Picture size

Dalehelman

Is there still a restriction on picture size? I know longer see the  announcement posted.

ScottG

There's still a couple relevant posts in the "Help - Computer & System" category, they are just not pinned to stay up top in the main discussion list. As far as I know the restriction still stands.

Verna

Yes, the restriction is still in place. Mike has been working with the IT department to improv3 the Forum software so we will no longer have this restriction.

DougH

@Verna @Sharon_is_SAM I've noticed about half the pics lately have had a width of 4000 instead of the originally mandated 800.  That's good and bad. Crisper pics when seeing how somebody fixed something.  But with no cell service and typical wifi campground service, it'd be too slow to read the forum if the 800 rule has been lifted.

Marceline

I there really no way to set up the forum so that photos are automatically resized when they're uploaded? I could swear that I've seen that on other forums. 

DougH

Even if this particular forum API doesn't support that automatically, with admin priviledges, a moderator could write a script to hourly wade through...

us.v-cdn.net/5021717/uploads

...find any pics and with Python Pillow module resize anything wider than 800 in a dozen or two lines of code.  Assuming site is on typical Linux server, and moderator has shell script privs neither of which could be the case.

Marceline

DougH said:

Even if this particular forum API doesn't support that automatically, with admin priviledges, a moderator could write a script to hourly wade through...

us.v-cdn.net/5021717/uploads

...find any pics and with Python Pillow module resize anything wider than 800 in a dozen or two lines of code.  Assuming site is on typical Linux server, and moderator has shell script privs neither of which could be the case.

I think that our moderators are great folks who probably know more about 12v electrical systems than writing code. ;-)

DougH

What if I told you half of the forum members have PhDs?  We have nuclear engineers, telecom experts, rocket scientists, virologists, immunology specialists, physicians, software engineers, etc.  I wouldn't be surprised to hear we have a few Nobel Laureates.  It's only natural that such brilliance all ends up in a Nucamp forum though...   

MuttonChops

Been told that at least one Moderator reads every post.

It would be nice if they enforced the Picture Size rules.  They could resize or reject . . . i.e. teach.

@DougH No PhD here just a one time bottom of the ladder hardware manufacturing engineer.  You know hardware, the stuff that keeps the fancy programmers employed.

DougH

@MuttonChops : Retired engineer after 30+ years too!  We just had to wear a bunch of hats so the employer only had to hire one person (including programming).  Preaching to the choir... you remember how cheap some companies could be.

Sharon_is_SAM

While it is our hope that in the future the forum will have automatic picture sizing, until then, members still need to stick to the size limits.  I recently sized an entire thread for someone selling their TaB.  If you find pictures that are bogging down our system (and yours), feel free to leave a comment or a PM so we can downsize it.  Yes, we do read every thread, and we try to stay on top of the sizing issue, but the pictures don't pop up with the size as a headline, at least not in this version of the forum.  Thanks everyone!

ScottG

MuttonChops said:

Been told that at least one Moderator reads every post.

It would be nice if they enforced the Picture Size rules.  They could resize or reject . . . i.e. teach.

As Sharon noted, the enforcement part is time consuming and not always obvious as to when it is needed.

As for the teaching part, that has been tried, too. Some just can't or won't get it. Ce la vie--it's not a battle I'm gonna' spend too much energy waging.  :-)

And while it happens I do know a little about coding (as well as 12V electrical systems), I personally have no access to the underlying script. I'm not sure if the full admins do, either.

Sharon_is_SAM

Ok, I just resized a bunch from the last page of the thread “Post up some pictures of ...”

Not being a Nobel Laureate, I know when I joined the forum, I relied on fellow member suggestions of photo resizing apps and how to downsize by emailing photos to myself.  There is a learning curve with everything and many forum members have a limited comfort with tech.

I would consider creating a tutorial for photo resizing/posting that would be more device specific and simple for the uninitiated.  The problem we run into is that too many members don’t take the time to read available directions that an Admin/ Mid has taken the time to create.

If you are interested, please forward your ideas for techniques and apps that you use and recommend.  

Please include:  Device (PC, Smartphone, Tablet),  Android vs iOS vs Windows, App, favorite methods that you use.

I use my iPad with Crop Size to resize photos with their preset sizer.  

Thanks,

Sharon

dsfdogs

Someone on here mentioned the app called "Image Size" so I use that on my iPhone. It's set to the 600x800 size requirement. 

Marceline

I don't know if this is helpful but I've been doing some Googling.
Here is a discussion of image resizing in Vanilla Forums.
https://open.vanillaforums.com/discussion/35861/resize-image-before-upload
https://open.vanillaforums.com/discussion/comment/239027#Comment_239027
One thing I noticed is that there appears to be an option to set a maximum file size for uploads.
You might be able to prevent people from uploading giant images with this feature. 
When their photo upload is rejected it would cue them to fix the image.
I'm sorry but I'm not technically savvy enough to know how to implement this.

ScottG

Vanilla comes in two flavors--proprietary software and open-source code. We are using the proprietary version. It's full-featured but does have a few shortcomings such as a lack of restrictions on uploads. I do not believe we have access to the code to change this, even if we knew how.

I suspect the coding manipulations suggested in earlier comments are applicable only to the open source version.

Michigan_Mike

The photo re-size issue as noted has been an ongoing issue/dilemma and dates back beyond this forum and is something we as admin and moderators have done our best to address.  We have been in contact with both Vanilla and nuCamp and to date there isn't a fix or modification in place.  We DO sympathize and agonize with members over this dilemma and the frustration of how the larger photos slow down the loading of the forum on smart phones, etc. as we've asked members over the years to work with us and to re-size their posted photos and all of it to no avail.  This isn't meant to point fingers, criticize anyone or create anger, etc. it's just a reality, as smart devices produce images that greatly exceed the boundaries and limitations of the Vanilla platform.  

We appreciate your concern, your suggestions, support and will continue to do our best to work toward a resolution and permanent fix.  We've done what we can from this end and as Scott noted, our personal time is limited and inasmuch as many of us have worked behind the scenes re-sizing member photos and educating members, we have lives beyond the forum that eat up considerable time too and limit our participation.  Thank you all for working with us and for your understanding with this issue.  

rajamar

Members who use Windows should download, install and use the free Irfanview Image Viewer and Editor. I do a lot of photo processing with Photoshop and other programs, but have been using Irfanview for over 20 years when I need to do quick resizing, shrinking file sizes and similar tasks to single photos or in batch mode. For a batch process you can set it, for example, to resize the selected photos to 40%, save them at 50% jpeg compression, apply an arbitrary number or text to the root filename and, if desired, place them in their own folder. When you click Start it will zip through files at the rate of several per second.

Download here:
https://www.irfanview.com/

For those of you who are adventurous, enjoy software and don't want to wade through pesky instructions, just do this:
1) Install and run.
2) Press t - this pops up thumbnails (dynamically - they don't clutter up your drive).
3) Navigate in left pane to folder with photos.
4) Double click on thumbnail which opens up the image in a separate Irfanview window.
5) Left-click in the image window and press b - this opens batch mode options window. 
6) OR - Left-click in the image window and press F12 - this opens up an editing tool box.

Excellent info with step-by-step annotated screenshots:

Three page cropping and resizing instructions:
https://etsu.edu/academicaffairs/elearning/cms/documents/irfanview.pdf

Excellent overview, installation and detailed batch conversion How-To:
https://ricohsouth.co.nz/uploads/rte/batch_resize_images_irfanview.pdf

rajamar

I also do a lot of "quick and dirty" photo work for forum posts etc. with Android phones. I've used many, many apps and my current goto app is Toolwiz Photos.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.btows.photo

It has 4 screens containing 30 buttons that lead to other multi-button screens. Quickest way to most useful tools is first button on first screen "Pro Editing" - select image - then leftmost "Tools" button. That screen has 18 tools including crop, rotate, resize, perspective, lens correction to name just a few.

BrianZ

I would like to point out that while the pixel dimensions of a photo contributes to the file size (and therefore transmission speed & storage space required) for digital photos; the type of image file format, the degree of file compression chosen for that format, and the complexity or nature of the image subject itself all contribute in determining the final size of the image file.  

If there is a concern about the transmission speed in loading images, or online storage space limits or cost, then one should be looking at limiting file size (the number of bytes of image data), not the pixel dimensions of photos.  For example, a photo of very large dimensions that is relatively simple in terms of subject details and saved in a highly compressed format can be a relatively small size file; whereas, a photo of a subject with lots of fine details saved in an uncompressed or weakly compressed format with much smaller dimensions may have a much larger file size. 

So, setting only an arbitrary pixel dimension limit like "600 x 800" is a poor way of controlling the speed with which a file loads or what it costs to store files.  And if you were to automate that resizing process without some reliable processing routines to compensate for the loss of image sharpness that happens when reducing image size, then that would be worse than just setting a file size limit. 

I would suggest considering setting only a file size limit (in kilobytes or megabytes) & file format (like jpg) based on management's needs & resources, then suggest a recommended image dimension target (or range), but leave it to the photographer to choose the right balance of actual image pixel dimensions, degree of sharpening, details, and image compression to create the right file size to fit the file size limit.  This would give the photographer the flexibility to choose the right combination of parameters that best shows the particular subject in the way they intended.

As a photographer who's been processing & resizing tens of thousands of digital images for over 16 years, I speak from experience.  There's nothing worse than having a website resize a beautiful detailed image using some automated routine that renders it as a tiny blurry mess.  With today's high resolution screen technologies, 600x800 just seems too small to convey much detail.  My 5-inch cell phone screen even has a higher resolution than my desktop screen.

PS:  I now process more photos on my phone than on a PC, which has also been handy for submitting images directly from the sidelines at local USL soccer matches.  I use the Android app, "Photo Editor" by developer "MacGyver", because it has the most complete set of editing tools I've found, including custom presets and batch file processing (that is, you can save favorite settings and apply them to one or more image files to automate custom processing).  The interface has a bit of a learning curve, but not unusual for an app with more power.  I have also used IrfanView on the PC as my default image browser for many years.

ColoradoJon

@BrianZ - I will disagree.  Pixel dimension is directly related to file size, and simply reducing the overall pixel dimension of a picture is an excellent way of arbitrarily reducing the file size.  It is much easier for a non-technical computer graphic person to resize an image to a specific pixel dimension rather than "size in bytes".  800x600 is a great size for most pictures.  If more detail is needed, select something a little higher, like 1024x768, for example.

The file size of an image is dependent on much more than just pixel dimensions.  Number of colors, color saturation, is a huge factor as well, and ultimately how compression algorithms reduce file size.  But don't worry about that.  Compression helps but can also reduce picture sharpness by eliminating colors.

I think the idea here is to take those giant, 2GB cell phone images and reduce them down into something more reasonable.   A baseline is all that is needed, not a specific file size limit.

TabberJohn

As @Michigan_Mike points out this is moot subject as this forum is Vanilla Cloud based not Vanilla Open Source. There are numerous complaints about image sizing on Vanilla's own support forum dating back years. It appears possible to add the function with a plug-in for the open source edition, but not the cloud version unless Vanilla provides it for an extra fee.
Perhaps Vanilla Forums Business at $7200+ per year is a reasonable marketing expense for nüCamp. See: https://vanillaforums.com/en/plans/ 
But at some point the cost/benefit is questionable if you can't get the features you need. 
Moderators shouldn't have to waste time policing image size, but it is unrealistic to expect the average user to learn how to resize their photos before posting. No amount of cajoling or how-to articles will resolve the problem. Perhaps 5G will eventually take care of it. 

DougH

Agree wholeheartedly with Brian recommendation on MacGyver's Photo Editor for Android. Not only resizing, but a hundred other Gimp like features all in a nice UI.

[Script results from analyzing all 100 pages of threads from last five years... 9,638 images correctly sized... 3,274 images too big. Bestest poster:  2Cougs with 155 posts all correctly sized and none too big.]

BrianZ

800x600 still seems pretty small & low res on today's high resolution displays.  Standard HD, or 1080 on the short side seems like a more reasonable standard to consider IMO.  Unfortunately, resizing a 3000 x 4000 photo to 1080 is still not close enough to comply with current rules.  Therefore, I plan to be careful about the dimensions of images I submit in order to avoid having photos resized or even cropped into a different image by moderators. 

Sharon_is_SAM

@TabberJohn, I think members who actually want to hang around will learn how to resize.  I have found that folks who join just to sell their TaB are not motivated, but those are typically a one time fix, so not so hard.  

Thanks everyone for your ideas!  I will put this on my list of things to do.  Someone in another resizing thread suggested that smart phone users simply email the photo to themselves and you can elect how to resize.  That may be the simplest thing to offer.

Homebodyatheart

@Sharon_is_SAM I’ve found the Image Size app very simple to use. I leave it set on 600x800 pixels. It’s right next to my photo app on my phone. I sometimes get too excited to post and forget to use it though! I thank Mrs @2COUGS for telling me about it!

Sharon_is_SAM

Thanks.  I have it on my list of apps to try.  I think Crop Size is good except it is not intuitive.

2Cougs

@DougH- yay! Thanks for the data and noticing my posts!  I am a rule follower (elementary school teacher) ... and like @Homebodyatheart said, I found a simple app- “Image size” to use on my phone so I can post while on the road.  Very simple program anyone can use.

treefrog

Hi. Did I do the picture resize right?

jgram2

According to CropSize on my iPad, it’s 600x800! Well done and thanks for your efforts!
Judi 

Mouseketab

Is there a difference between uploading and linking? I usually link pics from an album on Facebook. Most forums don't even allow uploading.