CycleWriter
2008 July 20th, 16:06
There are a number of ways to add a photo to a forum post. The tried-and-true method is to first upload your photo to a free hosting site like Photobucket. Once uploaded, simply copy and paste the link into your post. There are two ways for the photo to display. First, if you simply use the direct link you will see a URL hyperlink in your post that, when clicked on, will take the reader to a new tab (or page for IE 6 and below users) in your browser. Like this:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/RADRick1/DeputyDawg.jpg
The better way is to use the IMG code, which is basically the same URL link with the words IMG preceding and /IMG following enclosed in brackets [ ]. This will cause the photo to actually appear in your post and is often the preferred method. Like this:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/RADRick1/DeputyDawg.jpg
It's best to keep photo size no larger than 800X600 to limit/eliminate scrolling and to lessen download time for those forum users on dialup or slower connections. If you use mutliple photos in one post they should be just small enough to convey whatever it is you wish to represent. Also, for the web a photo needs no more than 96dpi. Any more just makes the file size bigger.
Windows users: If you want to post a photo of something you've seen on another website all you have to do is right-click on that photo to bring up a context-menu, click on Copy Image Address to save it to the clipboard, then paste (CTRL-V) the address into your post. Again, if you want it to be just a link then leave the URL alone, but if you want it to display then use the IMG tags I mentioned above. This method is helpful when you want to post about a piece of equipment on a site like B&H without having to go through the trouble of downloading the pic to your computer, uploading it to a host, and linking to it in your post. Remember, you may be linking to someone else's copyrighted material when you do this. If proper attribution is necessary, please do so. Some websites are now using Flash or other methods to thwart direct linking to content, so this method may not work on all sites.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/RADRick1/DeputyDawg.jpg
The better way is to use the IMG code, which is basically the same URL link with the words IMG preceding and /IMG following enclosed in brackets [ ]. This will cause the photo to actually appear in your post and is often the preferred method. Like this:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/RADRick1/DeputyDawg.jpg
It's best to keep photo size no larger than 800X600 to limit/eliminate scrolling and to lessen download time for those forum users on dialup or slower connections. If you use mutliple photos in one post they should be just small enough to convey whatever it is you wish to represent. Also, for the web a photo needs no more than 96dpi. Any more just makes the file size bigger.
Windows users: If you want to post a photo of something you've seen on another website all you have to do is right-click on that photo to bring up a context-menu, click on Copy Image Address to save it to the clipboard, then paste (CTRL-V) the address into your post. Again, if you want it to be just a link then leave the URL alone, but if you want it to display then use the IMG tags I mentioned above. This method is helpful when you want to post about a piece of equipment on a site like B&H without having to go through the trouble of downloading the pic to your computer, uploading it to a host, and linking to it in your post. Remember, you may be linking to someone else's copyrighted material when you do this. If proper attribution is necessary, please do so. Some websites are now using Flash or other methods to thwart direct linking to content, so this method may not work on all sites.