Photo Copyright

But you can very often find that very same image using a Google Image Search and use the link to where Google's stored it to get around that.

You can often find images without the copyright symbol/info that you've seen on another website with it.

 

They pay two fees:

GC pay a fee for "storage". That will be dependent on how much, total, disk space they need. That will include every image that is uploaded, and every message that is typed.

GC then pay a second fee for "bandwidth". Every time a message, and its accompanying pictures, is viewed there is a cost for the "bandwidth" that that takes up. For example, if this thread made the national newspapers then it is likely that lots of people would view it, and as a consequence GC would use more bandwidth than normal, and that could push them over into the next "fee band".

Each image, and each thread viewed, is a tiny amount of the total package that GC pay for, of course. Its only collectively that it matters - but an image that is viewed a million times will only use half the bandwidth if the person uploading it has taken the time to "shrink" it to the minimum size possible (i.e. a size that still retains enough definition to be recognisable!!)

If instead you LINK to an image, on a different site, then the Bandwidth Cost is split - GC "pays" for the message to be sent to the viewer, and the other, linked, site pays for the Image to be sent.

Yup, its exactly the same.

 

I've told you before that I will tell you again

yeah, it does a bit, but you doing it would allow for more aggressive compression if the picture will take it (without unacceptable loss of quality).

Try uploading an image which is only modestly compressed (or providing a URL to one on the web somewhere) to this:

http://www.netmechanic.com/products/GIFbot_FreeSample.shtml

(I don't think you need to use the Email address box ... if it is compulsory I think a bogus address will do)

You will get a page with the images at various compressions. As you move the mouse over each one the original image will be displayed [instead], so by moving the mouse over/out of the image repeatedly you can "strobe" the differences, which makes it easy to see how much detail is lost. Its often quite surprising how much compression can be tolerated.

When I upload here I reduce to 800 x 600 max dimensions and pre-compress at 70% ... but it could be that with a little more effort a lot more space could be saved.

 

Taking WOO's image earlier in this thread as an example:

http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y494/wiseoldowl7/Swan1-1.jpg

even 69% reduction is pretty acceptable (and that image was small filesize of 160K to start with, so already well compressed for its size)

 

I've not read the preceeding but you might like this:
www.picresize.com

no email addresses required.

 

Handy for folk who are not that good with computer stuff , but for anyone who is OK with such things I recommend doing the manipulation locally on your PC

Taking an image as it came out of your camera and uploading it to a website for manipulation is quite a slow process ... whereas doing it locally, and then uploading the much smaller resulting file to GC, will be much faster.

Could do with a nice, numptie, PC app that just shinks a picture locally ... all the things that I use have far too many Bells and Whistles for Mr or Mrs Average User to want to be bothered with ...

 

What GC does with your uploaded image is at least as good as an 80:20 rule ... so definitely good enough.

If GC start to incur serious storage costs the easiest thing would be for them to re-shrink all images by another 10%, and live with the consequences that some will deteriorate in quality.

 

I've been reading this with interest. I have recently used my own computer for the first time to re-size some pictures. The options provided are either by percentage or pixels. Having tried both I think percentage reduction is better. Your opinions please?

 

Here's what I do:

Crop the image first, if required.

Resize to 800 x 600 maximum (keep original aspect ratio, so only need to change one of these and the other will change as appropriate, but neither should exceed that limit)

Then save at 70%

This usually produces a JPEG filesize of around 80-120K, and I can't see any loss of quality.

 

Thanks Kristen, I tried just resizing but that seemed to take something away from the picture. I then tried altering just the percentage to 70% and that looked better. Although the picture was slightly larger than normal (which I prefer) when I uploaded to GC the final downsizing was made there.

I need to use my pics in various places and instead of changing the size each time I find it easier to strike a happy medium and use a middling size for all.

 

You might like to try my link above (if it is a specific picture, rather than a general concept for all pictures you upload). That will show you a variety of compression rates, and whether the picture deteriorates, or not.

But mostly its just of academic interest