How to Post and Link Images
Well, class, first a little introduction. My name is Hespithe, and I’m a recovering paintaholic. I like to make ugly and bland things prettier and more interesting (depending upon your point of view, I suppose). Now, as I have other responsibilities, I cannot be bothered, no matter how much I might enjoy it, to travel about the world displaying my painted models to all of my adoring fans. No, no, don’t get upset. Please don’t. Here, have a tissue. Now, I’m trying to tell you that there is another way! Yes! Even you, yeah you, my one adoring fan in New Zealand, can view my loverly painted models from the comfort of your own home. And (ta-da!) this is how…
First, has everyone got a digital camera? Um, 45mm camera? Scanner? Ok, has everyone got a computer with Internet connection? Ok. Good. We’ll start there.
Before posting images on the web, the images must be stored on your computer. It’s generally a good idea to be very organized in the storage of your images, as locating them on your hard drive a few days later will be a real pain, otherwise.
Next, using your trusty Internet connection, surf around for photo hosting services, and select one with which you feel comfortable. Might I recommend...
Photobucket– A trusty little site that comes free of charge, up to a point. But, they are very generous and quite helpful. My preferred host.
Whichever host you choose, you must register and login in order to post images to the web. The host will have its own method for selecting and uploading images, and each is rather intuitive and straightforward. As an example, I will walk though the paces necessary to post an image on my Photobucket account. (Using MS WinXP on PC)
1. Open the Photobucket webpage to your account. (If you don’t have one yet, then get registered and prepare to spend some time in detention after class!)
2. Login.
3. Select the Photo Album in which to post the image. – Refer to your host to learn how to create separate albums for different projects.
4. Select the ‘Browse’ option under the ‘Add Pictures’ header. – The selection of this button will automatically open a Window displaying the contents of your hard drive. Locate the image you wish to post and select it by double-clicking, or by clicking and selecting the ‘Open’ option at the lower right of the Window. (Now, aren’t you glad that you’re so organized?) The Window will disappear returning you to the Photobucket website, and your account. The location of your image should now be displayed in the text entry field to the left of the ‘Browse’ button. An option is available to allow you to select and download several images at once, should you so choose.
5. Select the ‘Submit’ button below the ‘Browse’ button to begin the upload.
6. When the upload is complete, Photobucket will announce that the upload has been successful and you will see your image on your Photobucket account.
For those with dial-up, the process will be the same as with DSL/Cable Modem, but will often fail due to slow or prolonged upload speeds. Retry until successful. Picture size and quality directly affect the speed of the upload, but are not the only factors affecting speed. A good rule of thumb is to process the photo before uploading. Usually limiting the size of the image by cropping and setting the length or width (longest of the two) to a maximum of 600 pixels. Photobucket will automatically resize any image it considers too large, though this may not best suit your image.
Once you have an image on your host account, you can then ‘Link’ it or ‘Post’ it to a website.
When ‘Linking’ an image, you’ll need the web address listed on the address bar of
your browser while you are viewing the image. In order to link an image, we’ll need to select the ‘Insert Hyperlink’ ([ http:// ]) button in the ‘Reply’ screen of our forum. Following the instructions in the pop-up Window will require you to copy the address (or URL) of your image from your browser and paste it into the entry field of the Window. Do so, and then select ‘OK’. Now you have the option of entering a name or a title of the page to which you are linking. Usually just a short description of your image will suffice. The text area of the ‘Reply’ screen will now display a jumble of characters (really, it does mean something) that will result in a hyperlink leading to the web page containing your image.
When ‘Posting’, we’ll need to select the ‘Image’ ([ IMG ]) button in the ‘Reply’ screen of our forum. Following the instructions in this pop-up Window will not require you to copy a web page address, but rather the specific address (or URL) of your image. There are many ways of locating this address, but the most trustworthy is to right-click on the image you wish to post and select ‘Properties’. Highlight and copy the address (URL) of the image and paste it into the ‘Image’ pop-up Window, and then select ‘OK’. The text area of the ‘Reply’ screen will again display some hodgepodge of mismatched characters that will, honestly, display an actual real life image in your post. An easier way of obtaining the URL of your image (when using Photobucket as your host) is to ensure that each image has the URL link displayed beneath it in your Photo Album. This can be achieved by selecting the appropriate options in the Photobucket User’s Account Options. You’ll need to login to Photobucket to access these options.
Photobucket also gives its users the option to add thumbnailed images directly into forum posts. When you have the pictures uploaded into your Photobucket account, and are logged in, select the pictures you wish to display by checking the small boxes beneath each picture icon. Once you've checked all that apply, click the Generated HTML, EBay and IMG Code tab at the bottom right of the page. This will bring you to a new window where all the coding has been done for you in a number of applications, one of which we'll use most often when posting larger images. The third box of code will list all that is necessary to post clickable thumbnails of your images into your posts. Just copy and paste this code into your post and your viewers will be able to see your images, no matter the size, without violating board restrictions.
Just a few comments on linking and posting images. Generally, you are more than welcome to post your images in your posts. Most sites encourage this, as ours does. Posting other’s images, on the other hand, is a fairly severe breach of web etiquette. Unless you have the permission of the artist/owner of the images you intend to post, it is better to link to these images. Always, in any case, when posting images that are not your own, or of your own efforts, ensure that proper credit is given in the same post with the images. Please do not require board moderators to alter your posts in order to comply with other’s legal rights.
As for processing your images, there are many options. Many digital cameras have options to process images before they ever upload to your computer. Also many programs, including some that come standard with operating systems, will allow you to process your images before uploading to your web host.
When photographing models, taking the picture as close to the model as possible while remaining clarity is a must. Good diffuse lighting is also required. I can give tips on image taking, but a tutorial is a bit beyond my knowledge. Any takers? No? Well, class dismissed!
Well, class, first a little introduction. My name is Hespithe, and I’m a recovering paintaholic. I like to make ugly and bland things prettier and more interesting (depending upon your point of view, I suppose). Now, as I have other responsibilities, I cannot be bothered, no matter how much I might enjoy it, to travel about the world displaying my painted models to all of my adoring fans. No, no, don’t get upset. Please don’t. Here, have a tissue. Now, I’m trying to tell you that there is another way! Yes! Even you, yeah you, my one adoring fan in New Zealand, can view my loverly painted models from the comfort of your own home. And (ta-da!) this is how…
First, has everyone got a digital camera? Um, 45mm camera? Scanner? Ok, has everyone got a computer with Internet connection? Ok. Good. We’ll start there.
Before posting images on the web, the images must be stored on your computer. It’s generally a good idea to be very organized in the storage of your images, as locating them on your hard drive a few days later will be a real pain, otherwise.
Next, using your trusty Internet connection, surf around for photo hosting services, and select one with which you feel comfortable. Might I recommend...
Photobucket– A trusty little site that comes free of charge, up to a point. But, they are very generous and quite helpful. My preferred host.
Whichever host you choose, you must register and login in order to post images to the web. The host will have its own method for selecting and uploading images, and each is rather intuitive and straightforward. As an example, I will walk though the paces necessary to post an image on my Photobucket account. (Using MS WinXP on PC)
1. Open the Photobucket webpage to your account. (If you don’t have one yet, then get registered and prepare to spend some time in detention after class!)
2. Login.
3. Select the Photo Album in which to post the image. – Refer to your host to learn how to create separate albums for different projects.
4. Select the ‘Browse’ option under the ‘Add Pictures’ header. – The selection of this button will automatically open a Window displaying the contents of your hard drive. Locate the image you wish to post and select it by double-clicking, or by clicking and selecting the ‘Open’ option at the lower right of the Window. (Now, aren’t you glad that you’re so organized?) The Window will disappear returning you to the Photobucket website, and your account. The location of your image should now be displayed in the text entry field to the left of the ‘Browse’ button. An option is available to allow you to select and download several images at once, should you so choose.
5. Select the ‘Submit’ button below the ‘Browse’ button to begin the upload.
6. When the upload is complete, Photobucket will announce that the upload has been successful and you will see your image on your Photobucket account.
For those with dial-up, the process will be the same as with DSL/Cable Modem, but will often fail due to slow or prolonged upload speeds. Retry until successful. Picture size and quality directly affect the speed of the upload, but are not the only factors affecting speed. A good rule of thumb is to process the photo before uploading. Usually limiting the size of the image by cropping and setting the length or width (longest of the two) to a maximum of 600 pixels. Photobucket will automatically resize any image it considers too large, though this may not best suit your image.
Once you have an image on your host account, you can then ‘Link’ it or ‘Post’ it to a website.
When ‘Linking’ an image, you’ll need the web address listed on the address bar of
your browser while you are viewing the image. In order to link an image, we’ll need to select the ‘Insert Hyperlink’ ([ http:// ]) button in the ‘Reply’ screen of our forum. Following the instructions in the pop-up Window will require you to copy the address (or URL) of your image from your browser and paste it into the entry field of the Window. Do so, and then select ‘OK’. Now you have the option of entering a name or a title of the page to which you are linking. Usually just a short description of your image will suffice. The text area of the ‘Reply’ screen will now display a jumble of characters (really, it does mean something) that will result in a hyperlink leading to the web page containing your image.
When ‘Posting’, we’ll need to select the ‘Image’ ([ IMG ]) button in the ‘Reply’ screen of our forum. Following the instructions in this pop-up Window will not require you to copy a web page address, but rather the specific address (or URL) of your image. There are many ways of locating this address, but the most trustworthy is to right-click on the image you wish to post and select ‘Properties’. Highlight and copy the address (URL) of the image and paste it into the ‘Image’ pop-up Window, and then select ‘OK’. The text area of the ‘Reply’ screen will again display some hodgepodge of mismatched characters that will, honestly, display an actual real life image in your post. An easier way of obtaining the URL of your image (when using Photobucket as your host) is to ensure that each image has the URL link displayed beneath it in your Photo Album. This can be achieved by selecting the appropriate options in the Photobucket User’s Account Options. You’ll need to login to Photobucket to access these options.
Photobucket also gives its users the option to add thumbnailed images directly into forum posts. When you have the pictures uploaded into your Photobucket account, and are logged in, select the pictures you wish to display by checking the small boxes beneath each picture icon. Once you've checked all that apply, click the Generated HTML, EBay and IMG Code tab at the bottom right of the page. This will bring you to a new window where all the coding has been done for you in a number of applications, one of which we'll use most often when posting larger images. The third box of code will list all that is necessary to post clickable thumbnails of your images into your posts. Just copy and paste this code into your post and your viewers will be able to see your images, no matter the size, without violating board restrictions.
Just a few comments on linking and posting images. Generally, you are more than welcome to post your images in your posts. Most sites encourage this, as ours does. Posting other’s images, on the other hand, is a fairly severe breach of web etiquette. Unless you have the permission of the artist/owner of the images you intend to post, it is better to link to these images. Always, in any case, when posting images that are not your own, or of your own efforts, ensure that proper credit is given in the same post with the images. Please do not require board moderators to alter your posts in order to comply with other’s legal rights.
As for processing your images, there are many options. Many digital cameras have options to process images before they ever upload to your computer. Also many programs, including some that come standard with operating systems, will allow you to process your images before uploading to your web host.
When photographing models, taking the picture as close to the model as possible while remaining clarity is a must. Good diffuse lighting is also required. I can give tips on image taking, but a tutorial is a bit beyond my knowledge. Any takers? No? Well, class dismissed!
