"How To" - Adding Pictures to Your Post

[Terry]

FAQ - Adding Pictures to Your Post

I. The Easy Way - Uploading Attachments
II. Linking Images from Websites
III. Advanced Picture Sharing
IV. Resizing Pictures

Want to practice posting a picture? Do it in the "Count to 1 Million" thread over in the Campfire Chat!

[Terry]

I. The Easy Way - Uploading Attachments

The simplest and easiest way to add pictures to your post is by using the upload feature. The advantages to this feature are: 1) pictures are stored in the forum, 2) they are automatically resized to the optimal size for web browsing, 3) Quick and easy. The main disadvantage to using the attachment feature is that you only see a small thumbnail in the posting unless you click on the thumbnail.

In order to upload a picture to the forum, follow these steps:

1. Start or reply to an existing post in advanced mode (if you see a button that says "Advanced Mode" - press it!)
2. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and press the button that says "Manage Attachments"





3. Next you will be prompted to select your files (1), once you have selected your files press "Upload" (2), and finally hit "Close This Window" once all files have been uploaded (3).




4. Press the "Preview Post" button and verify that your attachments are now at the bottom of your post

[Terry]

II. Linking Images from Websites

Many people like to "embed" pictures with posts. It is very easy to use pictures from other web sites, picture sharing sites (such as Photobucket or Snapfish), Facebook, etc. Instead of having thumbnails at the bottom of the page, pictures can be used throughout the post (that is how these FAQs were done).

A few cautions:
1. Do not link to extremely large pictures. Many people on this site are camping and may be using a slower connection or be restricted on the amount of data they can use.
2. Do not link too many pictures in your post for the same reason as above.
3. Be respectful of copyrighted images

Steps to link to a picture.

1. In order to link to another post, open your web browser and find the picture you would like to share.

2. Next you have to copy the web address of the picture into your clipboard.

- For Firefox, right click on the picture and select "Copy Image Location"



- Internet Explorer (IE), is a two step process. First right click on the picture and select "Properties"



Now use your mouse to select the address of the picture, right click again and select "Copy"



(Other browsers such as Chrome or Safari will have a similar feature)

3. Start or reply to an existing post in advanced mode (if you see a button that says "Advanced Mode" - press it!)

4. Click on the "Insert Image" icon located at the top of the post. You will then be prompted to enter the URL of the image. At this point you can right click in the box and select "Paste". Select OK and your image will now be in your posting.



5. Click "Preview Post" to ensure your image is showing up properly.

[Terry]

III. Advanced Picture Sharing

Have pictures that you want to publicly share on the web, but do not know how? There are several picture sharing sites out there that members here use such as Photobucket or Snapfish. These sites will allow you to upload pictures and then provide you with a public link to paste into your post.

If you want to go "advanced", I personally recommend a web site called Dropbox. It is a free service for an account that can store up to 2 GB worth of files (paid options are available for larger accounts).

What does dropbox do? In a nutshell it is a place you can upload and store your files on the web. In addition, you can publicly share a file and Dropbox will provide a web link. Files can be synchronized between Windows, Mac, iPhone, Ipad, Android, Blackberry, etc. All the pictures you see in this posting are being stored on Dropbox.



Full details on how to use the site and share files can be found on the Dropbox Web Site
(In full disclosure, I receive extra free space if you use this link)

[Terry]

IV. Resizing Pictures in Windows 7

Resizing pictures using Windows 7 is easy! First find the picture you would like to resize, right click on it and select "Edit"



Next - click on "Resize". A new box will pop up and allow you to change picture sizes. For "web size", click on Pixels and find the largest number (either in the Horizontal or Vertical box). Change the largest number to around 600. You can experiment with these numbers or use the percentages until you get an image that is the size you prefer.



Finally - and very important - do a "SAVE AS" and give your picture a new name. Do not use the "Save" option or you will overwrite your original picture with the new, smaller size.