Image Posting

[KenS]

I'm going to post some notes I made on the different ways to use images in posts (which I'll edit if things change or I learn different from my current ideas) and then add a second post to comment on bugs and desired features in this area.  Others are encouraged to use this topic to share their views.

 

Uploading, linking and attaching images

When composing a message, there are multiple ways to include images with your posts. Note that images may be resized and compressed to fit the forum's requirements.

The largest image supported appears to be 1200x800. Smaller images will be stored in their actual size, while larger ones will be scaled to this size. In all cases, thumbnails will be the same (much smaller) size.

The only way to have an image appear inline larger than a thumbnail is to link to an external server using the "Image" icon in the editor (4.3 below).

 

Methods
1. Upload to the forum as part of a post:

At the bottom of the forum, click Browse, find the image on your computer, and click Attach This File to upload it.  The rotating icon will display while it is loaded, but you can continue editing while it does.  Once loaded, it appears in a list of images below the composition window.

1.1. Do nothing else, and the image appears at the bottom of the message body as one of the "Attached Thumbnails".

1.2. After uploading, position the insertion cursor (i.e., click) in the text where you want the image to appear and then, on the image line, click Add to Post and the image will appear inline as a thumbnail.


2. Upload to the forum as part of a gallery:

(I haven't tried this yet)


3. Use a previously uploaded image of yours (either prior attachments or gallery images):

3.1 Position the insertion cursor (i.e., click) in the text where you want the image to appear. Click My Media at top of composition window, select which category on images to use, click on an image. A "sharedmedia" link appears in the text. Click Finished to close the media window. The image will appear inline as a thumbnail.


4. Link to an image elsewhere.

4.1. Paste (or type) a URL into the text without html codes. The URL appears as a clickable link to the image.

4.2. Type some text where you want the image to appear and select it. Click the Link icon above the message window (looks like a chain). Paste or type the URL into the field in the window and click Ok. The text you typed appears as a URL to the image.

4.3. Position the insertion cursor (i.e., click) in the text where you want the image to appear. Click the Image icon above the message window (looks like a photograph). Paste or type the URL into the window that appears and click Ok. The image appears as a large-size inline image.

Edit: typo correction

Edited January 2, 2013 by KenS

[Martijn Meerts]

Thanks for posting this. Once the gallery actually works like it should, you can also link to gallery images and even to complete gallery albums. I actually hope people will be using the new gallery more than the old one, this one is really a lot better and looks good to boot :)

 

[KenS]

Okay, now for comments:

 

Uploading is really slow, even for an image below the forum's apparent native size (e.g., 1024x680).  The rotating icon shows that something's happening, but some kind of "progress bar" or "bytes uploaded" counter, so we know the browser hasn't just hung, would be really nice.

 

I'm a bit concerned that the default is "unlimited uploads".  This seems like an avenue spammers could exploit, and even if they were later deleted it's going to put a load on things.  Some posters, like Grant, have a legitimate reason to post lots of images. And I don't like treating "newbies" different based on post count; it just encourages more meaningless posts (the reason we don't show post counts in the first place). But perhaps there should be a limit based on calendar. E.g., someone is limited to X images per message until two weeks after their first post. Any spammer will be removed before then, unless they're a clever one, and if they are, we're only back to the current status anyway.

 

I notice that there are three basic image sizes here: the thumbnail, the size displayed when you click on a thumbnail, and the fullsize version you get when you click "save" on the second type.  Thumbnails are tiny, and I think that's good, but what's missing (short of linking to external images) is a way to see multiple large images inline (similar to what you got on the old system if you clicked thumbnails).  I'd like to have some way to see the middle size images inline.  To avoid unnecessary server load, I think having thumbnails displayed is the right thing, but once I'm looking at a message, if I want to click several images and get the larger size (for comparisons, or looking at different views of a circuit board, or similar), I'd like to be able to do that.

 

Let me suggest an approach:

1. thumbnails display as currently done.

2.a. clicking a thumbnail displays either the larger size or the current overlay format (based on the users profile choice)

2.b. right-clicking a thumbnail (control-click for us Mac folks) displays the form not chosen in the profile

3. if clicking the thumbnail gave an inline middle-size image, clicking it again gives the overlay form

 

A way to get to the overlay view is necessary, since that's how "Save" and viewing the largest possible size are done. By setting the default to be "clicking on thumbnail gives overlay view" then current/new users won't see a change, but any of us who want to see an intermediate large inline image can do do.

 

Also, the middle-size images all seem to be a fixed size, but it's a bit small for larger monitors.  Is there or could there be a way for an individual to customize these, or are they stored internally in a prescaled one-size-for-all? I can live with the current size, but it seems a bit small.

[john_ibw]

Thank you KenS for posting this!

 

Martijn, when is the gallery feature being turned on?

 

John

[Mr Frosty]

I have always preferred having images stored elsewhere (photobucket etc) and having full size images in the posts.

 

This saves using forum bandwidth for hosting and has multiple fullsize images ready for viewing without having to click on thumbnails.

[Densha]

I don't really understand why external images are opened in the viewer; the image size doesn't change anyway.

[Martijn Meerts]

John, the gallery is activated now, so it's ready for testing (I wouldn't be surprised if more bugs would show up ;))

 

Frosty, I'm the completely opposite with external image hosting :) I tend to close the window pretty much directly when I notice an image is on one of the photosites, because most of them are flooded with annoying commercials..

 

We also have plenty space and bandwidth, so a few images isn't a problem.

[Densha]

Not when you only show the picture instead of the link, like Ken did with a picture of his own website: http://www.jnsforum.com/community/topic/6887-test-posts-only/?do=findComment&comment=76929

I use adblock anyway, but photobucket is fairly clean compared to others.

Problem solved.

[KenS]

My problem with photobucket and similar services is that the photo probably won't be there three years from now.  We have a number of still-relevant threads from 2009 pointing to blank images saying things like "see how it's done", which I find really frustrating.

[Densha]

I don't think photobucket deleted files from normal accounts, there should be a reason as to why it happens; I've had my free photobucket account for years and never one image got deleted. Maybe people deleted theirs? Other services without accounts normally delete files after a certain period of time, that's why I don't use them.

It would be great if someone could clear this up though!

[KenS]

You are probably right that it's the original owner of the photo who did it (the filler photobucket sends says "Sorry, this person moved or deleted this image"), but regardless of why it happens, it leaves a hole in the middle of the thread.  I ran across a number of these the other day when I was updating links from my site to "relevant" pages on the forum (all the URLs changed with the new software), and some of those pages aren't really relevant any more.