Hi all,

I just wanted to post a message with some hints about using the photo gallery. I bet most of you didn't know that you could upload your images in a ZIP file. Didn't ya? :pirate:

Upload in Bulk:

This is the easiest way to upload a bunch of images at a single time. One thing to keep in mind, our server has 5 MB limit, so, make sure to break your photo upload into chunks.

Downsize Your Images:

It's also best to convert your image sizes to something smaller than your digital camera. Most modern digital cameras take photos in 3-6 Megapixel. But, on the Internet, it's always best to downsize them to 1 Megapixel. If you're using Windows XP, here's a cool utility that can be used to scale them (individually or in bulk). Make sure you click on the "Image Resizer" file.

The Windows image resizer will show up if you right-click a file in the Windows Explorer.

Upload to the Right Category:

I've been noticing that many people simply upload images to their own gallery. But, did you know that any image you upload to a category (brakes, suspension, etc) will automatically show up in your own gallery? Yep, the system will ALWAYS show images in your gallery, no matter where you put them.

Create an Album for your Project:

If you have an especially cool project, such as a restoration, brake modification, suspension tip, etc, you can upload them into a private Album. The private Albums will give you the ability to separate from your general photos.

Anyway, that should be it for now. More tips and tricks coming soon...

Mike

And for those of you using Macs who need an image re-sizer, a simple-to-use free app for that is Image Tool. It can be downloaded from:

http://www.jimmcgowan.net/Site/ImageTool.html

i'm on aol- can i use the windows resizer or do i have to use windows explorer?

i'm on aol- can i use the windows resizer or do i have to use windows explorer?

Hi zhead240,

AOL is your Internet provider. Are you using a Microsoft operating system or a Macintosh operating system?

The Windows XP resizer link that I sent can be used with the Windows Explorer. If you find a graphic you want to resize, simply right-click and pick the "Resize Pictures" option. A window will open and you can pick the size you want to use (see my attached screenshot). After you click OK, the system will convert the file to a new file (resized) and keep your original one in tact.

Arne sent a link to the Macintosh version. Arne, can you give us a screenshot?

-- Mike

For OS X users you use the built-in photo editor (iPhoto). It took me a while to figure out but you can resize pictures by exporting them. On export it gives you a choice of sizes.

I use the export from iPhoto a lot, and it works fine too. But in many cases I've found Image Tool to be quicker, and easier to understand for non-tech people. Image tool allows you to select a size based on percentages, which is sometimes easier to understand than selecting the pixel count via iPhoto's export function.

But either way works.

If you have some photos from an event, it's pretty easy to upload them to our server.

1. First, get your photos ready by resizing them (see first post in this thread).
   
2. Next, open the website and navigate to the year of your event (2007, etc).
   
3. At this point you can either pick an EMTPY CONTAINER, or you can simply upload them to the "2007 Events" folder.
   
4. Click on the UPLOAD PHOTOS link located just under the Log Out option (upper right of your screen).
   
5. Make sure the "choose a category" option shows "2007 Events"
   
6. Pick your files to upload.
   
7. Give the files a title (always best to use the Event Name (ie: Motorsport Nationals).
   
8. Enter a default description - this can be changed later.
   
9. Make up some key words.
   
10. Click submit.
    

The system will then show you each image in a list view. When you get to this point, you can change descriptions if you want or just tell the server to process the files.

I use Irfanview for many image tasks. It's free and can handle most any file type (including mp3!,) printing, batch operations like renaming & converting, and resizing.

www.irfanview.com

How do you delete old images or ones that have newer replacements?

thxZ