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Ever get a bunch of pictures together and wanted to share them with everyone you know? Ever taken 20 minutes to download a single email crowded with massive photos that you weren't even sure that you wanted to see in the first place? Displaying photos online is the best way to share your pictures without killing someone's email box. There are a few rules of thumb you can follow that will make displaying photos online easier for you, and more effective for your friends and family. The first question many people ask is "How does it work?" - the answer is rather simple. You take your pictures, upload them to a website, and then email that website to your friends - they then connect and browse through your online picture gallery and enjoy the memories you've shared. First things first - rotate the image from portrait to landscape or vice versa prior to uploading - some sites out there will not let you do that after the fact, and it would sure be annoying to have to delete it and reupload it again after realizing that your favorite shot of the Eiffel Tower is now horizontal. Most computers come with software that can do this, like Paint, and every higher end product like Adobe Photoshop and LView will also include this basic function, but I prefer the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer - it's included with Windows and rotates the photos easily without any fuss. Once you have them rotated the right way, I find it easy to view them in your file browser (Windows Explorer, etc) with a thumbnail view just to make sure, and to begin seeing "the big picture" of all your shots within the same context so you can see their order. Pick the order you like, noting that some sites will let you custom pick before or after you upload them, and some will take the date encoded within the picture as the official order, and then get ready to upload them. Also pick good captions to go with the images. Try to avoid less descriptive "Paris" or "John" and get a little wordier, like "Paris streets as we left Gare du Nord" or "My friend John as he met us at the airport". There is usually a limit to the number of characters you can use in the caption, but try to shoot for 5 to 10 words. This will make things a lot easier for people who come to look through your displays of photo albums online, it will help you to remember the context of each digital picture in the years after you've taken it, and besides, all the people still using slower dial up connections will thank you when they can pick and choose the images they really want to see. Most sites will show a thumbnail, or much smaller version, of the picture with a caption, but some show a slideshow - rather annoying if you're looking for picture #10 of 20, or just trying to get a quick glimpse of the gallery to see if it interests you. Thumbnails make that much easier so look for a website that offers thumbnail views. Smug Mug and Another point to address is the website you would email out. You will usually have a username or member ID, so look for your main page or gallery page that you can send out - maybe something like this: http://www.website.com/members/member.cgi?user=John&gallery=1 for example. Of course, every web site will be different, but one way you can check is to type up your email and then click on the link before sending it out - it will open up a web browser back to that web site that will show you what your email recipients will get if they click on it too. Finally, begin uploading, getting the order you want, the right orientation, and a good caption. Congratulations - go and review what you've sent up, just to make sure, and then hit send on the email to your friends and family with the link to your online pictures display so they can enjoy it too!
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