Resizing your images for posting to forum threads

[gcmartin]

If its a PUP, resize is always simple using mtPaint on your desktop. (GIMP works similarly)

1. Take a shot/pic/screenshot/image/etc
2. Open ROX (or your filemanager) to the folder with the pictures.
3. Do ONE of the following:
   • Right-click and select mtpaint
   • Click-drag-drop the picture on the desktop's "Paint" icon
4. On the Menu-bar click Image>Scale canvas
5. Choose Any size where the new width is less than or equal to 800
6. Save and add to your Puppy forum post

This should help the many who want their images to be displayed properly for PUPPY forum ease of sight.

There are other methods for managing your picture sizes, but this one will work for all true PUPs.

Please Note: This post shows a method that solves 2 distinct problems with pictures attached to your posts

• Your picture may not be displayed because is exceeds the width limit of 800 for an attached image.
• Your picture, if exceeding 800 would/could cause all posts to require scrolling left to right to see the information within other post on the thread's page

Thus, 800 is a safe "artificial ceiling" to avoid these 2 problems.

[musher0]

Hi gc.

I don't know where you got that from. I find it a bit strict. Flash once told me that the
width of a picture you want to include should not exceed 799 pixels. He didn't
mention anything about the height.

BFN.

[Flash]

That's right, there's no limit on the height of an attached image, only the width (800 max). I've edited gcmartin's OP, I hope he doesn't mind.

[bigpup]

There is a max data size.

Max Size: 256 KB

I have found that a width of 600 works OK and it helps to keep the data size of the image down.

Also consider the format used.
.png or .jpg should work with no problems.
Changing it can have an affect on the data size of the image.

The data size of the image is something to consider.
Keep the amount low, to limit what it adds to the forum server.
Server data space does cost money. If nothing else, more needed free space to store the added data.

[Flash]

When I convert a png to a jpeg (with mtPaint, naturally) the jpeg's file size is almost always much smaller.

[musher0]

Hello all.

If the original width of the capture is less than 800 pixels, we don't touch it, except if
an enlargement is needed.

Also, we can control the weight in Kb's by playing with the quality percentage in
mtpaint, when we "save as". This way we can get a relatively large image if need be,
that will still be light-weight and server-friendly. We want to convey an illustration of a
concept or idea, so often we don't need all the precision of the original image.

BFN.

[Makoto]

Normally, I handle all my image processing/resizing myself... but I thought I'd mention using an imagehost might be an option. For example, I use Imgur (warning: they show random images people have made public on the main page I linked, which may be crude or NSFW), which gives me a small range of sizes/thumbnails to use when linking to the image:



(Another benefit to imgur, perhaps, is that you don't have to create an account to use it.)

[nic007]

As far as attachments are concerned - why are only picture and archive files allowed? I reckon all file extensions should be allowed as long as it is inside the size limits. It's a bit of a hassle to zip a file first before attaching.

[bigpup]

Size 256K and a compressed type format or an image format.

As a archived file, it will be smaller, and if it is 256K compressed. It could be much larger uncompressed.

[nic007]

Yes and pets and pups but that's it.

[musher0]

Hello all.

In line with Makoto's post above, there's also the "MyPhotos" service offered by
MyPCLinuxOS Image Hosting.

Many similar services are also available.

BFN.

[musher0]

Yes and pets and pups but that's it.

Are there that many more formats that are useful on a forum?

[ebisu]

[nic007]

Yes and pets and pups but that's it.

Are there that many more formats that are useful on a forum?

A relatively large text file or small pdf file or script that does not occupy a whole page (when written out) comes to mind.

[musher0]

Well, for txt, html and even pdf, we can use the forum's "Quote" function.

[nic007]

Well, for txt, html and even pdf, we can use the forum's "Quote" function.

Please explain how to use the quote function to attach my own text or pdf file.

[musher0]

Well, for txt, html and even pdf, we can use the forum's "Quote" function.

Please explain how to use the quote function to attach my own text or pdf file.

Hi nic007.

Simple! (But you don't really "attach" it.)
-- you open your text in your txt|html|pdf reader
-- you highlight it with Cntrl-A and copy it to buffer with Cntrl-C

-- you create a new post in this forum
-- you click "Quote"
-- you paste your text with Cntrl-V
-- you click "Quote" again. This closes the "Quote".
-- finally you indicate the source: url, author, date, etc.

And you're done!

BFN.

[nic007]

Well, for txt, html and even pdf, we can use the forum's "Quote" function.

Please explain how to use the quote function to attach my own text or pdf file.

Hi nic007.

Simple! (But you don't really "attach" it.)
-- you open your text in your txt|html|pdf reader
-- you highlight it with Cntrl-A and copy it to buffer with Cntrl-C

-- you create a new post in this forum
-- you click "Quote"
-- you paste your text with Cntrl-V
-- you click "Quote" again. This closes the "Quote".
-- finally you indicate the source: url, author, date, etc.

And you're done!

BFN.

My text file is 200kb and my pdf file has pictures too, good luck with your method.

[gcmartin]

I get the PDF/HTML needs; as these files include formatting controls within the file so that they render properly when opened with the associated tool(s)/browser(s).

PDFs at the original outsets are "condensed" such that the tool to render knows what and how to render when viewed.

Text files, ".txt" files, are typically small character files, but can be condensed as a .gz/etc.

But, over the years, I am not sure if this old BBS version is either capable or possible to have these features open for user use.

In newer BBS software, users can provide scrollable windows in a post. We cannot do that with this version.

Lastly, I believe that there was a push at one point with a swell of members appealing for an upgrade of PUP's BBS. Further, I seem to remember that there was a Canadian group (maybe puppylinux.org) that was receptive to this change. But, so far, we are here.

Currently it works. So, its up to the provider(s) of Puppy's forum to evaluate effort and risk (and maybe cost) to move from current BBS version to a newer version with updated features.

That the extent of my memory, of which there may be "little" accuracy.