As a public service I am offering here an easy to follow, step by step guide to posting pictures on this forum, in the hope that it will encourage more of you to join the select handful of us. There must be lots of people out there who have got good stuff to share, but maybe aren't quite confident about how to go about it. Well, you've got no excuse now!
When I first started posting pictures here again, a few days ago, I was using ImageHosting.gr, which is really easy to use; but after complaints that some people couldn't see the pictures, and then after something funny happened to one of my posts, I switched to Imgur, which is not quite so simple, but is by no means difficult. Here's how to use it.
1) Go to imgur.com/
This will appear on your screen.
2) To begin loading pictures, click on "Browse."
3) The usual dialogue box showing the contents of your computer will appear. Navigate to the file name of the first picture you want to load, click on it to select it, and click on "Open" in the usual way. (Alternatively you can just double-click on the file name.)
4) The name of the file you have selected will now appear below the "Browse" button.
5) If you intend to alter the image (rotating or resizing), click on the little white box to the left of the file name. A tick will appear in the box.
6) If you want to load more than one picture, repeat steps 2) to 5) for each additional picture.
7) Now you are ready to upload. Click on the "Continue" button. (In this example we are uploading two pictures.)
8) A status bar will appear showing the progress of your upload...
...then a preview of your first picture will come up.
9) If you're not editing the image, jump to step 11). If you wish to rotate it, click on the green icon below the picture on the left. If you wish to resize, click on "Show Resizing Presets" in blue in the middle...
...then on the arrow to bring up the drop-down menu.
10) Now select the size you require. Many photos from sites like Met-Art or Domai are enormous, which means they take ages to load and you have to scroll around to see the image. I prefer to post in a handier size, and find 1024 x 768 about right for this forum.
If you wish to undo your editing and revert to the original image, click on "Reset."
11) When satisfied, click on "Continue," like you did in step 7). A new page will appear showing your first picture, and an array of linking codes down the left-hand side. You are now ready to post.
12) Leave the Imgur window open, and open a new browser window (or tab, as Firefox calls it) to visit this forum. Start your message and type in whatever text you may want.
13) To post your first picture, return to the Imgur window. You need the top code on the left, "Direct Link (email & IM)." Ignore the stuff below about websites and message boards: I've tried them, and the top one is the only one that works here! Hover your mouse pointer over the code (you don't even need to click), and it will highlight. Press Ctrl + C on your keyboard to copy the image to your clipboard.
14) Back here at KF, press Ctrl + V to paste the picture into your message. You should see the code you copied appear.
15) If you're posting more than one picture, return to the Imgur window and click on "Second Image" (or it will simply show numbers if you've loaded a lot of images) above the picture, and your second picture will appear.
Repeat steps 13) and 14), and again for each subsequent picture.
16) When you've finished, post your message. Voila!
This may look a little laborious when you see it written down like this, but it isn't once you've got the hang of it, believe me. Now let's see what you've got!