Flickr as Home Server

[Peter Lewin]

I've noticed that many of you are using Flickr as your "home server" and then posting images on this site by pointing to the original on Flickr. This seems to allow for better-looking images on this site compared to those images which are uploaded directly to the LFPF server, since it makes sense that Flickr has greater capacity, and uses less compression, than the LFPF server. That said, I need a little advice:

(1) Flickr seems to be geared towards digital capture and upload, since that is far more common than scans or Photoshopped image files. But for LF, uploading scans or image files is the only option. So what sizing are you applying to files you send to Flickr? Are you uploading files sized for screen display, or files sized for 8x10 printing, etc.? (Some actual pixel or inch dimensions, resolution, and file sizes would help - I'm just learning this stuff! I would also prefer answers which apply to the free use of Flickr, rather than the paid professional option, which doesn't apply to me.)
(2) From what I understand, Flickr stores (or displays?) images in different sizes. If it actually stores the same image in different file sizes, which file do you point to using the LFPF link?
(3) I assume using Flickr is easier than trying to work with the free hosting services which are also available on the web. If not, which hosting service would you use instead?

If, as a digital beginner and Flickr neophyte I'm asking the wrong questions, please educate me as well! Thanks.

[jp]

1. Flickr is also used by many analog photographers. One of my daily Internet activities besides visiting here is to head on over to flickr and see what my contacts are up to for analog (and digital) photos. THat it is mostly digital is simply a reflection of the current state of photography, rather than being meant for digital only. I also use it to see how other photographers use certain lenses and films and how they handle geographic locations I'm apt to visit. I can see how people use heliars for portraits with a rather simple search. I can see digital exif data from photos at Boston Garden/td bank center arena before visiting there with my film camera to understand lighting levels.

2. I upload 1500 pixels in the largest direction or sometimes a tiny bit more. No sense to upload something massive; risk of re-use as well as practical reasons. No sense to put up something small like LFPF would use as changing display resolutions will make such images look bad in a year or two. I see what size image I like on my screen that would look good in the LFPF post and use that image URL.

3. I use the flickr pro ; it's cheap. I also have my own real colocated hosting server running Gallery, because I'm an IT nerd by day. It works reliably, but gallery needs frequent security updates and seems to gather comment spam. It's not for everyone. I don't trust the free image hosting services otherwise, with popup/annoying ads, adult/warez oriented, etc..

[C. D. Keth]

I use the free version of flickr. It's easy image hosting, respects copyright, and also has a lot of communities and galleries to look through.

I usually upload a 50% JPG of my images. I don't sharpen what I upload to flickr, generally. I then link on this forum to the 1024 size for landscape orientation images and the 800 size for vertically oriented ones. Those are about the largest that will display at once, without scrolling, on my browser screen. I think I'm fairly average in my browser settings so hopefully it displays well for others, too.

Here's a link to a 1024-size (1024x812) horizontal:
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7136/8160166612_2c8236e0d8_b.jpg


and a 800-size (800x657) vertical:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8060/8207023215_7ef535e891_c.jpg

[Peter Lewin]

Christopher: What is a "50% JPG?" Do you mean you play with the dimensions until the file you upload to Flickr is 50% of your original scan (e.g. if the original scan is 10mb you experiment with sizing until the resized file is 5mb?)?

[C. D. Keth]

Christopher: What is a "50% JPG?" Do you mean you play with the dimensions until the file you upload to Flickr is 50% of your original scan (e.g. if the original scan is 10mb you experiment with sizing until the resized file is 5mb?)?

Nah, nothing that scientific. I just resize to 50% pixel size and save as a jpg. Then I resize that to 40% (making a 20%-of-original size) and save that as a jpg. I use the 20% ones for facebook, where I'm not so sure how much they respect copyrights.

[Preston]

Peter, here's another thought.

Check with your internet service provider (ISP) to see if folders are available under your account to which you can upload images and then link to them. That way, you have control over image size and not run the risk of violating terms of use of a site like Flickr.

--P

[Peter Lewin]

Back with more questions! I now have four images on Flickr which I would love to post in their respective "post your image" threads. When I go to the picture on Flickr, I can do "actions", "image size" and select the size which looks appropriate for this forum (medium 640 looks good for my horizontals, haven't looked at the verticals yet). But when I go to "share" I can only get the URL which takes me to the flickr page, not just the image (i.e. the URL looks like www.flickr.com/photos/peterlewin/8261775708) and it doesn't seem to give me a size choice. I can grab the HTML code for the image size I want, but the HTML code is disabled on this forum. And if I use a URL, how do I comply with the Flickr terms of use requirement for providing a link back to Flickr?

I'm really sorry that these questions are so elementary, I wish there was a real "Posting Images for Dummies" sticky, which included the information on using home servers beyond that of the FLPF.

[Tony Evans]

Peter,I might not be sure of your problem. However, here's some info JIC.. Right Click on the image at selected size, click Properties at the bottom and copy the URL. This can be pasted here on the Forum or anywhere else.

[Peter Lewin]

Peter,I might not be sure of your problem. However, here's some info JIC.. Right Click on the image at selected size, click Properties at the bottom and copy the URL. This can be pasted here on the Forum or anywhere else.
Unfortunately this isn't moving me forward. I use an iMac, so there is no "right click" option. But if I go to the "master image" (the one I see in Flickr in my image stream) and click on "actions" "all sizes" I get the menu of size choices. I then pick the size choice I want, and the image in that size appears on my screen. Below the image is a bar saying: "Looking for the HTML code and Photo File Link? Check out this FAQ", and if you click on that, you get the Flickr FAQ:

"The HTML code to embed a photo in a web page that you used to find on the All Sizes page is now only in the Share menu above the photo, to the right of the Actions menu. We now also include BBCode! (standard message board code) ... The direct link to a photo file is no longer shown on the page. Per the Flickr Community Guidelines "pages on other websites that display content hosted on flickr.com must provide a link from each photo or video back to its page on Flickr." Linking directly to the photo file doesn't do this."

So I follow the instructions in the FAQ, and get two choices: the URL to link to the Flickr page (not the image itself, but the page you will see if you click on the URL in my earlier post above) or the full HTML code which I can't use in this forum, because the forum has HTML turned "off."

So stated as simply as my limited understanding allows, the LFPF option for attaching an image requires a URL, and Flickr won't give you a URL for the image, only a URL for the Flickr page which contains the imbedded image and a lot of other stuff. But I know I'm missing something, because I see lots of images in the "Post Your Images" threads which indicate that the image came from Flickr.

[TXFZ1]

Goto photo, use the share dropdown menu, grab HTML/BBC code, choose a size from the dropdown menu, grab the code and paste to website.

David

[Peter Lewin]

David: That doesn't work. Before I even posted the question, I tried to do that. I grabbed the HTML code from Flickr, pasted it into the "Reply to Thread" option in the Images thread, but it wasn't recognized, i.e. the reply just displayed the full HTML code itself. (I tried it both just pasting the code in, and then using the HTML indicators in front of, and behind the code; in both cases the HTML is simply displayed on the screen as text.)

[Greg Miller]

David: That doesn't work. Before I even posted the question, I tried to do that. I grabbed the HTML code from Flickr, pasted it into my "quick reply" in the Images thread, but it wasn't recognized, i.e. the reply just displayed the full HTML code itself.

You can't just paste the link in. You need to click on the "Insert Image" button (3rd from right), then paste the URL into the "from URL" tab

[Peter Lewin]

You can't just paste the link in. You need to click on the "Insert Image" button (3rd from right), then paste the URL into the "from URL" tab
Greg: Please see my earlier post. The only URL I can get from Flickr is the URL of the page with the imbedded image, not the image itself. So I can't use that one in the "from URL tab". And I can't make the HTML work either. Are you linking from Flickr? Their FAQ says specifically that they no longer give you the URL to the sized images, apparently there was a change of policy at some point. I think I really need instructions from someone who is posting their images from Flickr in this thread, because I see people are doing it, I just can't figure out how.

[Ramiro Elena]

Sure you can paste the link straight from the Flickr code. There's no need to do the "insert image". The only thing is you need to grab the BBcode not the HTML.
I'll post an image shortly.

[Peter Lewin]

Sure you can paste the link straight from the Flickr code. There's no need to do the "insert image". The only thing is you need to grab the BBcode not the HTML.
Success! A million thanks, the right answer is "BBcode." Now why that information can't be posted in an instruction or sticky somewhere is beyond me, but I'm only complaining because I feel foolish for having had to ask the question so often, when the answer is simple once you know it! My first "proper" image is now in the Urban Landscapes thread, now I can actually post images, not just words! (I did have some older images on the LFPF server, but they looked so muddy that I was embarrassed by them!) Thanks again, to everyone who took the time to respond, and to Ramiro Elena (apologies for not knowing which is your first name, Spanish typically reverses them) for the final answer!

[Ramiro Elena]

No sweat Peter :)
I've mentioned it a couple times already. There should be a sticky. You're not the first one having problems displaying images.


Ramiro

[Nathan Potter]

Yes Peter grab the BBcode. It took me a while to figure that out also. Indeed there ought to be sticky instructions about the various posting techniques somewhere here. I wrote my own a while back after considerable experimentation.

1. Open Flickr and get to Photostream
2. Click the image you want to move
3. Find "Actions" at the upper left of the image and click "down" arrow for a possible list
4. Perform "Action" actions as needed
5 Click the full screen back arrow to return
6 Click the "Right" arrow at the right top of the image, find "Grab the Link"
7 Click the "BBcode". Choose the size at the bottom of the code box - typ. medium 640
8 Highlight the full BB code in the text box
9 Edit > Copy > to the Mac clipboard and store there temporarily
10 Finally "Paste into the message space in the Forum reply box
11 The image message text (full BBcode) string appears in the message box
12 Add text if so desired
13 Click "Preview Post" at bottom of "Your Message" screen. Full image with added text will display
14 Check for accuracy
15 Click "Submit Reply" to left of "Preview Post"

This is for a Mac but I assume a PC is similar.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

[Jim Andrada]

Just testing this. Thanks

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8193/8147039760_6ab8b494eb.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/89514126@N05/8147039760/)
Barrel Cactus, Tucson, Arizona (http://www.flickr.com/photos/89514126@N05/8147039760/) by Kirigakuresaizoh (http://www.flickr.com/people/89514126@N05/), on Flickr

[C. D. Keth]

Learn osmething new every day, Nathan. I like the image shown with the flickr link. I've been doing it differently but I think I prefer the way you show.

[C. D. Keth]

Quick test of my own

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8200/8248304843_59e0aa5d6a_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/79873735@N03/8248304843/)
Overpass 3 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/79873735@N03/8248304843/) by CKeth (http://www.flickr.com/people/79873735@N03/), on Flickr

[MichaelPRyan]

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/930/42706139635_a8abd47462_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/284N8sk)

Alan_D (https://flic.kr/p/284N8sk) by Michael Ryan (https://www.flickr.com/photos/15578071@N07/), on Flickr

Testing as well