Resizing options

[Bcaps]

I think I'm getting a handle on this and am really impressed with the software; can't wait to get all of my photos uploaded.

I have a question on the different sizes options. Conceptually I thought it worked this way:

1. Specify what sizes you want to work with in the Resize Method Editor. For example, I have:

Normal (Imagemagick 560)
Big (Imagemagick 1024)


2. Next, resize your pictures locally TO ONE SIZE. Select photos from server upload folder and then select sizes and where they are going.

3. Once uploaded Imagemagick will take care of all resizing as needed.

So, what I did was to save all of my photos locally at 1024x768 and then when I went to upload them, Step 3 asked where they were to go. This confused me since I had the option of /normal and /big... I assumed that I would just upload to /big and Imagemagick would then resize them for /normal, /thumbs and /microthumbs

I ended up selecting both /big and /normal. It appears that those two sizes are loaded correctly but I don't have any thumbs and microthumbs.

Two questions then:

A. Step 3 gives me two options, /normal and /big. Should I be creating two size versions locally and then upload the big versions to /big and then the normal versions to /normal?

B. Do I need to create versions for /thumbs and /microthumbs? Shouldn't imagemagick take care of this automatically?

If the answer is "yes" to both of those then my question would be, what is imagemagick doing if I have to create seperate size versions for /normal, /big, /thumbs and /microshumbs.

Thanks!

Dave

[Pekka]

Let's call what you upload to UPLOAD folder an "original".

If this original is 3000x2000 pixels, you would set in Resize method editor three sizes:

big (IMAGEMAGICK 1000)
normal (IMAGEMAGICK 750)
small (IMAGEMAGICK 400)

Then you would choose these sizes in path editor:

big size: big (IMAGEMAGICK 1000)
normal size: normal (IMAGEMAGICK 750)
small size: small (IMAGEMAGICK 400)

But if the original is 1000 pixels wide you would select

big size: NONE
normal size: big (IMAGEMAGICK 750)
small size: small (IMAGEMAGICK 400)

If you use % sizes you would need to take original size to account even more. So when you make these sizes in Resize method editor keep in mind what size originals you intend to upload.

In Resize method editor, right under the title text you have a selection box. This lets you to edit either big sizes, or thumb and microthumb sizes. Thumb sizes cannot be added to, or deleted - only edited.

In path editor you "marry" these sizes with size paths and ftp servers and paths. In path editor you have also thumb and microthumb setups. Upload page presents you size paths, but not thumb paths: that is the thing that confuses many. So:

Question: why there is no thumb or microthumb size selection on upload page?

Answer: each exhibition has preselected thumb path and preselected microthumb path, they were chosen in exhibition editor from selection of thumb and microthumb paths you see in path editor. WHEN YOU SELECT AN EXHIBITION ON UPLOAD PAGE, EE KNOWS ITS THUMB PATHS.

When you click UPLOAD button, EE resizes the photos to selected sizes and uploads them (creates folders if neccessary), resizes thumbs and uploads them, resizes microthumbs and uploads them, reads EXIF IPTC, guesses stuff and adds to database.

IMPORTANT TO KNOW: After you have uploaded first images to an exhibition, do NOT change its thumb paths or you will have to move old thumbs to new location manually.

ALSO: in path editor, the variable name should be different for each path, unless it is 'default'. (This setting will most likely go away in future EE's as soon as some other less technical method of pointing default photos is coded.)

If you want to change thumb and/or microthumb sizes later, after upload, use "rethumbnail editor". With that you can build new thumbs to selected images using currect resizesize method settings (useful e.g. when you try different sharpening settings).

Test you resize methods (Imagemagick). Test you ftp servers. Check that exhibitions use intended thumb paths and that they are set up correctly in path editor. Doublecheck path editor settings and you're ready to go.

I know the initial setup of EE can be laborous if you have no previous experience of it, but it is a very flexible system in the end and you don't have to think about it after you have set it up and tested it.

Try it out, you can not break it by doing something wrong. Only things that can happen is that your server may have some dummy photos in dummy folders but so what. Upload couple of photos at a time at first. Learn also to use EE Backup (database backup utility) as soon as you have good setup back it up. Backup the gallery daily and download backups to your home.

[Bcaps]

Thanks Pekka, that cleared up a lot!

Dave