How to upload some images into a forum's post

[path_finder]

There are two steps:

FIRST STEP: IMAGE SET-UP
There are a lot of formats (BMP, JPG, GIF, etc.), size in pixels (640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, etc.) and colors (256, 16K 24M).
Depending of the format, size and color depth the same image can content from 10Kb to 1Gb (10.000 to 1 milliard of bytes) in memory.
Therefore for reducing the weight (number of bytes to store/send) of the image, we can play with these three parameters.

A. For sure the most efficient process for reducing the weight of a picture is the reduction of it's size
a good size for the forum is: 800x600 pixels
Greater the image will have a too much weight, smaller the image will be short but we will need some glasses and the details will be unclear.

B. A good selection of the appropriated color level can reduce substantially the weight of the picture file.
- if the image is just a conceptual drawing 256 colors will be sufficient.
If the image has no color at all (copy of a black/white family shot per example), the best is to select 256 grey levels.
If the image is in black/white, the best is to select B/W.
Usually a color image has 24 millions of colors. Practically with 16.655 colors you cannot see the difference.

C. Another way to reduce the weight is to compress the image
There are several compression rules but the most accepted format is JPG or JPEG
On certain Web site the spam filters cancel the upload of the exotic files (and even sometime of the JPG files)
The weight of the image is dramatically reduced (at minimum by ten or twenty, but the quality of the image can be deeply degraded).
A compression rate of 50% is usually sufficient.

The best result for this forum is an image of 800x600 pixels, 16k colors, formatted JPG/JPEG with a compression ratio of 50%: ---> weight equals about 20Kb with a good visual quality.


HOW TO DO THAT?

On a practical point of view, how to make the selection of these parameters:
The way is a little bit different from one graphic software to another, but very similar.
Example: Paint on Windows (aka KolourPaint on Linux)

Open Paint (if not on the desk, click on 'Start, All programs, Accessories, Paint')

In the top menu, select 'File/Open' and in the top rolling list select your path/directory, then select the image you want to modify before upload to the forum.

In the top menu select 'Image/Parameters' (or key Ctrl-E on the keyboard).
A window shows the weight of the picture in bytes (size on the disk), the width/height in pixels and the type of picture (B/W or colors).

Then, in the top menu click on 'Image, Resize' (or key Ctrl-W on the keyboard)
A window is opened. Starting from the data observed for the image size at the previous step, enter the percentage of reduction in width (horizontal) and height (vertical).
Caution: enter the same value for the both ratios (instead the image will be deformed).
Remember the final result will be the square of this value: a ratio of 50% will give you an image four times smaller
If the result is not acceptable, click on top menu 'Edit/Cancel' (or key Ctrl-Z on keyboard)

The most important: save the final image in the right format.
On the top menu, click on 'File/Save as' (and never on 'Save' neither on the diskette icon)
In the opened new window, first select the best format by clicking first on the lowest rolling list (on the right black arrow)
Ignore the BMP formats (all are bytes consuming) excepted for the monochrome B/W (black and white).
The TIFF format is for the fax, ignore it
If a simple diagram in 256 colors, select GIF
If a full color image, select PNG.
But if the resulting size is more too much select the JPEG format.
Verify the location chosen for the storage (upper part of the small window). Eventually modify the location if you need.
Enter the name chosen for your new image (keeping the correct suffix selected here above) in the field 'File name' of the small opened window.
Click on 'Store' button.
Leave Paint.

Verify now that the weight of the new image is correct (p.e.: 'Start/All programs/Accessories/Windows Explorer' and the Directory/File of your image.
Look at the size of the file: must be less than 100Kb and almost 25Kb. Well done.


SECOND STEP: UPLOAD
When logged in the besslerwheel.com forum, select the post you want to give an answer to, by clicking on the button 'post reply'.
Enter first your text (no way to upload a single picture if no text yet) in the reservated window.
Don't forget to call the dictionary checker by clicking on the 'spellcheck' button.
In the middle of the page there is a blue line 'Click to Add an Attachment', click into and then on the button 'Browser' for specifying the path/directory where you stored your modified image.
Click on the new modified image name and validate your choice by clicking on the button 'Add Attachment'.
Look what is the result by clicking on the button 'Preview' and go up at the top of the screen.
If there are several images for upload, they are in the inverted order in the preview: don't care it will be in the good order when displayed in the forum.
When everything seems to be perfect, click on the 'Submit' button.
if the process seems to be long don't click again several times on the Submit button, please wait until the final display, instead your post will be duplicated...
Just a last remark: If later you want to replace a wrong image by another updated, don't give the same name to the new image, change it's name, there is a problem with the data base in that case.

Hoping this is useful for all experts in mechanics or physics, for sharing their images. Thanks.

[scott]

Great post Path_Finder. Thanks!

[jim_mich]

Pictorial of How to Upload pictures.

[scott]

Thanks Jim!

[Grimer]

@ path_finder

I note you emboldened the bit about changing the name. I found that out the hard way with Photobucket. One can't just delete a picture and submit a modified picture with the same name. It doesn't like it. One has to submit a picture with a new name and then one can safely delete the old picture.

What I usually do with my drawings is to number them as Pic_01, Pic_02, etc. Then all one needs to do is change the last digit, remembering of course to update the last digits of any pics which have already been loaded to the BesslerWheel.com website either by editing or an amending post if the edit window has closed.