This is tiresome Mike again .
Something that would help this site a lot would be if someone could write up a start to finish “How to post photos .”
I know I asked before , and John Bouck actually did one for me , and was doing well too , but my computer went PPHHHHTTTT and I lost the lot .
So , how’s about it chaps ? I know it’s not trains , but if it is done , perhaps we would see some more train stuff .
Pretty please ,
Mike
Sniff…I’m hurt… You don’t like the FAQ I helped write? http://www.largescalecentral.com/FAQ/index.php?q_id=4
Well, probably not. The problem is that these kinds of things are better written by someone that doesn’t know how to do it. That way, all the steps are included. Of course, that’s a nice Catch-22! I’m sure I left out lot of details and made lots of assumptions.
However, start there and when you get stuck, of something doesn’t make sense, post it here and we’ll answer the question and get pictures posted.
After we get through it, we should be able to write a FAQ that will truly help!
That FAQ is straight forward.
OTOH if Mike would let us know where he stores the pictures - on the Internet, not which drawer in his dresser! - and what software he uses to process the pictures, then one could write a blow by blow instruction.
BTW Mike, the way it works at our house - my wife is not t-h-a-t keen on computers - I explain it twice, the third time I expect her to write it down step by step on a sheet of paper.
As the Chinese say: The palest ink is better than the best memory!
No, I don’t ask her where she keeps all the How-to tips.
Last I heard, Mike had a Freight Shed.
Does he know how to download to the Shed?
If so, just copy and paste the URL that shows up on the top bar when you see the piture and paste it in your message.
Dave,
OK so he has a “Freight Shed”!
Does he remember how to get the pictures prepped and transfered?
Mike,
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Transfer the pictures from your digicam to your computer - best done by using the date as the directory name.
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Name or number each picture - whatever works for you to remember what the picture is about. Some software will allow you all types of remarks with which to sort/search the pictures.
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Next take each picture and rename it. For instance your “Bus1.jpg” becomes “Bus1_small.jpg”, to do this save the Bus1.jpg by using “Save As” and add the extra _small to the file name.
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Next you resize the picture. The first step is resetting the “resolution” this happens in “resample image” or some such dialogue (depends on the application you use!). For the Internet you select 96dpi resolution. After that you resize the picture to 640 pixels in width. Make sure you keep the same aspect ratio! Save the file!
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Next step is colour correction and brightness adjustment, this again depends on the software you’re using.
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Next is sharpen (if required), after that save and compress.
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Upload to your Freight Shed. One of the Freight Shed users will need to explain that to you, I don’t know if it’s FTP that allows batch uploading or if each image has to be transfered separately.
Summary: You now have two copies of the same image on your puter; one the original fullsize item and two a smaller version for Internet use.
If you treasure your pictures you will also have a back-up copy of the original on a CD or DVD!
Hans,
One comment.
On step four when resizing to 640 pixels wide, you should also maintain aspect ratio. If you don’t the image will likely be distorted.
TonyWalsham said:
Hans,One comment.
On step four when resizing to 640 pixels wide, you should also maintain aspect ratio. If you don’t the image will likely be distorted.
Thanks Tony.
Some things are automatic, despite me getting to look at enough “funny pictures”, “Anti-alias” and “Maintain aspect ratio” are set as “my defaults” in the software I use.
Now THAT helped!! Thanks guys…I have been posting some pics on the chat and forums and some are OK to view and others are a PIA! I hate scrolling to see a pic. This should help me get them done properly.
Thanks Mike! Oh,…and Hans and Bruce and Tony and who else was there? You too! hehehe
Andre’
Right , here’s the problem , in Hans’ post , for which many thanks for the effort , items 1 to 6 I am familiar with , but worth checking --just the sort of write up needed .
John Bouck did me one on the next bit , getting them to the Freight shed . It worked a couple of times ,but two problems
1 I have lost the instructions --I did say I’m a bit stupid , didn’t I ?
2 The instructions John sent had to be modified slightly and it was more luck than good judgement on my part that got it to work . This was due in part to having a computer which threw a wobbly quite regularly . This resulted in slight changes each time I sent a picture .
I can email pictures OK now , using the attachment system . That was a bit more of John’s advice .
I have three photo programmes -
PICASA --a right pig to do anything with , giving its own interests priority whenever asked to do something . Like
email . Only recognises preferred programmes , and not the ones I use (Yahoo and Firefox )
CAMEDIA-Super programme from Olympus , one of my camera makers .
PHOTO IMPRESSION–A thoroughly confusing piece of work , came with the Epson CX 6400 printer .
So , anyone , how do I get from pre-squeezed pics to my Freight Shed ?
I hope to start trying properly soon , as my newly repaired and serviced computer should arrive back tomorrow , after which this one is going to the same bloke who wondered what the hell had landed in his lab when he switched the other on . All down to downloading junk advertised as being bloody wonderful and not worth the money sent .
A small interesting one –
I bought a disc , which advertised that it got UNINSTALLED PROGRAMMES THAT YOU ARE STUCK WITH .
Aha , just the job , sez I .
Can’t be done , sez it , the uninstaller for this programme is not working . Think about that one . I did , and got my money back .
Mike,
There basically are two versions
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FreightShed provides an automated FTP “thingy” (also quite common with the “free” photo hosting places).
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FreightShed lets you use a FTP program, in which case I highly recommend WS_FTP Home (a free download)
Til we hear what’s what, you’re stuck at Step 6.
BTW WS_FTP is really easy to use (yeah, I know it is all relative!), allows you to do what you need to do i.e. create directories, moving files, renaming files, deleting files and all that good stuff. BUT the best part is: it is almost guaranteed to work when all the “auto stuff” acts up. That’s why I got it in the first place some 5 years ago.
I have a Mac. Can I do the same thing? And can I use Photoshop?
Well , it ain’t free , that’s a cert . I have downloaded it for a trial period . It looks hideously complicated , but perhaps their instructions are better after a few reads .
I shall try .
The thing is , I had none of this to do it when John told me how to . There were about 15 steps , and as I said to him at the time , it was "Magic "
Mike
I downloaded “gimp” http://www.gimp.org a few weeks ago and I’m starting to get to know it. But I think I like Paint Shop Pro better.
Doug Arnold said:Doug,
I have a Mac. Can I do the same thing? And can I use Photoshop?
It certainly works with Adobe Photo Elements (Photoshop Very Lite). Adobe also does a nice line-up when you download from the memory card or digicam.
Mikey!!!
Just send me the pics you want posted, give a blurb or 2 about what the hell they are and I will again post them for you.
I use “I Photo Plus4”.
It came with my really old scanner (W95 vintage) and still works just fine with XP Pro.
I was shown how to use it by a friend and wrote down the click by click procedures as I do not find computers very intuitive to use.
I followed my own click by click instructions slavishly until I got used to it.
It is simple, real easy to use and my pics usually turn out OK.
I have to stick with (very) basic colurs such as the primaries, as I am Red/Green/Brown colour blind.
Hey Pod, long time no see! Glad to have you back on the board!
Thanks Bob - I saw this thread and wanted to see how easy it was to post a photo…VERY!