Uploading Image and Other Files to the Server

FMPWEB provides tools that allow you to upload images to the server that will be used on your web pages. This tool is very simple. You simple select a file from your local drive and submit it. The toll will examine the file and may or may not process the file before saving it to the server. The tool will make sure that it is an allowed and proper file type, examine the dimensions of image files, and determine if the file is not over the allowed file size.

Only certain file types can be uploaded. This is done for many reasons – mostly for server security. The control panel should list the file types allowed for each site. File dimensions are limited on image files so that the image will fit properly into the page design. The file size is limited in order to make sure that processing the file will not put a drag on server performance. The file size should also be limited in order to assure that the page will load quickly and that downloadable files do not take any longer than necessary. This information focuses on file dimensions and size of image files since that is what most people upload to their site.

The first aspect to consider is the size of the file in kilobytes. The upload system will reject image files larger than 5 MB, and the larger the image file is the longer the upload process will take to finish. This is done to assure server performance will not be affected by trying to process large files.

Then there is the width and height of the image to consider. Most graphic programs and operating systems use pixels to measure this. You can get best access to the information in a program intended for working with photographs and graphical images. Your camera will also let you select these dimensions in settings. The choices available and where you set it on a camera will vary with the camera. Refer to the camera’s manual.

The upload tools will usually resize the images to the maximum dimensions appropriate for each page and different parts of a page. It is best to know what the preferred image dimensions when selecting images so the final image on the page will look like you want on the page. The upload tool only resizes an image to the maximum size the page design allows. It also caps the quality of JPEG quality level at 70 percent.

It is almost always preferable to preprocess images before uploading to get the best image quality on the web site. The preprocessing may include cropping, color correction, sizing, and/or sharpening. Preprocessing will require a program specifically designed for that purpose.

FMPWEB uses several programs to accomplish this task – each one having its strong suit. You should look at several programs before deciding which is right for you, but FMPWEB usually suggests starting with Photoshop Elements. While it is not the optimum program, it is available for both Apple and Windows platforms, has most tools required, and it is very reasonably priced. All of these types of programs require some learning, and different programs have different learning curves. The later versions of iPhoto are very capable and come bundled on Apple computers.

The upload tool will automatically create a thumbnail when one is required. These thumbnails are sized to a predetermined size and may be simply smaller versions of the larger image, or the thumbnail may be cropped to a certain size.

Remember that the better the image you start with the better the end result will be.