• We apologize for the somewhat convoluted sign-up process. Due to ever-more sophisticated attacks by chatbots, we had to increase our filtering in order to weed out AI while letting humans through. It's a nuisance, but a necessary one in order to keep the level of discourse on the forums authentic and useful. From the actual humans using WCP, thanks for your understanding!

How To Add Images to Your Posts

Dan_Millsip

Paddler
Joined
Mar 8, 2005
Messages
9,299
Location
Beautiful BC
Adding An Image to a Forum Post


There are two ways to include an image in your post. The first way is to upload your image to this site (which ensures that your photos will always be visible), the second is to link to an image that is hosted on another server or web storage service.

Method 1: Uploading Images to WestCoastPaddler.com

Please Note: Most images uploaded directly from your digital camera will be of a file size that is too large for our software. Files must be reduced to a maximum of 1280 pixels (on the longest dimension) before uploading to WestCoastPaddler. You can reduce your file dimensions and size by using an imaging program such as PhotoShop, Gimp, or other online image manipulation program.

  1. Log on to the WestCoastPaddler message board, and create a new topic or post.

  2. In the Upload Image box (below the Message Box) select the file on your hard drive that you want to upload by clicking on "Browse...". Once the file is selected, click on "Add the file". You may have a short wait while the file uploads. If the file hasn't transfered after 30 seconds, it's likely that it is too large and needs to be reduced in size before uploading.


  3. Your uploaded image filename will show up in the Posted Images section beneath the Message Box. You can also add a descriptive comment if you like.


  4. Select Preview to ensure that your post is correct.

  5. Select Submit to post your message with the photos you just uploaded.

    Your uploaded image(s) will now be appended to the bottom of your post. If you want to have your images show up amongst the text in your post follow the next steps...


  • Placing Images Inline in Your Post (amongst text)

  1. Follow steps 1,2 and 3 above for Uploading Images to WestCoastPaddler.

  2. Create a space in your text with carriage breaks (Enter key) to make room for your photo(s). Note that photos can only be placed before or after a paragraph, images placed within a paragraph will have incorrect formatting. Place your cursor in the location where you want the image to appear.

  3. Under the Comment Box, there is a line called "Attachments:". A drop down list contains names of all the files you have uploaded. Select the file that you want to place inline in your post and select the Place Inline button.


    The forum software will then place the appropriate bbcode at the location in the post where you placed your cursor (shown with yellow highlighted box).


  4. Select Preview to ensure that your post is correct.

  5. Select Submit to post your message with the photos you just uploaded.

    Your uploaded image(s) should now be embedded in the text content of your post.
-----


Method 2: Link to Image Hosted on a different server

  1. Upload your image to an image host site such as TinyPic, PostImage or ImgPlace. These sites, like the many others online, operate in very similar manner and usually offer free services. Once you've created an account at an image hosting site follow their instructions to upload images. Each site will then offer you links that you can copy. If the site offers a 'bbcode', copy that code directly and paste it directly into your post, otherwise copy the "Direct URL" code.

  2. Log on to the WestCoastPaddler message board, and create a new topic or post.

  3. Type your message, and then select the location where you want to insert your image. If you copied a "bbcode," simply paste that code at your selected location.

    If you copied the URL of the image location, type the following:



    Replacing the "INSERT_URL_HERE" with the URL that links to your image.

  4. Preview your message to ensure everything is correct.

  5. Post your message.


Please feel free to use this discussion thread to practice posting your images...
 
And a note to gimp users ...
gimp has extensions available via the
gimp-plugin-registry
one of which is "David's batch processor". This allows one to scale a bunch of files (e.g. in a directory) in one fell swoop, instead of one by one.
 
Yeah! Thanks for posting... I've struggled, and I now see the KEY problem...

Images have to be 1280 pixels MAXIMUM!!! Had I known this... would have been easy!
- Can you perhaps add a reminder where you upload photos?
- "If you wish to attach one or more files enter the details below. Images must be no more than 1280 pixels"
 
Hey Dan,
I have a story that I want to write about a trip I did. Is there a limit on the amount of text that I can include? My story is about 14 or so typed pages in Microsoft Word.
Also, the maximum size of photos that you can handle is 1280 pixels on the long side.
If I wanted to post photos that aren't so large would it be safe to say that if I resized the photos to 640 pixels on the long side that they would be one half the size?
Computer stupid I am.

Outsider
 
Thanks Dan,

My story is a good one. I am not sure that I want it to be an experiment as to what your website can accommodate.
It takes a long time to type up 14 pages of story and 10 pages of photos and do it well.
There must be someone associated with your website that can help me with my question.
I don't want to go through all the effort only to have it all sucked up into the vortex.
See if you can help me.

Outsider
 
Outsider said:
I don't want to go through all the effort only to have it all sucked up into the vortex.
Just type a short test post, upload a few photos, and hit "preview." That way you can quickly see what works. Or you can upload the photos to photobucket and copy/paste the urls into tags rather than uploading them here.

And you should type the report into word and save it there. Then cooy/paste it here. That way you don't waste your time if the internet eats the post (which can happen!).

Can't wait to read it! I love trip reports!
 
That statement about "along the longest edge" confuses me a little. You aren't saying the Total pixels - length times width - can't be more than 1280? So if the longest edge must be equal to or less than 1280 then you could say the photo can't be larger than 1280 x 1280 pixels. That's really a pretty big image - it would definitely fill my wide screen monitor at full size.
 
designer said:
That statement about "along the longest edge" confuses me a little. You aren't saying the Total pixels - length times width - can't be more than 1280? So if the longest edge must be equal to or less than 1280 then you could say the photo can't be larger than 1280 x 1280 pixels. That's really a pretty big image - it would definitely fill my wide screen monitor at full size.

Hi Designer.

If the image is of landscape orientation, then the max length across the top and bottom of the image would be 1280 pixels.
If the image is of portrait orientation, then the max length along the left and right side of the image would be 1280 pixels.
If square, 1280 on all sides, maximum.

1280 pixels across in any aspect for a forum hosted image is indeed generous and one of the many superb qualities of this forum.

Cheers.
 
Hi Folks,

I posted a trip report on the Subantarctic Islands with photos that disappeared with the meltdown issues. Is there a way that I can reload them as the report is still up? The instructions above would suggest not, so if I re-post complete with photos could a mod delete the old report?

Cheers

John
 
If you want to repost the report, I can delete the original for you but your photos will be back once we do the final transfer of the database. It's coming but sorry no eta as yet.
 
Back
Top