HOW TO ADD PHOTOS TO YOUR POSTING
1. PREPARE YOUR PHOTOS
The first task is to have the photos as image files on your computer that web browsers can read. The JPG or .jpg file format is probably best for photos. For graphics or other items a .png format will be better. You will want to make the photos a reasonable size. If they are too big it will be annoying for those with slower connections to the internet or for those viewers that have smaller video displays. About 600 pixels wide by 400 pixels high is a good maximum.
If you have hardcopy photos (or magazine articles or service bulletin pieces) and a scanner, use your scanner software to scan the photo. Most scanners also come with some photo editing software and a TWAIN feature with the software to import photos from the scanner directly into the editor and you can save them from the editor.
If you have a digital camera, use the software provided with the camera to upload the pictures to your computer. This is often done with a USB cable. If your computer has a memory card reader you can also remove the memory card from your digital camera and insert it into the reader and then transfer the pictures to your hard disk. Then open the pictures with your photo editor.
For photo editing I use Paint Shop Pro 8.1 (I also have version 9.0). With my editor I can crop and resize the photo into something that is presentable and maybe improve the photo quality a bit. Adobe Photoshop Elements also works nicely and often is free with your scanner or digital camera. Elements is also a wiz at cropping and resizing photos in a single operation, which is really nice. Anyway, when you have your photos sized properly save them to your computer in .jpg format. Don't forget, if you make the picture too big it will be difficult to see in the posting easily.
2. FIND A WEB SITE TO PLACE YOUR PHOTOS
This forum does not save or store or upload photos directly from your computer. You must place your photos on the internet someplace else first, either on your own web site (your Internet Service Provider may give you one), or on another photo web site such as Webshots.com. Users of this forum seem to like CarDomain.com. You may have to avoid locations like the new Lincoln Forum.Net Picture Gallery. See the link for it at the top of this (and every) page or go to http://www.thelincolnforum.net/4images/. At these locations, you may not know the URL of your picture by itself after you upload it. The website software may hide it from you. If you right-click on the picture and get a copyright message it may be even more difficult to determine the exact URL of the picture by itself. But even then, if you view the source text that the web site handed your browser to show the page and picture together you can sometimes figure out the picture URL. Here is an example:
When picking a web site to display your photos, and there are dozens to choose from, you'll need to remember a couple of things. First, free is best. Second, pick a location so that others can view your photos without having to log in. No account or login should be needed just to view the pictures. Third, remember that if you remove a picture later on (or the website you've chosen moves it) the picture will also magically disappear from the posting on this forum. Keep maximum size or time restrictions in mind when reviewing the picture site rules. Fourth, be sure you can find the URL of the picture BY ITSELF. Again, the software here does not save the picture. It only has a URL to the picture that you provide elsewhere and you will need to be able to determine the URL.
Upload your picture to your web site or CarDomain.com or whatever using the account and instructions provide by that web site. I use my own web site, but that's just me. CarDomain.com or another location will be fine.
3. TEST VIEW YOUR PICTURE WITH YOUR WEB BROWSER
Once you've uploaded your picture view it with your web browser. Be sure your looking at the web site photo and not one on your hard drive. Open the photo BY ITSELF. View the photo alone so that you can see just the picture and not the entire website. Right click on the photo and open it in a separate window if you need to. Write down the Address (URL) of the photo or use some other method to copy the URL. The URL will likely start with "http" and end with the name of your photo, "something.jpg". You'll need this address when you write your posting and insert your image tag.
4. CREATE YOUR POSTING ON THIS FORUM AND INSERT AN IMAGE TAG
Images and links are added to website text using what are called tags. The tags have a starting and ending bit of text that is not displayed by the browser but instead tells the browser to do something special with the text that is between the tags. For this forum the special tags can be added by just clicking on the tag buttons just above the text entry window. For pictures, the tags are
Insert the starting image tag and then type in the URL of your photo and then click on the IMG* button again to add the closing image tag. After you have added all the images that you want to, each with their own starting and ending image tags and URL, preview the results to make sure everything is working. Then hit the submit button to exit the editor window and return to the topic.
ABOVE ALL, HAVE FUN
CHRIS
Update: iOS users: If you take a picture with your iPhone or iPad, post them directly from your iCloud photos (AKA. Photo Stream), not the camera roll. The pictures are low enough resolution that the forum can accept them unmodified.
Update #2: Since Photo Stream has been shut down as of 2023, one has to use other features to reduce file size on the forum. One is to use the Reduce File Size feature which is found in Photos.
- Open the image on your iPhone
- Click the share button.
- Scroll down until you see Reduce File Size as a selection. Tap it.
- Drop back a level and check your recents album and check the latest picture. It will be a reduced verion of the pic you just reduced. If it was the last pic, you will see two identical pics. Always pic the most recent one.
- Attach that pic in the attachments tab.
