This is a quick and dirty guide on how to prepare your photos for use on LMR. Good photos are easier to look at (duh), hold the readers interest longer, and hopefully earn you a better robot score.
It does not cover how to take good photos, how to retouch photos, or how to host photos online.
For my image processing I use the excellent GNU Image Manipulation program (GIMP) although everything covered here is doable in Windows Paint. GIMP is available for free on Windows, Mac and Unix variants. Has many advanced features similar to Adobe Photoshop if you`re into that stuff.
Convert
Most cameras output .jpg files which are compressed. If you have a .bmp you should convert it to .jpg before posting. Won`t apply to most people.
How? In GIMP..
- Open your image.
- File menu -> Save as..
- Select file type (by extension).
- Select JPEG and click Save.
- Click Save again on the new popup.
Crop
Crop a photo if the main FOCUS of the photo (ie your robot, workbench whatever) is surrounded by unrelated junk that doesn`t need to be in the picture. Avoid having to do this by lining up the photo properly before taking it. Sometimes it just happens though.
Cropping every photo in a series for embedding into a post to different sizes will screw with the way it looks and they wont line up. If thats the case and it bothers you then don`t worry about cropping.
How? In GIMP..
- Open your image.
- From the toolbox click "Rectangle select tool".
- Draw a box on your image.
- Resize the box if necessary by dragging the borders or corners.
- Image menu -> Crop to selection.
- File menu -> Save.
Resize
Resize your photo if it is simply too big. Look at the pixel dimensions of your photo and compare it against your screen resolution. My 9 megapixel camera takes 3456x2592 pixel photos. Thats over twice the size of my monitor, way too big! We want to see your cool robot, not the specks of dust on it!
I`ve found a good size for posting to be no more than 500x375 as a standard 4:3 ratio. Don`t try to get every single little bolt visible. If you think there isn`t enough detail, then do closeup shots. If you had to crop it the ratio won`t be standard but thats OK.
How? In GIMP..
- Open your image.
- Image menu -> Scale image.
- Under "Image Size" next to "Width" and "Height", if the chain button is BROKEN then click it until it isn`t broken. This preserves your x/y ratio.
- Make sure the first drop down box says "Pixels".
- Experiment with the values in Width until both Width and Height are under 500. Ratio is preserved so when you change one, the other will also change.
How? Simple batch processing..
- Download PhotoResize400.exe.
- Rename PhotoResize400.exe so the 400 is a number corresponding to your desired image width. 400 is a safe bet.
- Select up to about 5 images in explorer.
- Drag and drop onto PhotoResize***.exe.
PhotoResize has a ton of other parameters used by just changing the file name, take a look at the bottom of that linked page.
At the very least images should be resized and embedded into your post. Large, very detailed photos can be uploaded as Files for viewing by those interested in seeing it up close.
If I have missed anything please leave feedback. I hope this guide can help newbies tame their photos :)
Also Frits posted a guide on how to make your robot photos interesting but I couldn`t find it again. If someone knows where it is I will link it.