Resize Your Photos

Posting a Photo Gallery is a great way to share your club-related photos with other members, your family, and even the world! It is one of the most popular features of our new site. There are a few things to keep in mind when posting a gallery.

• To maximize the speed of our site, we have set limits on the photo size and file size.
• The image size (pixels dimensions) limit is 1200x800 pixels.
• The file size limit is 1 MB.
• Currently, we only allow four file types: .jpg, .jpeg, .gif, and .png.

I'll bet you're thinking, "But wait! The images from my digital camera are much larger! Does that mean I can't post them?" Of course not. You just need to prep your pictures for the site — and it's easier than it sounds. Best of all, you can use the streamlined versions for e-mailing family and friends. (Trust me, they'll appreciate it.)

Please note: If you do not resize your images to less than 1 MB, your upload will fail and your gallery will not post. If your images are smaller than 1 MB but larger than 1200x800 pixels, our image handler will automatically resize your images to the maximum size, but this will make your upload time much longer. This is why we recommend you resize your images before uploading a gallery.

First things first: If you're at all uncomfortable with this process, make a copy of the photos you intend to resize! If you edit (and reduce the size of) your original/only copies, you will no longer have the large originals! Typically, I make a folder within my existing image folder and name it something like "smaller versions for web site," then copy (not move) the images I intend to post. Then, I open that folder and proceed. 

Next, you will need a way to reduce the file size. There are many software programs to do this, and you may have one you prefer to use. For the purpose of this help file, we'll assume that if you have photo editing and resizing software, you know how to use it. If you would like to use your existing software, simply resize/resample your images so that they fit within the maximum dimensions of our site. Then, review the Post a Photo Gallery help file for an overview of that posting process.

If you do not have photo editing and resizing software, and you do have a Windows XP computer, we recommend you install and Microsoft Power Tool called Image Resizer, which you can learn more about here on the Microsoft web site. To install it, follow the instructions on the Microsoft web site.

Once you have installed the Image Resizer tool (which you will only have to do once, of course), follow these steps.

• Open the folder with the images you intend to resize.
• Select the images to resize by clicking on each one while holding down the Control key, which allows you to select multiple files. You also can use the Control+A keys on your keyboard to select all.
• Once the files to be resized are selected, use your mouse to go to the File menu on your folder, and choose Resize Pictures. The Resize Pictures dialog box will open and show several size options.
• You have two image size settings, so review both and then choose.
• You can choose Large picture setting, which will make your images 1024x769 pixels.
• Or, if you want to size your images to the largest size allowed by our site, click the Advanced button, then select the Custom option, and and enter 1200x800 pixels.
• Do not choose to make small pictures larger — the software cannot increase resolution, so the images will be very grainy and look bad.
• By default, the software is set to make a copy of your image and resize that copy. The software also will add a label such as (Large) to the file name to help you distinguish which version has been resized. You can opt to leave this option checked, and Image Resizer will make a copy of your files at the new size you have selected.
• If you have copied the images into a folder specifically for resized versions, you can check the "resize my original files, do not make copies," which will do that exactly that. Remember, only do this if you are using a copy of your files — not your only versions. 
• Once you are satisfied with your choices (size, whether or not to make a copy or resize the images you have selected), choose OK.
• A second dialog box will pop up showing that Image Resizer is working. When it closes, you will know it is complete.

Now that your images are properly sized for the site, you can Post a Photo Gallery.