a 1 meg file to about 150-200K....makes it easier for people that still have dial up to download...

Thanks AJ. I would encourage everyone to use what they are most comfortable with. I use photbucket, not because I think it is superior, but simply because that is how I have been doing it. Thanks for explaining your method. I hope others follow your example and post how they do it. This way people can choose what way works for them.
 
Excellent tutorial Josh. I might point out that if you "left" click the image code on photobucket it automatically copies the code to your clipboard. That saves a few clicks. :)

I use Ulead Smartsaver Pro to crop, resize, and web optimize my pics before uploading to photobucket and I use Paint Shop Pro for adding text, or creating a collage.
 
Thanks for the tip as well as for giving the thread a bump. Hopefully some newer users will find it useful.
 
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