Hey all:

This topic has come up now and then, and it's time to establish some guidelines for how large our images should be.

Please remember, these are guidelines, not sizes that are set in stone. These guidelines are meant to strike a balance — to make things easiest for the largest number of viewers while not discouraging the showcasing of people's talents.

It would be best if horizontal images are kept to 600 pixels wide. Much bigger than that and they bump out too wide for a lot of people with 15-inch screens. It's better for photographers themselves (and the images) if an image can be viewed all at once on a single screen, rather than forcing the viewer to scroll around. People with larger screens have less of a problem viewing larger images, but it makes the most sense not to penalize people with smaller monitors.

For vertical images, 400 pixels wide is a pretty good guideline. If they're wider than than, they tend to extend far enough down the screen that you have to scroll down to see the rest of the image.

For resolution, 72 dpi is standard for computer monitors. There are monitors out there with higher resolution, but the huge majority use 72 dpi.

Keeping images within these guidelines will also help folks who still use dial-up Internet access look at our photos without having to wait 10 minutes for a thread to load. I loaded one of the threads most full of pics at work not long ago (old dial-up system there), and it took 15 minutes.

Again, these are simply guidelines, not laws. Photographers often like others to see their work as large as possible. Large images can have large impacts. So it's up to each individual to weigh whether the advantages to posting a large image outweigh the disadvantages.

There's a lot of excellent photographic work being posted here and on the "photo sharing" board. It's talent worth encouraging and cherishing, as is the great attitude most have toward each other's work.

For those who haven't yet posted an image and would like to find out how, look for the how-to sticky post toward the top of the "photo sharing" board or e-mail me and I will be happy to help.

Update: I've put (pics included) after the title of each thread that contains photos. Some have been doing this already, and it's a good idea. It allows dial-up users to see which threads will take a significant time investment.

Cool, I posted that you should be a moderator and Shazaam! it happens... hmmm, what should I ask for Christmas??

You should definitely ask that Cheryl gets a 400mm f5.6 lens and a 135mm f/2L lens!

:-)

Well Buzz, as long as you've got Santa's ear, you can pass on this Christmas list to him, eh?

Canon 1DS Mark II
Canon 1D Mark IIN (backup body)
Three 8 Gb memory cards
Canon 600 mm IS f4
Canon 300 mm IS f2.8
Canon 100 mm macro
Canon 16-35 mm
Canon 14 mm
Macintosh G5
Apple 21 inch cinema monitor
Epson 2400 printer

There, that oughta keep the fat ole sucker busy!

Gee Steve. And to think all I wanted was a D50 or D70 or a Rebel and a few starter lenses But then you were probably a better little boy than I was.

No, I've been pretty naughty. That's why I need St. Buzzsaw to intercede.

My wife wouldn't call me a saint, but my children think I am!

Thanks Steve. I've long been a fan of the birdwatching forum (I'm not a photographer, so it's been more for the discussions), but often I've been interested in checking out some of the photos. Unfortunately, I've had too many 10-15 minute loads on my dialup connection and finally just gave up. I think I'll be checking out this forum more.

Update: I've put (pics included) after the title of each thread that contains photos. Some have been doing this already, and I thank you for the good idea. It allows dial-up users to see which threads will take a significant time investment.

There is another way to skin this cat. Since almost all threads have pics....some may have 1, others have a dozen or more. If you use internet explorer, go to tools => options => advanced and scroll down to the multimedia options. There you can uncheck the options that says "show pictures". Hit the apply button and you are set. Then when you open the thread you will get a red x instead of a pic. If you right click the red x you wil get an option to show the picture. This way you can read the text and look at the only pics you think might interest you. It will also make your other web pages load much faster.

Good advice, hobbydog. I know a bunch of FM dial-up users who already have done that.