To post attachments in a new post, look for the "camera" icon in the options above the text box. When you click that icon, it will insert brackets in your post - "[IMG]   [IMG]" with a flashing cursor between them. If you have the picture hosted somewhere like Photobucket, Flickr, or such, you paste the URL of the image between the brackets. The image will show in your post at that position. You will not see the image in "Preview", only when you post the post.
If you have the image on your computer, click "Attachments and other options" below the text box. You will see a blank window with a "Browse" button next to it. Click that button and find your image on your computer, usually in "My Documents"/"My Pictures". Choose your image and click it to open it, and it will show in the window by "Browse" . To attach more, click "More Attachments". You can post 4 per post as long as they are within the size limitations.
If you need to resize your images, the easiest software I have found is freeware from www.irfanview.com .

Note: The forum does not appear to be able to make thumbnails from GIF images.
If you want a thumbnail, use JPG....
<Edit> For some reason, this works now...scratching head...

I was wondering if some of you photo experts could give me some guidance as to making higher quality images with my Fujifilm FinePix 8mp camera.  It seems like since the switch to the new website, my photo quality has dropped a bunch and was wondering if there were some tips on what settings to use for maximum quality, manual or automatic mode, optimum lighting conditions.  background contrast etc.  My mother was a professional photographer and passed on before the digital age arrived.  Any help would be appreciated.

THX

DM&FS

Quote from: dimwittedmoose51 on June 24, 2011, 03:40:48 AM
I was wondering if some of you photo experts could give me some guidance as to making higher quality images with my Fujifilm FinePix 8mp camera.  It seems like since the switch to the new website, my photo quality has dropped a bunch and was wondering if there were some tips on what settings to use for maximum quality, manual or automatic mode, optimum lighting conditions.  background contrast etc.  My mother was a professional photographer and passed on before the digital age arrived.  Any help would be appreciated.

THX

DM&FS

I would think an 8 mp camera would take fine pictures for posting here. Here are some tips I have found worth while: Rig up some kind of tripod to attach your camera to. Anything to minimize shakes, and push the button carefully. Also, place the items to be pictured on a contrasting, non-reflecting background (shop rag) and flood it with the brightest light you have. Shine that light on there and wash out any shadows. Once you get the tripod rigged up and your light shining on your shop rag, don't change it unless you need a lighter shop rag to picture dark colored items or a darker rag for shiny items. Take a few test shots to see if you need the flash or not. Check your camera to see what settings are recommended for close up photos of objects. Some cameras have an all purpose setting that might not work as well as "macro" or one of the other settings. Sometimes the settings menu uses icons or symbols to indicate which mode is selected. Check that to make sure you haven't somehow changed to a landscape or panorama mode or something like that. With the Fuji, (depends which model number you have) for taking close ups of tools, use the Macro or SuperMacro mode rather than Auto. The Macro symbol looks like a little flower (tulip to be precise). And .... I hate to say it, but .... there is always the ..... manual. Type "Fuji FinePix F650 8 MP manual" with the quotes into Google to find it.
Once you get all that figured out, (and I'm no expert on this) but I think the Photobucket method is a good way to go. Do you have the USB cable for your camera or a card reader so you can get the pics from the camera to the computer?

Thanks

DM&FS

Yeah, I have no issues getting them downloaded. I use the 8M F setting which is the highest quality the camera allows and then after to USB download, MY PICTURES keeps the new photos highlighted so I can immediately resize them for TT and/or ebay.  I have shot several test shots in both macro and regular format and can't tell much difference.  If I'm going for a logo or something really small, it's a no-brainer, but the 2-4' away shots is where it gets nebulous.

Also, how do you folks add text under each individual photo?  That one is escaping me and I hate running a long line of tool descriptions when I could be sticking that right under the picture.....if I knew how.

THX

DM&FS

I use irfanview, a free photo manipulation software. Get it at www.irfanview.com . There are lots of other ways to do it, I'm sure.

I also use IrfanView for photo manipulation and for adding text when needed. It's one  of the better freebies out there. There are quite a few tutorials for the various tasks available by googling "irfanview add text to pictures" for example. If you are looking for something with more capabilities like on the PhotoShop level, there is GIMP. It's a deep program, does pretty much all that photoshop can do. It has a bit of a steep learning curve for some of the fancy stuff but there are lots of tutorials available for it too. It is also free.
I don't' know if there is a good solution for the 2 to 4 foot distance when photographing small objects... except to get closer.

I was having no difficulty opening pictures I had attached until about a month ago. Now, when I click on "Microsoft Office Picture Manager (default)" to open one of my photo attachments I get a screen with many photos on it.  In order to see one of my photos, I now have to click on "Other", then scroll down to "Windows Photo Gallery", select it, then click again to view my photo full size.  I don't know how to change the default to "Windows Photo Gallery".  This is a PITA.

Try this to get back to Picture Manager-
'Microsoft Office Picture Manager' as the name states, it is a part of Office that you own. It is an application which is normally found under 'Microsoft Office Tools'.



If you want to set 'Microsoft Office Picture Manager ' as default then the steps below will help you with the same.

1)   Right click on one of the pictures

2)   Click on 'Open With > Choose Default Program'

3)   Now click on  ' Microsoft Office Picture Manager' once to choose it

4)   Ensure to have a check mark in the box 'Always use the selected program to open this kind of file'

5)   Click OK

You would follow the same steps to change default to Windows Photo gallery by putting it as your choice.

Vista instructions for resizing pics..

Save original pic to desktop (or if you have a file set up in Docs or Pics,thats OK also, as long as you can locate the pics)

Go to Start, programs, Accessories, click on Paint to Open.
In Paint, click on File, from the drop down menu, click on Open, then browse to where your desired pic is located and click on it, then click open. Your pic should now be open in Paint.

On the toolbar across the top of Paint, click on Image, from the drop down menu select Resize and Skew,
in the Resize box/field, enter 40 in Horizontal and Vertical fields and click OK.
On the icon menu on the Left side of Paint select the  Magnifying class, and move it down a little.

Back to the File drop down menu, select Save as and modify the name slightly ( add a character,  like test.jpg to 1test.jpg), this will allow you to keep the original and the smaller version, click Save.

Any member, please edit as needed  for further clarity.

Brian L.

Papaw, can you tell me which size to select when using Irfanview?
Thanks,
Barb

640 x 480 is normal for forums, but you can choose 800x600 also.

QuoteRe:To post attachments in a new post, look for the "camera" icon in the options above the text box. When you click that icon, it will insert brackets in your post - "[IMG]   [IMG]" with a flashing cursor between them.

For an alternate method, you can select the URL in you post (like if you were going to copy and paste it) then hit the image button, the forum software will then tag the URL correctly,  works with the other buttons like the quote and bold buttons as well

I find it quicker than trying to paste a URL in between tags, where I often end up with a borked link because I missed and ended up moving one of the brackets.