How To Post Photographs and Videos (incl photography tips from the gurus)

[Heliport]

• It is NOT possible to post pictures direct from your hard drive.
• Pictures must already be on a website - whether your own or someone else's.
• If the picture you'd like to post is not on a website: Read Section 2 first.

(All instructions below for posting pictures are for MS Windows users. I don't know the AppleMac system.)



(1) Posting pictures already on a website

• Every picture has an 'URL' (the unique 'address' of that pic on the web). The URL usually ends with .jpg, but sometimes with .gif or .bmp
• Find the URL:
  • Right-click on the picture
  • Select 'Properties' - one of which is the 'URL' of the picture.
• Highlight the URL:
  • Always highlight from the beginning (or use 'Select all') or you may not get the full URL if it's very long.
• Copy the URL.
• Now go to Rotorheads and begin to post in the normal way.
• To insert your picture, click the IMG button: (It's one of the buttons above the text box.)
  • A dropdown menu will appear
  • Paste the entire URL into the address line as instructed
  • Click OK
• Your picture will be displayed
• Now add some information about the picture - What, where, when etc
• Repeat as required for each picture
• Submit
• Voila! We'll all be able to enjoy your pictures.

Tip: I find it easier to have two browser windows open at the same time, especially if I'm posting more than one picture: One for Photobucket and one for Rotorheads.

Size is important!
Picture width should not exceed 900 pixels Maximum.
Photobucket has a facility to reduce the size of any pics which are too big for a web page.



NB: Copyright claims etc

• In Rotorheads, we do NOT allow pictures which have names (personal or business), e-mail addresses, website addresses, copyright claims etc embedded or attached.

See: Copyright Claims: Rotorheads Forum Rule

• You're free to name the photographer in the text - but please don't make it an advert or you'll fall foul of the PPRuNe's strict 'No Advertising' rule.

(2) Pictures on your hard disk

• Use a web 'photo-hosting' service.
• Upload your pictures.
• Then follow the instructions above.

NB: Some photo-hosting services do not allow you to direct link. (eg Geocities, Tripod, Airliners.net) The picture may appear when you first post it but it will disappear - sometimes replaced by an advertisement for the host's website.


Free web 'photo-hosting' services
I experimented with a few photo-hosting services some time ago, and found PhotoBucket to be the best. I've used it regularly for a long time and have never had any problems.
A basic account is free - and is sufficient for most purposes.
Uploading photos is very simple - just follow the instructions.

Photobucket users: Posting pictures could not be easier.

• Upload your pictures to Photobucket.
• Go to your album and choose the picture you want to post.
• Under the 'thumbnail' of that picture you'll see 3 boxes.
• Left click on the 'IMG Code' box. This will automatically copy the image code for you. A yellow "Copied" flag will pop up. If it doesn't, highlight and copy the code manually.
• Now go to Rotorheads and begin a new post in the usual way.
• You are now ready to paste the code you've copied.
• Right click, and select "paste" from the drop-down menu.
• The image code will appear.
• Depending upon the editing mode selected, you'll see either your picture or a code.
• Add some information about the photograph.
• Repeat the process for any further pictures.
• When you've finished copying your pictures, submit your post in the normal way.

Troubleshooting

As with any new process involving computers, you may at first go through some .


(1) Your post displays a link (not a picture):

• Click the button to edit your post.
• Check to see if 'URL' appears anywhere in the web address of the picture. If it's there at all, it will be there twice.
• Remove both.(You've used information from the URL, but those letters should not appear in the final address or you'll get a link instead of a picture.)
• If all else fails ..... READ THE INSTRUCTIONS.

(2) Your post displays a instead of a picture:

• Click the button to edit your post.
• Look at the URL.
• Does the URL start with 'http' and end with jpg, bmp or gif? If it doesn't, your picture will not display.
• Make sure there are no spaces between [/img] at the end and [img] at the beginning.
• If you've copied the URL manually instead of copying & pasting, you might have left something out. Even one letter or digit will prevent the picture from displaying.
• If all else fails ..... READ THE INSTRUCTIONS.

(3) You still can't resolve the problem?

• Leave the post in place and I'll try to find where you've gone wrong and resolve it.
• It's not always possible, but I can in more than 90% of instances.

It may seem tricky the first time but, once you've posted a picture successfully,
you'll wonder why you couldn't do it first time.



Heliport