Including images with your posts can add information, impact, fun and even underscore a point. And more and more CHFB members are adding not only images, but even animations.
I am far from an expert, but let me kick things off by offering a general guide on ...
HOW TO POST AN IMAGE
-- Images can be scanned from books or magazines, or found on websites.
-- When you scan something, set the parameters on your scanner for the setting that says 'save for the Web' or something similar. The setting is usually 70-96 dpi.
That makes sure the image is small enough to open quickly on everyone's browser.
-- NOTE: If you are printing a scan or photo for a glossy print, you would set it at 300 or 2400 dpi or much much higher -- a huge file unsuitable for the Web. So keep the dpi's (That means pixel per inch), at 70-96.
-- If you find an image on the Web (through Google's Image search, for example), you need to 'capture' the image. That means you have to copy that image -- or the portion you want -- and save or download it to your computer as a .tiff or .jpg file.
-- There are many applications that do this. You can either take a snapshot of the screen, with the image you want open, and then edit out the rest of the screen. Or you can use an application that allows you to select and crop the photo and download it to your computer.
-- I have a Mac and use a free application called 'Grab,' which allows me to place a horizontal box just around the part of the picture I want. I'm sure PCs have a similar application.
-- Once an image is highlighted or selected, you download that image as a .tiff or .jpg file. You name it and you now have that image on your computer. You don't need the website where you got it anymore.
-- So after scanning a file, or capturing a file, you should have a file on your computer. (Rondo.jpg would be an example of a file containing a Rondo Hatton image).
-- Then you can edit it (crop it, flip it, colorize it, reduce it), in an imaging program such as Photoshop, Illustrator or even the simplest photo editing application.
-- When you are done, make sure you save it finally as a Web-sized file. No more than 96 dpi or 'Save for the Web' if your application says that.
-- NOTE: If your application allows you to resize the image digitally, please try to keep the physical image 500 pixels or smaller across. (That number is an actual width, not a 'per-inch' setting like above).
If it gets much wider than 500 pixels (five or six inches across), it stretches the Website and that's why some posts can't be read horizontally without scrolling. A stretched out thread means a too-big photo has been posted somewhere on the page and it is stretching everybody's post. (In other words, don't post an 8x10 photo full-size; reduce it first).
NOTE 2: The image file, if saved 'for the Web' should be a small file: 8 kb or 20 kb is about right.
-- Anyhow, what happens next is neat. You basically take your image and send it up to the Web as an url. In other word, you find a hosting Website, and send it there. That way, everyone on the planet can open that image if they have the address of your image.
-- You can upload your image to your AOL free webspace, or to your .mac webspace, or any other website storage area you have. If you do that, the downside is that YOU are hosting it and using up your own webspace.
-- Much better is a place called Image Shack (imageshack.com). This is a free hosting site. Almost every image on the CHFB is hosted through imageshack or something similar.
-- You go to Imageshack, and you'll see a box that says 'Browse.' You hit that and navigate on YOUR computer to the image you want to upload, in this case rondo.jpg. You find it on the desktop or in a folder if you've saved it there. Click after you've found it.
The browse window will show a path to YOUR computer (because it's going to take it and host it online).
-- There is a button called 'Host it!' Once you've browsed to your file, hit 'Host it' and Imageshack will reach into your computer and upload your (hopefully), Web-ready image and place it online.
-- Imageshack then gives you a list of six or seven various sizes and choices (thumbnails sizes of your image, full sizes, etc). Each one is an actual web address where your file, in this case, rondo.jpg now exists.
-- I usually go to the last one listed (it says something like 'Link directly to image'). Each one has an address, or an url.
-- I copy that url, leaving it in memory or opening a small text file someplace and saving it there.
-- I then go to CHFB to post a new message.
-- When I get to the spot where I want my image to appear, I type out EZBoard's image command (the word image, surrounded by [] brackets, then the url I saved, then the word /image, again surrounded by brackets [] ). As below:
In this case, my rondo image exists at imageshack as:
http://img373.imageshack.us/img373/9823/rondo6sp.jpg
-- I put that url (above) between the image and /image commands (remembering to put brackets [] around image and brackets [] around /image -- I can't type the brackets here because it sets off the command!).
-- When the post appears, the image SHOULD show up, as below:
-- The image will stay there as long as imageshack stays in business (hopefully forever). You don't need the image file on your computer after you've uploaded it and you can safely discard it once you have uploaded it.
But remember, please save the images from 70-96 dpi (using the scan or image setting that says 'for the Web'), and please make sure the physical width isn't much wider than 500 pixels -- or visually, no wider than the post itself).
There are many members here who know this stuff way better than I. But once you get it down, you can do this in less than a couple minutes.
Did any of that make sense?
Also, I'm sure there are others who can explain this more easily, or who have discovered ways to do it more easily. Feel free to discuss...
david (the non-computer geek!)
I am far from an expert, but let me kick things off by offering a general guide on ...
HOW TO POST AN IMAGE
-- Images can be scanned from books or magazines, or found on websites.
-- When you scan something, set the parameters on your scanner for the setting that says 'save for the Web' or something similar. The setting is usually 70-96 dpi.
That makes sure the image is small enough to open quickly on everyone's browser.
-- NOTE: If you are printing a scan or photo for a glossy print, you would set it at 300 or 2400 dpi or much much higher -- a huge file unsuitable for the Web. So keep the dpi's (That means pixel per inch), at 70-96.
-- If you find an image on the Web (through Google's Image search, for example), you need to 'capture' the image. That means you have to copy that image -- or the portion you want -- and save or download it to your computer as a .tiff or .jpg file.
-- There are many applications that do this. You can either take a snapshot of the screen, with the image you want open, and then edit out the rest of the screen. Or you can use an application that allows you to select and crop the photo and download it to your computer.
-- I have a Mac and use a free application called 'Grab,' which allows me to place a horizontal box just around the part of the picture I want. I'm sure PCs have a similar application.
-- Once an image is highlighted or selected, you download that image as a .tiff or .jpg file. You name it and you now have that image on your computer. You don't need the website where you got it anymore.
-- So after scanning a file, or capturing a file, you should have a file on your computer. (Rondo.jpg would be an example of a file containing a Rondo Hatton image).
-- Then you can edit it (crop it, flip it, colorize it, reduce it), in an imaging program such as Photoshop, Illustrator or even the simplest photo editing application.
-- When you are done, make sure you save it finally as a Web-sized file. No more than 96 dpi or 'Save for the Web' if your application says that.
-- NOTE: If your application allows you to resize the image digitally, please try to keep the physical image 500 pixels or smaller across. (That number is an actual width, not a 'per-inch' setting like above).
If it gets much wider than 500 pixels (five or six inches across), it stretches the Website and that's why some posts can't be read horizontally without scrolling. A stretched out thread means a too-big photo has been posted somewhere on the page and it is stretching everybody's post. (In other words, don't post an 8x10 photo full-size; reduce it first).
NOTE 2: The image file, if saved 'for the Web' should be a small file: 8 kb or 20 kb is about right.
-- Anyhow, what happens next is neat. You basically take your image and send it up to the Web as an url. In other word, you find a hosting Website, and send it there. That way, everyone on the planet can open that image if they have the address of your image.
-- You can upload your image to your AOL free webspace, or to your .mac webspace, or any other website storage area you have. If you do that, the downside is that YOU are hosting it and using up your own webspace.
-- Much better is a place called Image Shack (imageshack.com). This is a free hosting site. Almost every image on the CHFB is hosted through imageshack or something similar.
-- You go to Imageshack, and you'll see a box that says 'Browse.' You hit that and navigate on YOUR computer to the image you want to upload, in this case rondo.jpg. You find it on the desktop or in a folder if you've saved it there. Click after you've found it.
The browse window will show a path to YOUR computer (because it's going to take it and host it online).
-- There is a button called 'Host it!' Once you've browsed to your file, hit 'Host it' and Imageshack will reach into your computer and upload your (hopefully), Web-ready image and place it online.
-- Imageshack then gives you a list of six or seven various sizes and choices (thumbnails sizes of your image, full sizes, etc). Each one is an actual web address where your file, in this case, rondo.jpg now exists.
-- I usually go to the last one listed (it says something like 'Link directly to image'). Each one has an address, or an url.
-- I copy that url, leaving it in memory or opening a small text file someplace and saving it there.
-- I then go to CHFB to post a new message.
-- When I get to the spot where I want my image to appear, I type out EZBoard's image command (the word image, surrounded by [] brackets, then the url I saved, then the word /image, again surrounded by brackets [] ). As below:
In this case, my rondo image exists at imageshack as:
http://img373.imageshack.us/img373/9823/rondo6sp.jpg
-- I put that url (above) between the image and /image commands (remembering to put brackets [] around image and brackets [] around /image -- I can't type the brackets here because it sets off the command!).
-- When the post appears, the image SHOULD show up, as below:
-- The image will stay there as long as imageshack stays in business (hopefully forever). You don't need the image file on your computer after you've uploaded it and you can safely discard it once you have uploaded it.
But remember, please save the images from 70-96 dpi (using the scan or image setting that says 'for the Web'), and please make sure the physical width isn't much wider than 500 pixels -- or visually, no wider than the post itself).
There are many members here who know this stuff way better than I. But once you get it down, you can do this in less than a couple minutes.
Did any of that make sense?
Also, I'm sure there are others who can explain this more easily, or who have discovered ways to do it more easily. Feel free to discuss...
david (the non-computer geek!)
