Click on Blue Text to expand or collapse this list
These instructions are written for Microsoft Internet Explorer Browsers
(IE)
IE is currently the industry standard browser. It's free and runs on
numerous platforms including Windows and Mac (but not Linux)
The functionality may be different in other browsers. This collapsible
list doesn't work in Netscape.
Web Pages
Overview
Web pages displayed in your browser are often composed from numerous
files that reside on one or more server computers. Your browser (client)
will request a resource from a server (host) using a URL (uniform resource
locator is the address in your browsers address bar). The file that the
server returns to your browser will contain instructions that your browser
will use to construct the page. The instructions may direct your browser
to use resources external to the file. Your browser will then
transparently make the required request for resources (using the URLs
supplied in the initial file) to gather the items it needs to build the
display on your screen.
File types: There are a few basic web page and
file types
html & htm:
Currently, the most common format for web pages is html (htm & html
are the same), which stands for hyper text markup language. Markup tags
contain code instructing your browser how to display information.
Since an html page may instruct your browser to gather information from
various sources, saving an html page from your browser to your hard disk
may result in the creation of a directory structure containing numerous
files needed to display the page.
Frame Pages
The picture sets are displayed in a frame page so you can view the
thumbnails and pictures at the same time.
A frame page is an assembly of multiple pages that display in
"frames" on your screen. The file containing the instructions for your
browser to compose the page is called the Frameset. Since your browser
is displaying numerous pages at the same time, only the URL address for
the frameset is displayed in your browser address bar.
If you want the URL for a link in a frame page, it will display in
the lower left corner of your browser when you move your mouse over the
link. If you want to copy a link for a page in a frame, you can right
click on blank space in a frame and select properties. You can then copy
the URL for pasting into your stuff.
If you link directly to a page in a frame, it will open by itself,
outside it's frame.
You can't link to a specific frameset configuration. You can link to
a frameset, but it will always initially display it's default
configuration.
You can force a link to open in a new window (broken out of it's
frame) by holding down the shift key while double clicking on the link
(the thumbnails are links).
jpg
The optimal file format for photographs is jpg
It should be noted that the jpg format uses a compression scheme
based on approximations, so it needs to re-approximate each time you
edit and re-save the file with an image editor. The image quality can
degrade if the file is repetitively edited and re-saved.
The degree of compression is variable. Most image programs
permit the user to choose the degree of compression, but many automated
programs for devices like cameras and scanners impose their "optimal"
compression based on the perceived usage.
There are 3 prominent file formats for displaying images. jpg, gif,
and png. gif and png are used for graphics. They use a compression
scheme that doesn't loose information, but they aren't optimal for
photographs due to a picture's busy detail and wide range of color
variations.
Viewing Pictures
Some of the Frame Sets have more than one
Thumbnail Set
If there are multiple picture sets, click on a [Picture Set] link to
view it's thumbnail set in left frame
When you click on a thumbnail, an htm file
containing the full picture (jpg) & text will be displayed in the
main frame
Not all the Picture Sets have htm files and caption text. Some
of the thumbnail sets link directly to the jpg files
You may need to scroll down to see the caption text if your running your
computer display at 800 x 600. The full page will be visible without
scrolling for higher resolutions like 1024 x 768 and up.
Page View: You can view all the thumbnails in the main frame by clicking
on the [Page View] link
If you plan to view more than several pictures, I suggest you download
all of them first. Downloading all the jpg files in a picture set will let
you click around without needing to wait for each jpg file to download
To download all the jpg files, click on the link
titled [Download All]
You can leave your computer, or work on other applications while the
pictures download in the background
The [Download All] link will open a new browser window, download all
the jpg files for the picture set, and store them in your RAM (Random
Access Memory)
Once the pictures are in your RAM, the pictures will display
immediately when you click on a thumbnail. You won't have to wait for each
one to download off the server.
You can also scroll down through the page in the new window to view
the jpg images
You can close the new window, and the files will remain in your RAM
for some time that depends on the size and configuration of your
computer's memory.
File Sizes
Most of the pictures from Pam's 1.3 mega pixel camera were taken at 0.3
mega pixels (640 x 480) and slightly compressed (about 4 to 1) down to jpg
file sizes varying from about 150K bytes to 250K bytes. It takes about 40
seconds to download a 200K byte file with a 56K modem. The same picture will
take about 2 to 5 seconds to download if you have DSL or a cable connection.
Pictures submitted from other sources may be larger or smaller. Many authors
compress file sizes down to about 50K to realize faster downloads, but there
is some loss of quality. I will typically recompress my files once I'm
done with image editing, so most of the files after Tess's birth are less
than 100K.
Math: for those of you fluent in basic
multiplication and division:
There are two things that affect the size and
quality of the picture; resolution and compression.
Resolution refers to size, and is measured in pixels. It indicates
the number points that are defined by a color. Pixels map directly to
your computer screen (pixels across and down ~ width x height).
Resolution for printing is expressed in DPI (dots per inch), but the
picture size is always related to pixels. The printed dimensions
will be the size divided by the density, or pixels divided by DPI.
DPI information is not stored in a jpg file. DPI (density) is
stipulated from within a printing program.
Compression is a process of reducing the file size. jpg file
compression is an approximation and will loose data, but the file sizes
and resultant down load times are greatly reduced.
When you create pictures with a digital camera or your scanner, you
specify both the resolution, or size (pixels) and the degree of
compression. I generally opt for 640 x 480 pixel pictures (so they will
fit on an 800 x 600 computer display), and minimal compression to
maintain quality.
When you print pictures, you may also need to specify the density,
or DPI.
Your computer screen is measured in pixels. You can vary your
resolution and put more or less pixels on your screen. If you increase the
number of pixels per given area, the objects will appear smaller, but you
can get more of them on the screen. If your running a resolution of 800 x
600 pixels on your computer screen, then you have 800 pixels across and
600 down. I run 1024 x 768, so I can get more stuff on my screen, but the
objects appear smaller.
Photographs displayed on your computer screen usually map 1 to 1 as
pixels, so a picture that is 640 x 480 pixels will take up about 80% of
your horizontal real-estate if your running a resolution 800 x 600. The
underlying data for a digital image is pixels, so if you work with inches
then you also need to specify pixels per inch. If you print a 600 pixel
picture at 100 pixels per inch, then the print will be 6" wide.
When we refer to 24 bit color, we mean that we define each pixel with
a 24 bit number. 2 raised to the 24 power is more that 16 million colors
(16,777,216), so 24 bit color will define each dot (pixel) as a color code
with 16 million possibilities (shades of color). Since one byte is 8 bits,
it takes 3 bytes to specify 24 bits (3 bytes times 8 bits per byte = 24
bits).
If we take a picture at a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels, then we have
a total (length x width) of 307,400 pixels x 3 bytes to define each pixel
in 24 bit color ~ 921,600 bytes ~ a mega byte. We then compress the
picture using a compression tool. Photographs are usually compressed into
a jpg file format. The jpg file format lets you choose how aggressively
you want to compress the file. There is some loss of data. You can get
reasonably quality with compression ratio's of about 10 to 1 , but I
generally opt for less aggressive compression at the time the picture is
taken (about 4 or 5 to 1)
resulting in better quality at the expense of larger file sizes and longer
download time. At 4 or 5 to 1, a 640 x 480 pixel picture will be around
200+K bytes. Many photographers opt for even higher compression ratios
resulting in smaller file sizes and faster down load times, but lower
quality.
Size Option Logic (opinion)
I take most pictures as a 640 x 480 pixel jpg file with minimal
compression.
Screen real-estate is often limited, so I will typically crop the
picture and recompress it after doing any desired photo editing.
Final sizes are typically under 100K. (avoid doing multiple
recompressions on jpg images)
I use a larger size if I know ahead of time that I plan to make large
prints, but the vast majority of my shots aren't printed larger than 5x7.
640 x 480 jpg pictures with 4 or 5 to one compression print pretty good up
to about 8 x 10, and 4 x 6 prints look like regular film when printed by a
good 6 color photo printer on premium photo paper.
Many cameras will take pictures at 1280 x 960 (1.2 mega pixels), 1600
x 1200 (2 mega pixels), or even 2000 x 1500 (3 mega pixels). The
file size increases with the square of the linear dimension, so a picture
taken at 1600 x 1200 will be about 6 times larger than a picture taken at
640 x 480. Since the larger format has more information to work
with, you can compress it more aggressively, so in practice the file size
will likely be less than 6 times larger. There are many good
arguments for taking pictures at maximum resolution and scaling them down
when necessary, but I prefer the simplicity and smaller file sizes of 640
x 480.
Saving
htm page
You can save an htm page from your browser, however, since an htm page
may need numerous files to display the page, your browser may create a
directory structure containing more than one file
Location
When you save a file, you want to put it somewhere in your
directory/file structure where you can find it. During the save process,
you should Browse to a location in your directory/file structure where you
want to keep the file. Give the file a new name, or keep the existing
default name.
If you haven't structured your files in directories, life will become
clutter and disorganized. You can throw everything in the same closet and
search when you want to find something, but it's better to set up a
folder/directory structure and keep things in logical places.
One Picture
To save just one picture; right click the picture and select "Save
Picture As"
Browse to a location in your directory/file structure where you want
to keep the picture
Give the file a new name, or keep the existing default name
Click on save. This will save the jpg file, but not the caption text.
Caption Text
A jpg file contains the photograph, but not the caption.
To save the caption along with the picture, you need to save the htm
file which contains both the text and a link to the jpg file.
To save an html file
It's best to open the htm file you want to save
in it's own window, out of a frame set
You can do this by double clicking on the link (thumbnail) while
holding down the shift key.
When you save the htm file, your browser will save the file plus
create a subdirectory containing all the files needed reconstruct the
page. (if all the resources can't be saved, the page won't display as
intended)
If you save a frameset page, it will save all the thumbnails, but
will only save the full picture that is currently displayed in the main
frame.
If you save the htm page broken out of it's frame, it will save your
chosen jpg image along with the htm file containing the caption text
click on File > Save As
Browse to a location within your directory/file structure that you
want to save the file to
Click > Save
Windows will save the file, plus create a subdirectory that contains
all the jpg files
All pictures
You can save all the pictures (jpg files) in a picture set to your
hard disk after you download them
To save all the pictures in a set;
Download all the pictures in a set by clicking on the [Download All]
link in the picture set initial main page. This will open a new browser
window and download an htm file that displays all pictures (without
captions). The pictures are displayed in your browser, but the file
contains the links to the pictures.
Once the "Download All" file is finished downloading, click on File >
Save As
Browse to a location within your directory/file structure that you
want to save the files to
Windows will save the file, plus create a subdirectory that contains
all the jpg files
You then have all the pictures on your hard drive to view or print off
line
Printing Options
Print the picture only
Right click the picture and select Print Picture from the context menu
or Save the picture and print the file from your image viewer of
choice
Print the picture with a caption
Open the htm file in a new window by double clicking on the thumbnail
link while you hold the shift key down
From the new window, select File > Print
Professional Quality Printing
The paper stock and printer have a significant
effect on the quality of a print
Recommendations as of today
Cannon i950 6 color photo printer
Kodak High Gloss Premium Picture Paper
8½ x 11
50 sheet pack Cat 1096023
It's simpler to print multiple
pictures on letter size paper, then trim with a paper cutter
You can also email your prints to a digital
printing house.
Our local photo print shop charges 68 cents per 4 x 6 print