[Flossie]

How do I post a graphic or create a graphic avatar ?

This is really quite easy, but it is a multi-stage process.

Background info

To use a graphic image on the forum, whether an avatar ( the graphic that appears to the left of a post ) or in a post, you will have to obtain a URL reference to the file of the graphic. The URL reference is sometimes called an internet address and the file it references has to be held on a computer server that forms part of the internet. The reference URL will look something like "http://thebighub.co.uk/forum/images/smiles/ico_cool.gif" ( this is the URL for ) and is of the same form as references to web pages with which you will be familiar e.g. http://bbc.co.uk. The first part of the example URL defines the protocol and the domain which is "http://thebighub.co.uk" and the subsequent parts between forward slashes are folders within that domain and the very final part is the filename of the graphic within the specified folder which is "ico_cool.gif" in the example.

Graphic files can only be referenced by a URL if they are "hosted" on an internet server computer. To be hosted, a graphic file must be copied ( "uploaded" ) to an internet server computer. There are lots of companies which provide a hosting service for graphic files for free, www.photobucket.com is an example.

You should only post the URLs of graphics that you have hosted on your personal account with a hosting service. If you post the URLs of graphics from arbitrary websites, you are "hotlinking", this is frowned upon as "bandwidth" ( cpu time and memory resource ) is used from the hosting computer that "serves" the graphic you referenced, and bandwidth costs someone money.

Posting a graphic

1) Upload your graphic onto a hosting site. Open an account at http://www.photobucket.com/, and follow the instructions there to perform the upload. Graphics wider than 550 pixels stretch the forum pages and are discouraged, so for wider graphics please reduce the width of the graphic by using the options on the photobucket site or other software as provided at http://thebighub.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4942.

2) To display a graphic in a post, the URL of the graphic has to be embeddeded within "[img]" tags e.g. "[img ]http://img13.photobucket.com/albums/v38/Flossie/FlossieMasked.gif[/img]". Fortunately photobucket provides the URL in the right format to be used immediately in a post. In the browser window showing your photobucket account locate the graphic you wish to post. Beneath the graphic are various text fields, select ALL the text in the bottom editable field labelled "Img". Select this text by clicking in the editable field and pressing Ctrl-A ( press the "Ctrl" key and "a" key together)

3) Copy the text to the clipboard by pressing Ctrl-C.

4) Paste the text into your post by positioning the cursor in your text and pressing Ctrl-V

Creating an avatar

1) Upload your graphic onto a hosting site. Open an account at http://www.photobucket.com/, and follow the instructions there to perform the upload.

If the graphic is wider than 140 pixels or so please resize it to be 140 pixels wide. This can be done on the photobucket site or look at the info at http://thebighub.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4942.

2) Once the image is uploaded to photobucket, locate the graphic in your browser, just below it are text fields. Select ALL the text in the top editable field labelled "URL". Select this text by clicking in the editable field and pressing Ctrl-A (press the "Ctrl" key and "a" key together).

3) Press Ctrl-C to copy the text to the clipbaord

4) In your browser go to TheBigHub, open your profile by clicking on the "Profile" button which is located at the top of the page you are currently viewing and just underneath the Hub graphic. Scroll down to the bottom and find a field labelled "Link to off-site Avatar:"

5) Click in the field and paste in the URL by pressing Ctrl-V

6) Click "submit" and you are sorted


To find alternative graphic hosting please look in

http://thebighub.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1402

[Flossie]

Updated.