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1. zebathome
   Member
   Mar 30, 2012, 5:13 PM

   I recently read a post by Timethief which said that images would all display better if they were correctly sized before being uploaded to the Media Library on my blog. Would this explain why I only ever have two options allowed me when I upload photos? Namely, thumbnail (150 x112) and Full Size (529 × 396) and am never given an option for the two in between? How do I find out what the sizes are for Medium and Large please, as I can't seem to find that information on the theme page for Chateau and I have never been able to use them since I swapped to this theme.

   I have tried searching in Google too for 'chateau image sizes' etc but haven't managed to find anything out apart from about the header image - but thought someone here might know the answer. Up to now I have been resizing my photos ad hoc once I had uploaded them either with the Edit Image option in the Library or with the Edit Image option once the image is placed in the post. Neither of these give me any accuracy and given what Timethief says, presumably this isn't the best way to get the best from one's images.

   Any help much appreciated. Joanna

   The blog I need help with is zebbakes.com.

2. justpi
   Member
   Mar 30, 2012, 5:26 PM

   What you read is correct: images downsized by WP lose some color and sharpness.

   For maximum image width see here:
   http://wpbtips.wordpress.com/2009/07/23/maximum-image-width/

   How many size options you get when you're about to insert an image depends on the size of the original in relation to the defaults for those options. You set those defaults in Settings > Media. Since your main column width is about 530px, you could set the default width for the medium option to about half of that, and the default for the thumbnail option to whatever you prefer. Set the default heights to 0 so that they'll have no effect.

3. timethief
   Member
   Mar 30, 2012, 5:30 PM

   @justpi
   Thanks for helping zebathome. This is the post she is referring to > http://onecoolsitebloggingtips.com/2012/03/26/cropper-or-proper-image-preparation-2/

4. zebathome
   Member
   Mar 30, 2012, 5:54 PM

   justpl you are a treasure! thank you so much - I had seen those settings when I first joined wordpress and didn't understand what they meant at all. That is just brilliant :)

5. zebathome
   Member
   Mar 30, 2012, 6:03 PM

   Can I ask a supplementary question ? Now that I have changed those settings should I size new photos to the medium size before uploading them if that is the size I want them to be ultimately. The thumbnail size seems to automatically resize in relation to the others, See below for an example. In the media settings in my dashboard it says 150 x 96, but I uploaded an image just now and it gave me these numbers, having done what you said above. Or should I set the thumbnail height to 0 as well. ( I am flying blind here, I don't understand images, pixels etc, so feel very stupid)

   Thumbnail (128 × 96)
   Medium (265 × 198)
   Large (529 × 395)
   Full Size (529 × 395)

6. justpi
   Member
   Mar 30, 2012, 7:07 PM

   When you're talking web and computers, you need to learn to think of lengths, widths and heights in terms of pixels. A pixel is the smallest unit that can be represented on your computer screen. For example, the horizontal line that separates our replies here is 1px thick. Our avatars here are displayed at 48x48 pixels.

   Once you know that the main column of the theme you're using is about 530px wide, then you can have a clear idea of approximately how wide you want each image to be. So you either set your defaults as mentioned above and downsize the displayed version of the images you upload by selecting one of the options on the image popup window, or you use an image editing application to downsize your images to the desired pixel width before uploading them. Second method gives you better quality; but the difference is small, so perhaps you needn't bother to do that for each and every image, especially if you'll be uploading lots of images. The one thing you must not do is upload large, high resolution, files straight out of your digital camera (because you'd waste your storage space and increase the loading time of your pages); but you don't seem to be guilty of that!

   Yes, in Settings > Media you'd better set all the heights to 0, because usually only the width matters.

7. zebathome
   Member
   Mar 30, 2012, 7:26 PM

   I think my other problem is with iPhoto (Mac) in that in order to get a smaller size of photo suitable for the blog I usually edit the photos and then draft email them to myself at their Medium size and that is usually somewhere in the region of a couple of hundred kbs but it is infuriating that Apple don't make it easier for us within their main photo app to manipulate the physical size of photos. I'd better stop wingeing now as it's not a wordpress issue but I need to find a second app to work on resizing photos generally.

   I have just now done an experimental little post with pictures at my new Medium size thanks to your help and I am fairly pleased with how they came out. I really appreciate you taking the time and trouble to explain this to me. Have a good weekend !

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