Basic Procedure

You may post up to three images to the forum with each message you post.

Image files must conform to the following limits:

1. JPEG or GIF file format
2. No larger than 4 megapixels per image
3. No more than 5 megabytes of image data per submission

To attach an image to your message, click on one of the Browse buttons. A new window should open, in which you can navigate your computer's files and folders to find and select the image file you want to attach.

TIP: If a new window does not appear when you click on a Browse button, check your security settings to ensure that file uploads are permitted.

After selecting one or more images, click the Continue button to upload the image(s) to the Seaplane Pilots Association's web server. You will have the opportunity to preview and approve your message and images before they are made public.

File and Image Size Limitations

First, a few definitions.

A megapixel, abbreviated MP, is a measure of the number of data points in a digital image, and is commonly used by camera manufacturers to describe how much image data the camera is capable of creating per image.

A megabyte, abbreviated MB, is a measure of computer memory and file size.

JPEG (also known as JPG) and GIF are a common digital image file formats. These formats utilize data compression algorithms to pack more megapixels into each megabyte.

The following limits are imposed on image uploads:

1. The file format must be JPEG or GIF
2. No single image may exceed 4 megapixels
3. The combined size of all images uploaded in a single batch cannot exceed 5 megabytes

WARNING: Attempting to upload more than 5 MB of image file data will cause significant delays, and is likely to prompt the loss of some or all of the data that you submit, including textual data not related to images. If you are experiencing lengthy delays, the web site seems to "hang" after you click on the Continue button, you receive a "fatal error" message, or the web site responds as if you had left every form field blank, it is likely that you are attempting to upload more image data than is permitted.

TIP: The 5 MB upload limit applies per batch, not per message. A batch occurs each time you submit a form to the web server using a button (such as the Continue button). This nuance means that it is possible to attach more than 5 MB of image data to a message using the editing feature, provided that no single image file exceeds 5 MB. To use this technique, initially upload only one image file. When presented with the option to approve or edit your message, choose Edit, and upload a second image file. Repeat this process again to upload a third file.

TECHNICAL ASIDE: The number of megapixels in a digital image is a measure of the size and quality (information density) of the image. However, due to data compression algorithms used in the most popular digital image file formats, an image file's size (in megabytes) cannot be reliably corrolated to image size (in megapixels) or quality.

All images are automatically rescaled to a size suitable for presentation on the Internet.

Removing and Replacing Images

Once you have approved your message for publication (but clicking on the Finish button), images attached to your message cannot be added, removed or replaced. However, you will be presented with the opportunity to add, remove, or replace an image after clicking on the Continue button and before clicking on the Finish button.

The Continue button will take you to a preview of your message (assuming no errors were detected), and present the option to approve the message (Finish) or edit the message. If you choose to edit the message, you will be presented with the option to remove any images already attached to your message, and, if you have attached fewer than three images to your message, the option to add up to three new images to your message.

To replace an image, edit your message, remove the undesired image, edit your message again, and choose the desired replacement image.