image resolution in posts

[richard.mac]

what is the accepted maximum image resolution when posting if one doesnt want to attach and help out the moderators who 'timg'?

i used to use a maximum of 640 because TinyPic.com has this as an option for "Message Boards". but then i remember mkrishnan saying the minimum is 500 (cannot find source).

i like to use attachments for smaller images and then remove the border by using the Preview Post + attachment drop down menu 'trick' to use the tags. but for images where clarity is needed and i want to resize them myself i like to use a hosted image with

tags.

 

[richard.mac]

this image doesnt resize when 'timg'd so i guess images under 300 pixels (height or length) are not resized when attached?

http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/mac-pro-2g-review.media/rear.jpg

 

[Doctor Q]

This is an excellent question, even though there can be no perfect answer to it, since we all view the forums with our own displays and window sizes. Still, we can give some guidelines about images displayed using IMG tags or as inline attachments.

We give forum members some leeway to make their own judgment calls, but if you'd like a rule of thumb, images less than 600 pixels wide are rarely an issue. Some people consider 640 to be a good upper limit. We'd probably consider any image over 750 pixels to be too wide.

When you post too-wide images, you distort forum displays and make it hard for people to get to the Quote button. Usually, there's no reason to post an image that wide, so using the TIMG tag to display it scaled, or scaling an image before uploading it, is more courteous to other members.

Image height is less of an issue, but it's more courteous to avoid making people scroll when you could have scaled your image in the first place. After all, who wants to see the top half of an image and have to scroll down to see the bottom half separately?

Before posting images as large as a desktop, we hope forum users will ask themselves if others really want to see them in full resolution, truncated by the forum window. Usually the answer is no. If an image is displayed within the forum post in a sensible size, and people can click for the larger version, everyone is likely to be happier. That's why the attachment system does it that way by default.

The TIMG tag is useful for large images (screenshots, desktops, photos from a camera, etc.), but should not be used for small graphics (icons, logos, button graphics, small clips of screenshots, etc.), since it can force them to increase in size.

 

[Reflow]

Can you really explain how to do this? Say if I have a screen shot of my desktop and want to post it. I know already it's over the size limit. How would I resize it or change it. The only way I know how to attach files is clicking on the Manage Attachments icon. Is there a place with a step by step process.

 

[Doctor Q]

Can you really explain how to do this? Say if I have a screen shot of my desktop and want to post it. I know already it's over the size limit. How would I resize it or change it. The only way I know how to attach files is clicking on the Manage Attachments icon. Is there a place with a step by step process.

Attaching the image that way is fine. Here are the details about that and other choices:

If you leave the image in its full original size, either of these choices would be fine:

1. Attach the image to your post using the Manage Attachments window. It will show up in your post as a thumbnail. People can click on it to see the full-size version.
   
2. Post the image somewhere else on the Internet, e.g., your .Mac or Flickr account. Reference it in your post with the syntax [img]...url of the image...[/img].

Another choice is to use iPhoto, GraphicConverter, or another application to resize the image to smaller dimensions. Once you do that, you have the two choices above plus two additional choices:

1. Post the scaled image somewhere else on the Internet. Use the Insert Image
   
   feature to insert the image into your post. (You could also just type the tags, which have the form [img]...url of the image...[/img].)
   
2. If you think people would rather see the scaled image within your post, instead of as an attachment at the bottom of the post, use the Manage Attachments window to attach it to your post and then follow the instructions to convert the image to an inline attachment.