How to prepare and post photographs/images Options

[Mika]

How to Format, Resize and Post Images in a Forum Thread

Many members have been asking how to post photographs/images/scanned images, so here is a quick guide to the process using a free online editor to prepare your images, and either of two popular (and free ) services to host them: tinypic and ImageShack.

To add an image to your PePiPoo thread, you need to host it online first. To do this it is recommended that you have a reasonably sized JPEG (.jpg) image.



Step 1: Capture your image

• Scan your images
  

  • First, do not use a PDF (.pdf) or other document format such as Word. If you are scanning, you should be able to choose "save as..." and select the JPEG (.jpg) format. If your scanner will not save in anything other than .pdf, consider using a digital camera instead
  • Please scan your image as 300 DPI and save it as a high quality JPEG, as it will be easier to read
  • If you don't have a scanner, a mobile phone camera in close-up or macro mode can often give good results

• Is your image a reasonable size (500-800 pixels wide) and is it a JPEG? Have you removed personal details? If so, move on to Step 4.
• Is your image too big or is it in a different format to JPEG? Do you need to remove personal details? Do you have no idea what we are on about? Go to Step 2!

Step 2: Decide what details you need to remove

When asked to post a scan of a document you will usually be advised to "wash" or "scrub" it. What this means is that before you post it you should remove any details that would enable whoever issued the document to connect it to you. The reason is fairly obvious: posts in internet forums can be viewed by anyone, including people (e.g. the police, "safety camera" partnerships, private parking companies, councils) who you may not want to read posts discussing your options, what you did (or didn't) do, and what action you intend to take!

Peoples' initial reaction is often that this is simple - remove details like your name, address, registration mark and and driving licence number and the job's done. However the person or organisation issuing the document has all the information about it that you do; can they fill in the blanks using that knowledge? You need to consider a lot more than those obvious details, including:

• How many similar documents might they have sent out with the same details as you've left visible on yours? For example, there will probably only be a handful of parking tickets issued for Wellington Car Park in Basingstoke on 19 February 2009; leave those details in your post and it will be easy to work out which ticket is yours.
• How much time and effort might they put into identifying you? A private parking company after a £50 "fine" probably wouldn't spend more than a few minutes sorting through the "possibles", whereas an SCP with plenty of taxpayers' money to waste might think a couple of days sorting through hundreds of NIPs is worthwhile.
• Do you understand what all the codes in the document mean? That apparently random 7-digit number might mean nothing to you, but it could be a unique reference number that would identify you to whoever came up with it.
• Don't forget any payment slips! That helpful tear-off Giro payment slip almost certainly has unique identifiers on it.
• Don't just focus on individual details. If there are several precise details in the document then individually they may mean nothing, but combined they might be unique to you. Even a sequence of events could be unique enough to allow your case to be located in the pile!

Step 3: Edit your image

• Go to www.pixlr.com
• Click on "Jump In"
• Click on "File" and "Open". Don't use the top file menu! That is your browser's menu. Use the lower one, which is the Pixlr applet menu. This is ringed in the screenshot below:
  
  
  
  
• Browse to the image file you want to edit, and select Open
• Now you should see your image. If you need to crop it, choose the dotted box icon (ringed below) and drag a box around the bit you want to keep
  
  
  
  
• Go to "Image" and "Crop" in the Pixlr menu
• Now we'll obscure your details:
  You need to think carefully about what to leave and what to delete; it's not much use removing your name and registration number if you leave in details such as reference numbers or precise locations, dates and times, for example.
  

  • Choose the dotted box icon, as above
  • Drag it around any area you wish to obscure
  • Press Delete on your keyboard. This means the key which is actually marked "delete" on your keyboard, not the backspace key!
  • Repeat this until all personal details are obscured

• Now we'll set the size. Go to "Image" and "Image Size". Make sure "Constrain proportions" is ticked. If it is a PCN, set the width to 400 pixels. If it's an A4 document, set it to 800. Don't worry about the height. Click OK
• Now we'll save it:
  

  • Go to File - Save (in the Pixlr menu, not the top one!)
  • Choose Format: JPEG
  • Give it a name
  • Click OK

Step 4: Host the image online and insert into your post

TinyPic

1. Image files cannot be larger than 1600 pixels (either width or height). Images that are too large will be automatically resized to the largest acceptable size so don't worry too much about filesizes.
2. Go to www.tinypic.com. You don't have to register unless you want to use some of their extra features, like albums. Please bear in mind that if you choose not to register then you won't be able to remove the image from TinyPic later.
   
   • Select Browse... and find an image that you want to upload.
   • Select that image and press OK/Open.
   • Then press the "Upload Now!" button.
   • After a short while (depending on your image size), you will see a number of boxes with links to your image. The one to use on PePiPoo is the 'IMG Code for Forums & Message Boards' code line. If you select all of that line and then paste it straight into your post on PePiPoo it should show as a full sized image. If the image is too large to fit into the browser window the forum software will automatically scale it to fit, but if that happens the viewer can just click on the image's title bar to see it full size.
   • Do not copy & paste the address from your browser's address bar as this will not work
   • Important - To post the scanned image directly onto the forum , you must have BBCode enabled; (uncheck the box directly below the text box when posting).

ImageShack

1. Filesizes above 1024kb will be automatically resized so don't worry too much about filesizes.
2. Register at www.imageshack.us and follow the registration process.
3. Once you have logged in to ImageShack:
   
   • Click the frog logo or the Upload link to be taken to the front page.
   • Select browse and find an image that you want to upload.
   • Select that image and press OK/Open.
   • Then press the "Host it!" button.
   • After a short while (depending on your image size), you will see a number of boxes with links to your image. The one to use on PePiPoo is the 'Thumbnail for forums (1)' code line. If you select all of that line and then paste it straight into your post on PePiPoo it should show as a small thumbnail image that the viewer can then click on to take them to the full sized image.
   • Do not copy & paste the address from your browser's address bar as this will not work
   • Important - To post the scanned image directly onto the forum , you must have BBCode enabled; (uncheck the box directly below the text box when posting).
4. Also to keep within Imageshacks T&C's then you MUST also do the 'Imageshack' Link part, or do as some others have done and add it to your signature block.

[Advertisement]

[Fredd]

Article Discussion

If you have any comments on the content of this Article, suggested improvements or additions, then please post in this topic. Proposed changes will be reviewed by the original author and/or Moderators and the Article above updated as appropriate.

[Fredd]

Article extended to cover the TinyPic service, in addition to ImageShack.

TinyPic has the advantage that you don't have to register to upload images or videos, and full-size images are displayed in the post.

[Fredd]

Added details from Dave-o's "Totally Awesome" Guide to Image Editing and Posting to describe how to edit images using the free online tool at www.pixlr.com.

[Fredd]

Added advice on removing personally identifiable details before posting.

[mjkerr]

What is the preferred uploaded image size, to prevent resizing?

Step 1 advises 500 to 800 px
Otherwise go to Step 2, but there are no details within Step 2 of the preferred size

More than likely maximum width 800 / height 600?
At the moment my raw images are 3648 x 2056 (as they are HD), but once I know what the maximum limits are I can adjust accordinglu

This post has been edited by mjkerr: Sun, 22 Nov 2009 - 14:19

[Fredd]

If you're directed to Step 2 then you'll next go to Step 3, which does suggest appropriate sizes.

The sections for TinyPic and Imageshack give the limits for each of those services; for TinyPic it's 1600 pixels on any side, for Imageshack a file size of 1Mb.

There isn't any one answer to your question about what size an image should be to prevent resizing (I assume you mean by the forum software), as it depends on the browser window width of each person who views it. However since the great majority of people have screens 1024 pixels wide or above, 800 pixels wide is a sensible image size that wouldn't resize in most peoples' browsers.

[mjkerr]

I tried width of 800, but the images are still getting reduced
Clearly 1600 is also going to be reduced
The limit is being set by the CMS software, not the browser as I am on 1920 x 1080 and the images are being reduced to well within the page margin
It looks to me like the limit is either width 600 and/or height 450

[Fredd]

Having looked at the Javascript that actually does the resizing it appears that I was talking out of my rear end - it scales the image to 50% of the screen width. Although why it should resize an 800 pixel image if you have a 1920 monitor I don't know?

[mjkerr]

The reason it does that it because the page width is defined by the CMS not the screen width
I have compared on my standard laptop (1024 x 768) and TV (1920 x 1080)
I get the same results, the 800px image is reduced down further

1920 x 1080 as I my main computer is connected to the 50" HD TV

This post has been edited by mjkerr: Sun, 22 Nov 2009 - 21:13

[strollingplayer]

Needs to be a little more explicit about dates. On legitimate PCNs, dates being incorrect is generally a strong appeal point. Perhaps we should encourage people to remove the location rather than the date?

[Ellla]

Whilst I ABSOLUTELY accept that the buck lies with the individual to understand what tools / sites they are using and the limitations and constraints imposed, may I make a suggestion regarding your text on the use of www.tinypic.com...


"Go to www.tinypic.com. You don't have to register unless you want to use some of their extra features, like albums."

Can I suggest you add a warning to this section, that if you upload images without regsitering you cannot remove / delete them afterwards.

I fell foul of this having uploaded images last night regarding a PCN NOT etc that is currently being appealed. I thought I had de-personalised all the images, only to be advised in a post that I had missed my surname from somehere on an image.
Having searched for how to delete an image from tinypic, it advises you cannot do so unless you loaded them as a member. Arghhhh! So my name is forever available across the net on a parking fine related piece of literature. Stupid mistake on my part not to read the T&Cs more closely before using the site.

Hopefully if you add a warning it may save others from repeating my mistake! Thanks.

[Fredd]

I've added a note to bring this implication of not registering to readers' attention.

[Ellla]

Perfect, thanks Fredd!

[StatusBaby]

Been to Tinypic and tried to register.....

Tinypic is no longer accepting registrations for user accounts