Posting to galleries

There are so many wonderful websites for digital scrapbookers, and many of them have galleries where we can share the layouts we have made. When I first started posting layouts to the galleries, I had trouble getting the files to be small enough to post while still good enough quality wise. There are many ways to do this. First, you need to check with the gallery to find out what regulations they have for the size of the files you upload to them as this varies slightly from site to site. Then you need reduce your layout size to match that. I have found that 500 pixels across and down is usually accepted, so I resize my layout to be 5 inches in the longest direction and 100 ppi. Then I save it as a jpeg at quality 5. I have found that this keeps the quality good enough to see clearly, but doesn’t make the file size too large for most galleries. You can also go to “Save for the Web” if your program has that option and experiment with different options there.

When you go to the gallery, you will then be able to choose Upload files, click Browse, and then find and upload a copy of your layout. Then there is room to add information. First of all, it is important to credit the designers of any papers, elements, templates, scraplifts, or anything else you used. Second, if you have small journaling on your layout that will be unreadable on the screen, you may want to add the journaling to the description. Some galleries will also encourage you to link to the kits you used in case someone is interested in finding it, or add the program you used to create the layout.

You should also take a couple minutes to think about the things you are posting online, since anyone and everyone will have access to see them. Some people feel very uncomfortable posting pictures of their children online. To get around this and still share your layouts, you can find some free stock photos that you can swap for your own on your layouts before you save them for posting. Related to this, it is usually a good idea to get permission to post pictures of other people’s children. You can also get around these issues by adding large sunglasses to the face in the pictures or blurring or blacking out faces. In addition to picture, take a look at the information on the layout and in the comments. Do you want to use full names, addresses, birth dates, or other personal information? I mention this not to freak you out, but to offer you a chance to think about these things and make a decision you feel comfortable with. Some people work very hard to keep anything personal from being posted. They may take this information off of their layouts or black them out. Others feel that it is not that important and if someone wanted to find that information out they could regardless. It is important that we are aware, though, and making wise choices in this area.


***Note: I forgot to mention a deadline for the shadow's challenge. To get the prize, I need to see your layout by November 16. ***