How to put your photos on Dogpages forums
  • Preparing the photograph
  • Placing the photo file on a web-server
Large photo files can be very slow to download so photos usually need to be resized before they can be put on the internet. There are many good photo editors able to do that, some very expensive like Photoshop, some less expensive like Paint Shop Pro, and some free. Before photos can be seen across the internet they need to be uploaded to a web-server which is a computer that allows other computers to access to its files using the internet.

Serif Photoplus is very capable and free from www.freeserifsoftware.com.

Irfanview is a very small free photo-editor. Get the 1MB download here or from www.irfanview.com. The walk-through below uses the Irfanview editor.

Preparing your photo
File Menu1) Launch Irfanview and use File/Open to find the photo file to be edited.

Edit Menu2) Crop away any unwanted part of the photo by left-clicking with the mouse and dragging to select the area you want to keep. You should see an outline box.

Select Edit/Crop selection to complete the crop.


Sizing3) Now you need to resize the photo. Select Image/Resize/Resample. Making the longest side 300 pixels will give a suitable size for a forum web-page.

Enter the size you want in the box. The top radio button labeled pixels should be selected. Click OK to reduce the photo to that size.


Optional:
Click Image/Sharpen to sharpen a photo if needed.
Click Image/Enhance colors to alter brightness or colours.

Save box 4) You'll now need to save and compress the photo file. Choose File/Save as. The Save as type box at the bottom of the bigger box should show JPG - JPEG. Enter a name for the new photo file using all lower-case characters with no spaces.

Set the compression level slider ringed in red to about 30-40. This will determine the file size. The lower the number, the smaller the file.

The photo's dimensions are unchanged by file compression, only the file size, but too much compression can affect image quality.

Click the Save button.

GypAnd that's it, the photo is ready to upload to the web-server!

You'll have a picture something like this of the lovely Gyp.
Her photo is just 20KB and measures 300 x 250 pixels.


Uploading your photo to the internet - Photos of dogs for rehoming or lost dogs

File attachmentsPhotos of dogs for rehoming or lost dogs can be uploaded to the Dogpages webserver using the File Attachments feature which is below the window where you type your post. Browse to find the required file on your computer.

When you have selected the photo for uploading click the Add this attachment button.

The photo should appear in your post.

The upper limit for uploaded files is normally 40 KB.








Uploading your photo to the internet - Other photos

All other photos can be uploaded to any webserver and linked to a post. A photo must be on an internet webserver before it can be linked.

Most internet service providers such BT Openworld or Wannadoo give their customers a small amount of free webspace and you'll find instructions for uploading files on their help pages.

Alternatively, www.free-webhosts.com/free-image-hosting.php lists almost 100 sites offering free hosting of photos including www.photobucket.com. Choose a site that allows hot-linking and follow the instructions they give.
Linking images

Clicking the IMAGE button button in the posting window brings up the prompt box shown right. Enter the URL for the photo (its unique address), starting http:// and ending .jpg. Click OK

The linked photo will appear with your post.

 URL box
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