Internet galleries

Hello, I am a relatively new Pentax owner. I really love taking photos with my Optio 33L, and would like to display the results of my new found enthusiasm for photography. I have taken out a subscription to Pentax User magazine(only the other day, so I haven't got a copy yet), and would be interested to know if the galleries will be updated and how to submit pictures. It has not been updated since January.

Also, which is the best website for "exhibiting" for want of a better word photos to ordinary members of the public? I tried PBase yesterday and maybe I am being a div or something, but I could not get my pictures to upload. I was lifting them directly from a CD-R and maybe that had something to do with it, but if anyone has any better ideas......

Thanks for reading,

Mark

Mark,

The Pentax User gallery is for images that were submitted for inclusion in the magazine. You don't always even get into the gallery! I submitted three shots and Peter Bargh didn't pick any of them

I have used PBase and ePhotozine (www.ephotozine.com).
Both are very good. However, PBase you have to pay for the service before you can upload ($23 minimum), and you can upload any size image. The larger the file size, the more it costs you over the year.

EPhotozine is, in my opinion, the best You get great feedback from a cool bunch of professionals and serious amateurs (and wannabes like me). But, the images must be 60k or less, 500pixels largest side, and only one per day (gives a chance for feedback).

It is always best to resize and resave before uploading. If you use Photoshop Elements, use the Image / Size option, shrink it to about 500 pixels maximum width or height. Then do Filter | Sharpen | Unsharp Mask - 100%, 0.7 radius, 4 threshold (or something like that) to give a bit of a "zing" to the image. Having done that, use the File | Save for Web option, and save as a JPEG - adjust the quality value until the right hand panel shows a size of 60k or so. Save the image as another filename (don't overwrite your original file!!). Then upload this file.

Similar methods apply in almost all editing software (Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro etc).

If you haven't already got it, Photoshop Elements 2 is a great package Worth looking out for deals at Jessops, Amazon etc.

Hope that helps
Matt

Thanks Matt for a quick, friendly & helpful reply!! I'll give ephotozine a try at some stage in the near future!

I haven't got Elements, because of a serious lack of brass at the mo. I use a program called Select Photo Studio which cost about a tenner. It does the job. The brassic situation is responsible for having an Optio 33L compact too, and not the *ist D! However, a claim to fame is that Mike Maloney of Amateur Photographer is going to include one of my images in his Am. Photog column in about 3 weeks!!! I am chuffed - look out for it, it's a still life of flowers and fruits.

See you when my head has shrunk back to it's normal size,

Mark

PS How do you pronounce *Ist D???!!!

Mark,

There's a free version of Adobe's Photoshop Album available from their site (www.adobe.com). I think that might be able to do basic resizing etc. Does a great job of organising photos though.

Alternatively, whizz over to www.irfanview.com - a really really good freeware viewer than can do resizing, sharpening and basic corrections.

You pronounce *istD as "ist-dee". It is meant to be a suffix, as in someone who specialises in something - photographist, artist, etc etc. Still a mouthful though

Matt

Irfanview is excellent. It will also operate very well in batch mode, so you can take a load of pictures and change the contrast, size, colours, saturation, sharpening, etc, and add a bit of text, all in one go.
Incidentally, one of my few complaints with this program is that in normal mode there is no control over the degree of sharpening, and for my taste it often over-sharpens. However, in batch mode you can control the sharpening.