How to post images (pictures) on Pelican

[Grady Clay]

Images less than 100K and .jpg format are best for
most situations. The only exceptions are wiring
diagrams and the like. Too big images have to be
resized for viewing and needlessly use Wayne’s
storage and bandwidth.

I use the freeware program ”Irfanview”
for resizing and converting to .jpg format. It is a free
download and works great. If an image needs
annotation, MS Paint works OK. Of course there are
far more sophisticated (and expensive) programs
available. I follow KISS.


I’ll start with a source file in .bmp format usually from
my digital camera or scanner. If I capture an image
off Pelican, it is already in .jpg format.

First I open Irfanview and open the image.

Irfanview1_openingScreen.jpg


Note that the Filename cannot have spaces. Use the
underscore.
Find your directory and file and open the image.

Irfanview2_SelectFile.jpg


Next select “IMAGE”

Irfanview3_SelectImage.jpg


and then select “Resize/Resample Image”

Irfanview3_Resize.jpg


Note that this image was 1171x2316 (about 8 M) and
is reduced to “New Size” 215x426

Once you have the image the size you want, save it
as a new .jpg file.

Irfanview4_SaveResized_jpg,jpg


Now you are ready to post on Pelican.

continued

[Grady Clay]

This can either be a “Post New Topic” or a “Post Reply”.
If a reply you must enter via this button and not the
“Quick Reply” field.

1_OpeningScreen.jpg


On a reply you don’t have to post a subject. If it prompts
you for a subject, you probably have accidentally hit the
“Post New Topic” button when you intended to hit the
“Post Reply” button.

2_PostReplyScreen1.jpg


I use MS Word to compile my reply (good spell check
and grammar). I have a long document and simply
append each new post at the end. I am now up to
11 documents of about 700 pages each. I Copy &
Paste from Word to the Pelican screen.

3_PostReplyScreen2.jpg


Click on the “Click here to upload a photo…”
text. Eventually you will return to this screen. You go
through this cycle for each photo you upload.

4_BrowseScreenOpening.jpg


Click on the “Browse” button.

After finding your correct folder, select the file you want.
This is a good time to double check that you have a
.jpg file and the size is correct. The images on this
thread are all about 50K.

5_OpenFileScreen.jpg


You will now return here. Click on “Upload Now!” button.
With DSL, my uploads for 50K take about 3 seconds.

6_UploadNowScreen.jpg


continued

[Grady Clay]

You are now returned to your entry screen. Your link will
be at the end of your screen. Highlight, Cut & Paste the
complete link from the end to the appropriate place in
your text. Make sure you get the entire link with the
[IMG] brackets.

7_CutPasteToText.jpg


I always use the “Preview Reply” function to make sure
I have the correct image and it is placed correctly in the
text. This also gives me another opportunity to proof
the text.


8_Preview1.jpg


An annoying feature of posting images is the text wrap is extended to wider than the image. With a wide image you have text way too long for the screen width (particularly with old sots like me who use 600x800 screen settings.)

I add a “return” (actually it inserts a CR-LF) before the
word wrap. This makes for short but very readable text
lines. Note that the lines are shorter than the Pelican
word wrap.

9_Preview2.jpg


When you are finally satisfied with how everything reads
and looks, this is the “Submit to cyber-space” button.


10_Submit1jpg


Then this screen temporarily appears:

11_Submit2.jpg


All is not lost if you find a mistake. Wayne has this
wonderful “Edit” button you can use.

12_Edit.jpg


You can even delete your entire post at any time if you
reconsider something controversial.

One feature of the Edit screen is that you can copy your
image link and use it in other posts. This saves Wayne
storage space and you the effort of another upload.


So much for posting images on Pelican. Some menu
screens I couldn’t capture with Ctrl-Alt-Print Screen.
The menu would disappear with Ctrl-Alt.

As you notice, I include the image filename in the text.
This makes it easier placing the image correctly and I
can find the original image at some later date.

If anyone has suggestions for improving the instructions
– great. I’ll edit them in.

I have been intending to do this for several years. Now
Wayne will probably change the interface and I’ll have
to start over. HeHe.

Best,
Grady

[goldgunner]

Grady - very, very nice instructional.

(Sometimes you can't sleep either, huh.)

Jim

[1972_911T]

I find the easiest way to resize big images is to e-mail them to yourself using outlook express this gives you the option to resize your images.

Steve

[ZOA NOM]

Thanks Grady,

Sometimes it's frustrating when you can't get the whole picture...

[ZOA NOM]

Another good method that I use frequently is to copy the URL of an image that is elsewhere on the web, and paste it into the post using the "IMG" button.

First, find the image you want to include. I usually use Google "images". Once you find the full size image, the URL can be copied by right-clicking anywhere on the image. The advantage to this method is that it requires no upload to Pelican servers, so the image size doesn't matter. The only disadvantage is that the image may disappear if the hosting server removes it.

[fireant911]

Something else has changed. I was able to fluidly include photographs with no problems until the latter part of 2005. Nothing has changed on my end. Now, after repeated attempts, I am unable to post any pictures. I even tried reposting the pictures I had used earlier to no avail...

[widgeon13]

Question, I am using Apple G4 Powerbook and Mozilla Firefox as browser edition 1.5.0.5. I was previously using Firefox and had no problem receiving email notification on posts made to threads that I had subscribed to in the past. Once I upgraded to the more recent edition browser, I no longer receive email notification. I have checked options and profile and everything seems correct as well as allowing popups from specific sites. Do you have any idea how I can get back to receiving email notification on subscribed posts?

I realize you were not addressing this subject but you seems so knowledgeable that I thought it was worth a shot at asking the question. Thanks

[84toy]

Grady, should make this a Sticky

[ZOA NOM]

Originally posted by widgeon13
Question, I am using Apple G4 Powerbook and Mozilla Firefox as browser edition 1.5.0.5. I was previously using Firefox and had no problem receiving email notification on posts made to threads that I had subscribed to in the past. Once I upgraded to the more recent edition browser, I no longer receive email notification. I have checked options and profile and everything seems correct as well as allowing popups from specific sites. Do you have any idea how I can get back to receiving email notification on subscribed posts?

I realize you were not addressing this subject but you seems so knowledgeable that I thought it was worth a shot at asking the question. Thanks

Have you switched e-mail clients? I use Firefox for browsing, and Thunderbird for e-mail. If your e-mail client hasn't changed, and you haven't changed the subscribed threads on Pelican, the browser shouldn't matter. I can subscribe to a thread on any computer, with any browser, and I will receive the e-mail notifications on my computer.

[widgeon13]

My email right now comes through AOL and that has not changed at all. The strange thing is that the inability to get email notification coincided with my switching browers. I have a Compaq laptop that used to give me notification and I don't get it there either.

I'll keep working on the problem I think I understand what you are saying about mail client provider. Thanks

[ZOA NOM]

Confirm the e-mail address that Pelican uses in your Profile.

[widgeon13]

Zoanas,
Just did that and I got PP email requesting that I verify registration so hopefully that will remedy the problem. Thanks very much for the assistance.
Regards

[randywebb]

How do you draw arrows in red or green like the ones above? I can't find that facility in IrfanView...

[Grady Clay]

Randy,

I do the arrows and text over image in MS Paint. Not fancy but came on the computer.

Best,
Grady