Before you can post a picture or an animation in the forums, it needs a home on the Web. There are lots of image-hosting companies, but many RG members already have Photobucket accounts, and Yuku allows you to link to a Photobucket account, so for the benefit of those who are quite new to the business of posting pictures, here's how you start.
Please bear in mind that everything's customisable these days: the screenshots in here are of my system (Windows xp on a PC) and I'm sorry if what you see is different but there's nowt I can do about it!
Ok, let's get going:
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This is the Photobucket home page - it varies, but it will look something like this:
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Then you're given a little form to fill in - be prepared to have several goes until you hit on a unique username.
Don't worry about getting anything wrong or leaving something out of one of these forms - it always bounces you back so you can have another bash at it.
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Another little form - you need to fill in all of it (except, perhaps, the post code):
Another little form - you need to fill in all of it (except, perhaps, the post code):
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And now you're in, and you get the welcome screen.
It used to look like this:
But, wouldn't you just know, they've changed it since I did my screenshots and it now looks like this:
But we'll still be looking at the same bit of the screen next, because I now have a suggestion to make: you'll probably be surprised just how many pix you collect in here in a very short time, and you can't move them around without breaking your links. So I'm going to suggest that you start a new sub-album straight away. Trust me - you'll thank me one day!
And now you're in, and you get the welcome screen.
It used to look like this:
But, wouldn't you just know, they've changed it since I did my screenshots and it now looks like this:
But we'll still be looking at the same bit of the screen next, because I now have a suggestion to make: you'll probably be surprised just how many pix you collect in here in a very short time, and you can't move them around without breaking your links. So I'm going to suggest that you start a new sub-album straight away. Trust me - you'll thank me one day!
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Give your new album any name you like - you might want one for sigs, one for avatars, one for greetings…. This is a good time to have a thunk what you might need, but you can always add more sub-albums later; this box isn't going to vanish!
Give your new album any name you like - you might want one for sigs, one for avatars, one for greetings…. This is a good time to have a thunk what you might need, but you can always add more sub-albums later; this box isn't going to vanish!
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And here we are actually in the new sub-album - it tells you quite clearly which album you're in. Any pix I upload from here will go in this sub-album. If you want to put something in your main album (or any other you've created) then go there first!
And here we are actually in the new sub-album - it tells you quite clearly which album you're in. Any pix I upload from here will go in this sub-album. If you want to put something in your main album (or any other you've created) then go there first!
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Let's stay where we are and upload some stuff.
You will probably have the new 'upload box'. If you do, click on 'Choose files' and I don't think you'll have any problems figuring out what to do next.
Let's stay where we are and upload some stuff.
You will probably have the new 'upload box'. If you do, click on 'Choose files' and I don't think you'll have any problems figuring out what to do next.
I'd show you, but it doesn't work in my Browser, and I'm blowed if I'm going to redo all this lot in IE, so if you get lost or, like me, get
an arror message [expletive deleted!] there is another way.
If you click on 'old uploader' your upload box will look like the one in these screenshots (and it'll stay that way for next
time):
OK, now we can get on...
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This will bring up a familiar-looking box in which you can find and select a file to open from your hard disk. (This is the screen that is most likely to look different depending on your computer setup.) Navigate around until you find what you want.
This will bring up a familiar-looking box in which you can find and select a file to open from your hard disk. (This is the screen that is most likely to look different depending on your computer setup.) Navigate around until you find what you want.
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You can repeat this with the next 'Browse' button to add another pic, and so on - click on 'add more' if you need to - it just gives you more 'Browse' buttons. I'm about to upload 4 images:
You can repeat this with the next 'Browse' button to add another pic, and so on - click on 'add more' if you need to - it just gives you more 'Browse' buttons. I'm about to upload 4 images:
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You get a progress bar to watch while the files are uploading - just to reassure you that something's happening. And then you get a page showing the files you just uploaded - and if they're animations you do see them moving. This page allows you to 'Add titles, descriptions and tags' to them.
Again, I don't bother. In fact I plan to stop this page appearing in future:
You get a progress bar to watch while the files are uploading - just to reassure you that something's happening. And then you get a page showing the files you just uploaded - and if they're animations you do see them moving. This page allows you to 'Add titles, descriptions and tags' to them.
Again, I don't bother. In fact I plan to stop this page appearing in future:
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At last - here we are on the page that shows the images that have just been uploaded:
That box that says 'crop' is to show experienced users that there's a new 'edit' link in the list of options, which now reads 'move/tag/edit/share/delete'. You can click on the x in the box to close it, and play with the options I've just listed to your heart's content.
At last - here we are on the page that shows the images that have just been uploaded:
That box that says 'crop' is to show experienced users that there's a new 'edit' link in the list of options, which now reads 'move/tag/edit/share/delete'. You can click on the x in the box to close it, and play with the options I've just listed to your heart's content.
Just remember that if you move or delete an image you've already linked to then the dreaded red x will apear wherever you posted it!
You've got a pretty generous storage limit - just leave them be for as long as you possibly can.
And, of course, using your uploaded images, either in a posting or as a signature, is the next step…
Click here for how to post a pic and here for how to use one as a signature. [links to be added]
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Oh, by the way, when you next come into Photobucket you'll find yourself in your main album - it always defaults to it. And, if you've done as I advised, remember it may still be empty - so don't panic when this is all you see:
Your sub-album and everything you put in it is still there!
