How To Post Photos Of Your Watches Here

pugwash · 07-22-2006, 06:34 PM

This article is in four sections

Introduction[/*:m:2n9ghpfb]
How to take pictures[/*:m:2n9ghpfb]
How to get the pictures from your camera to your computer[/*:m:2n9ghpfb]
How to get the pictures from your computer to the forum[/*:m:2n9ghpfb]

1: Introduction and glossary
This article assumes several points, like that you're using Windows (and have Picasa) or MacOSX (and have iPhoto), you have a digital camera and its cables and manual and that you have an internet connection. Oh, and a watch you want to photograph. We are going to use the term download for getting the picture off the camera and upload for putting the picture on the internet.

At no point in this article will you see the term 'scans' used for pictures. Rather than go into detail, just take it as read that a scan is not a photo, contrary to what some forums will tell you. Out of courtesy to your fellow photographers, I would request that we all stop using this term for digital photographs.

Light Tent: You'll see these referred to all the time, and all they are are cloth boxes that you put lights outside of and objects to be photographed inside of. They can be professional-quality (under $30 on eBay) or home-brew (pillowcase or plastic binder.

I don't recommend storing cats in your light tent as their hairs get everywhere. Your cat, however, may have a different idea.

The basic procedure
Light the watch and set up the camera[/*:m:2n9ghpfb]
photograph your watch[/*:m:2n9ghpfb]
Download the photo from the Camera[/*:m:2n9ghpfb]
Treat the photo in software and export it at a web size[/*:m:2n9ghpfb]
Upload the photo to the internet[/*:m:2n9ghpfb]
Post the photo on the forums of your choice[/*:m:2n9ghpfb]

If you have any questions about this article, or photography in general, please don't PM me directly. Reply to this article if it's about issues this article raises, or post a help request in the appropriate place as if you have an issue, or need advice, you will not be the only one and your question may help hundreds of others that then don't need to ask. Also, there are other experts that can weigh in on their areas of expertise. I'd rather answer ten questions once than answer one question ten times.

Every photographer has about 1000 lousy photographs in them. It's best to get them out of your system as soon as possible. The more you practice, the luckier you'll get.

2: How to photograph watches.
This is a highly condensed version of my photographic articles. For a more in-depth process, please refer to them. They are linked at the very bottom of this post.

Here's a checklist of how to take a picture the Pugwash way
Clean the watch[/*:m:2n9ghpfb]
Light the scene[/*:m:2n9ghpfb]
Set the camera's white balance[/*:m:2n9ghpfb]
Make sure everything is in focus and framed[/*:m:2n9ghpfb]
Stabilise the camera[/*:m:2n9ghpfb]
Turn on the timer[/*:m:2n9ghpfb]
Press the button[/*:m:2n9ghpfb]
Stand well back[/*:m:2n9ghpfb]
click[/*:m:2n9ghpfb]

Cleaning the watch should go without saying, but I've caught myself forgetting it too many times and wondering why there is a huge thumbprint on the watch too many times. A lens cloth is an excellent choice here, and some dealers even supply replicas with cloths.

Ideally, you'll want a light tent and a tripod, as lighting watches is hard. If you have to use a flash, don't bother taking a photo. Re-illuminate the subject and try again as using a flash ruins watch photos. Trust me on this one.

White Balance is explained in the third part of my article, but your best bet is to look in your camera's manual to see how this varies for your exact camera.

Focus is very important. Initially, you should set your camera to Centre AF (see your manual again) and learn whether or not you need to use Macro mode to get the scene in focus.

A stable camera needs no flash. Expensive tripods are ideal, but there are several cheaper options involving balancing the camera on books or using a cheap desk-tripod.

The Self-Timer (see your camera's manual) is the easiest trick you can use for extra stability. Set it up, press the button and stand back. Your not touching the camera when it's taking the picture allows you to get away with murder.

You should now have a picture in the camera, but before we go to the next step, try changing the settings, like the aperture and exposure and take a couple more shots, just to see what it looks like. Digital cameras allow you to take as many photos you want and see the results instantly, so you should play about with your settings to familiarise yourself with your equipment.

3: How to download the pictures.
If you're on a PC, use Picasa. If you're on a Mac, use iPhoto. The software that came with your camera is rubbish, no matter how expensive the camera.

Downloading from the camera
Connect the Camera to the computer[/*:m:2n9ghpfb]
Download the photos from the camera[/*:m:2n9ghpfb]
Fix and crop the images[/*:m:2n9ghpfb]
Reduce the image to 640px wide and export[/*:m:2n9ghpfb]

To connect the camera to the computer, there are two ways. The first and simplest is to get the USB cable that came with the camera, plug it into the camera and the computer and turn on the camera. If your camera is not the latest and greatest, however, it may be USB1, meaning that it's rather slow. The second method is a lot quicker and doesn't chew through your camera's battery. Get a camera card reader; they're rather cheap and do the job very well. You take the card out of the camera, pop it into the reader and get the pictures that way. You may find that it's significantly faster than what you're used to.

In Picasa or iPhoto, these applications offer themselves up as default choice for when you connect a camera. This is an excellent idea and gets you into the habit of always using the right software. I set the software to download and delete, as I know that I'll not be needing the pictures anywhere outside of iPhoto.

Fixing the images is too long for this article, so I'll refer you to my Picasa tutorial that explains all the basics. If you don't want to read it, you can just fix the lighting levels and the temperature and crop the image to a good composition. Some people will use Photoshop at this stage, and I myself do so for some pictures, but for the basics it's total and utter overkill, and quite simply the wrong tool for the job. You don't get the Ferrari out to go to the local shops when the Nissan Micra is more convenient.

Exporting the picture at the right size is possibly the most important step of using the software, as a slightly too warm or too dark a picture isn't as bad as a three-thousand pixel-wide monster that even those of us in 24" widescreen HD monitors need to scroll across to see parts of. Nobody needs pictures wider than 640 pixels.

4: How to upload the pictures
If you have free webspace and it doesn't compromise your anonimity, this is the best option. Otherwise, photobucket et al. provide an acceptable, if lesser quality, service.

Getting the photos from your PC to the forums
Upload the picture [/*:m:2n9ghpfb]
get the URL of the picture[/*:m:2n9ghpfb]
Use the tags and the URL to make a perfect post[/*:m:2n9ghpfb]

The best way of putting photographs on the internet is without a doubt to use a dedicated hosting solution, but this is costly. You are usually much better off using the free webspace your Internet Service Provider gives you. If you don't have any free webspace or you don't want to lose your anonymity, an understandable concern on a contraband goods forum like this one, then you can use something like photobucket or ImageShack.

I'm going to use ImageShack for this how-to, as if you have some webspace, you'll have ISP-specific instructions that I have no way of knowing.

Go to http://imageshack.us/

Click on "Choose File"

Choose a file

Click on "Host It"

Copy the link from the bottom line of code, marked in blue below. Ignore the rest. Seriously, they're of no help to us.

Check the URL you have is good

Then, take the URL, and in a post, put IMG tags around it as follows:

Code:

Preview your message and you'll see a perfectly-sized image embedded in the post. If you want multiple pictures, repeat this procedure but don't forget to have each image on their own separate line. If you don't put returns in, you're going to make a mess.

pugwash · 07-23-2006, 01:51 AM

ps. If anyone wants to make this a sticky, feel free.

hk45ca · 07-23-2006, 02:01 AM

this is exellent information and i think it should be a sticky. thanks pugs.

By-Tor · 07-23-2006, 05:43 AM

Good work, great post. I agree, it should be a sticky.

TWP · 07-23-2006, 06:42 AM

Strong work. People ask this question often and the mods should make this a sticky.

bigbadbrad · 07-23-2006, 07:58 AM

Pug,
This is great. I'd JUST - literally last weekend - worked all this stuff out - I was looking for this info. Essential info for all of us who don't work in HTML / images as a matter of our daily lives.

STICKY!

cheers, BBB

sennsi · 07-23-2006, 08:02 AM

Excellent writeup J!

This is a definitive well-covered topic which will be most useful for those who are new to the world of photography, especially online sharing.

Cheers!

pugwash · 07-23-2006, 08:41 AM

Well, thanks for all the feedback. It's encouragement like this that makes me write this stuff.

bremerk2 · 07-25-2006, 01:12 PM

O.K. Pugwash, here is one question, you mention Picasa to download. Great if one reads french. Does this software also come in english ? I will try and google it. The site that opens in your thread is tout an francais.Even though I understand quite a bit of that language, I am far from fluent.

Other than that the articl;e is great and must be made a Stickiy.

O.K. I answered my own question. I dowloaded the S.ware and it comes in english. Now to the next step. Uploading. Should be interesting.

Spring is eternal.

pugwash · 07-25-2006, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bremerk2

O.K. Pugwash, here is one question, you mention Picasa to download. Great if one reads french.

Did I post a french link? Oops.

Let me check ... nope, how on earth did you get it in French?

Good luck with getting pics on this forum. I hope it's useful info.

07-22-2006, 06:34 PM	#1
pugwash VIP MEMBER / SUPPORTER! Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 7,399	How To Post Photos Of Your Watches Here This article is in four sections Introduction[/:m:2n9ghpfb] How to take pictures[/:m:2n9ghpfb] How to get the pictures from your camera to your computer[/:m:2n9ghpfb] How to get the pictures from your computer to the forum[/:m:2n9ghpfb] 1: Introduction and glossary This article assumes several points, like that you're using Windows (and have Picasa) or MacOSX (and have iPhoto), you have a digital camera and its cables and manual and that you have an internet connection. Oh, and a watch you want to photograph. We are going to use the term download for getting the picture off the camera and upload for putting the picture on the internet. At no point in this article will you see the term 'scans' used for pictures. Rather than go into detail, just take it as read that a scan is not a photo, contrary to what some forums will tell you. Out of courtesy to your fellow photographers, I would request that we all stop using this term for digital photographs. Light Tent: You'll see these referred to all the time, and all they are are cloth boxes that you put lights outside of and objects to be photographed inside of. They can be professional-quality (under $30 on eBay) or home-brew (pillowcase or plastic binder. I don't recommend storing cats in your light tent as their hairs get everywhere. Your cat, however, may have a different idea. The basic procedure Light the watch and set up the camera[/:m:2n9ghpfb] photograph your watch[/:m:2n9ghpfb] Download the photo from the Camera[/:m:2n9ghpfb] Treat the photo in software and export it at a web size[/:m:2n9ghpfb] Upload the photo to the internet[/:m:2n9ghpfb] Post the photo on the forums of your choice[/:m:2n9ghpfb] If you have any questions about this article, or photography in general, please don't PM me directly. Reply to this article if it's about issues this article raises, or post a help request in the appropriate place as if you have an issue, or need advice, you will not be the only one and your question may help hundreds of others that then don't need to ask. Also, there are other experts that can weigh in on their areas of expertise. I'd rather answer ten questions once than answer one question ten times. Every photographer has about 1000 lousy photographs in them. It's best to get them out of your system as soon as possible. The more you practice, the luckier you'll get. 2: How to photograph watches. This is a highly condensed version of my photographic articles. For a more in-depth process, please refer to them. They are linked at the very bottom of this post. *Here's a checklist of how to take a picture the Pugwash* way** Clean the watch[/:m:2n9ghpfb] Light the scene[/:m:2n9ghpfb] Set the camera's white balance[/:m:2n9ghpfb] Make sure everything is in focus and framed[/:m:2n9ghpfb] Stabilise the camera[/:m:2n9ghpfb] Turn on the timer[/:m:2n9ghpfb] Press the button[/:m:2n9ghpfb] Stand well back[/:m:2n9ghpfb] click[/:m:2n9ghpfb] Cleaning the watch should go without saying, but I've caught myself forgetting it too many times and wondering why there is a huge thumbprint on the watch too many times. A lens cloth is an excellent choice here, and some dealers even supply replicas with cloths. Ideally, you'll want a light tent and a tripod, as lighting watches is hard. If you have to use a flash, don't bother taking a photo. Re-illuminate the subject and try again as using a flash ruins watch photos. Trust me on this one. White Balance is explained in the third part of my article, but your best bet is to look in your camera's manual to see how this varies for your exact camera. Focus is very important. Initially, you should set your camera to Centre AF (see your manual again) and learn whether or not you need to use Macro mode to get the scene in focus. A stable camera needs no flash. Expensive tripods are ideal, but there are several cheaper options involving balancing the camera on books or using a cheap desk-tripod. The Self-Timer (see your camera's manual) is the easiest trick you can use for extra stability. Set it up, press the button and stand back. Your not touching the camera when it's taking the picture allows you to get away with murder. You should now have a picture in the camera, but before we go to the next step, try changing the settings, like the aperture and exposure and take a couple more shots, just to see what it looks like. Digital cameras allow you to take as many photos you want and see the results instantly, so you should play about with your settings to familiarise yourself with your equipment. 3: How to download the pictures.* If you're on a PC, use Picasa. If you're on a Mac, use iPhoto. The software that came with your camera is rubbish, no matter how expensive the camera. Downloading from the camera Connect the Camera to the computer[/:m:2n9ghpfb] Download the photos from the camera[/:m:2n9ghpfb] Fix and crop the images[/:m:2n9ghpfb] Reduce the image to 640px wide and export[/:m:2n9ghpfb] To connect the camera to the computer, there are two ways. The first and simplest is to get the USB cable that came with the camera, plug it into the camera and the computer and turn on the camera. If your camera is not the latest and greatest, however, it may be USB1, meaning that it's rather slow. The second method is a lot quicker and doesn't chew through your camera's battery. Get a camera card reader; they're rather cheap and do the job very well. You take the card out of the camera, pop it into the reader and get the pictures that way. You may find that it's significantly faster than what you're used to. In Picasa or iPhoto, these applications offer themselves up as default choice for when you connect a camera. This is an excellent idea and gets you into the habit of always using the right software. I set the software to download and delete, as I know that I'll not be needing the pictures anywhere outside of iPhoto. Fixing the images is too long for this article, so I'll refer you to my Picasa tutorial that explains all the basics. If you don't want to read it, you can just fix the lighting levels and the temperature and crop the image to a good composition. Some people will use Photoshop at this stage, and I myself do so for some pictures, but for the basics it's total and utter overkill, and quite simply the wrong tool for the job. You don't get the Ferrari out to go to the local shops when the Nissan Micra is more convenient. Exporting the picture at the right size is possibly the most important step of using the software, as a slightly too warm or too dark a picture isn't as bad as a three-thousand pixel-wide monster that even those of us in 24" widescreen HD monitors need to scroll across to see parts of. Nobody needs pictures wider than 640 pixels. 4: How to upload the pictures If you have free webspace and it doesn't compromise your anonimity, this is the best option. Otherwise, photobucket et al. provide an acceptable, if lesser quality, service. Getting the photos from your PC to the forums Upload the picture [/:m:2n9ghpfb] get the URL of the picture[/:m:2n9ghpfb] Use the tags and the URL to make a perfect post[/*:m:2n9ghpfb] The best way of putting photographs on the internet is without a doubt to use a dedicated hosting solution, but this is costly. You are usually much better off using the free webspace your Internet Service Provider gives you. If you don't have any free webspace or you don't want to lose your anonymity, an understandable concern on a contraband goods forum like this one, then you can use something like photobucket or ImageShack. I'm going to use ImageShack for this how-to, as if you have some webspace, you'll have ISP-specific instructions that I have no way of knowing. Go to http://imageshack.us/ Click on "Choose File" Choose a file Click on "Host It" Copy the link from the bottom line of code, marked in blue below. Ignore the rest. Seriously, they're of no help to us. Check the URL you have is good Then, take the URL, and in a post, put IMG tags around it as follows: Code: Preview your message and you'll see a perfectly-sized image embedded in the post. If you want multiple pictures, repeat this procedure but don't forget to have each image on their own separate line. If you don't put returns in, you're going to make a mess. __________________

07-23-2006, 01:51 AM	#2
pugwash VIP MEMBER / SUPPORTER! Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 7,399	ps. If anyone wants to make this a sticky, feel free. __________________

07-23-2006, 02:01 AM	#3
hk45ca Administrator Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: in the 918 Posts: 11,969	this is exellent information and i think it should be a sticky. thanks pugs. __________________ The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he, who in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee. "say hello to my little friend"

07-23-2006, 05:43 AM	#4
By-Tor VIP MEMBER / SUPPORTER! Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: EU Posts: 2,195 Awards Showcase Total Awards: 1	Good work, great post. I agree, it should be a sticky. __________________ GUIDE TO BEST OMEGA REPLICAS GUIDE TO BEST BREITLING REPLICAS GUIDE TO BEST TAG HEUER REPLICAS

07-23-2006, 06:42 AM	#5
TWP Dark Overlord Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 2,487	Strong work. People ask this question often and the mods should make this a sticky. __________________ CLICK HERE FOR THE WATCHGROUP CONSORTIUM

07-23-2006, 07:58 AM	#6
bigbadbrad Dark Overlord Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 1,649	excellent - wish it had been up earlier Pug, This is great. I'd JUST - literally last weekend - worked all this stuff out - I was looking for this info. Essential info for all of us who don't work in HTML / images as a matter of our daily lives. STICKY! cheers, BBB __________________ BBB - What's an Aussie doing this far away from a beach?!

07-23-2006, 08:02 AM	#7
sennsi I'm Here A Lot! Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 184	Excellent writeup J! This is a definitive well-covered topic which will be most useful for those who are new to the world of photography, especially online sharing. Cheers! __________________ Wanted: FGD Pre-A/V Dials + DSN 6500 Caseback

07-23-2006, 08:41 AM	#8
pugwash VIP MEMBER / SUPPORTER! Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 7,399	Well, thanks for all the feedback. It's encouragement like this that makes me write this stuff. __________________

07-25-2006, 01:12 PM	#9
bremerk2 Feel the Power of the Darkside Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Montreal, QC. Canada Posts: 253	O.K. Pugwash, here is one question, you mention Picasa to download. Great if one reads french. Does this software also come in english ? I will try and google it. The site that opens in your thread is tout an francais.Even though I understand quite a bit of that language, I am far from fluent. Other than that the articl;e is great and must be made a Stickiy. O.K. I answered my own question. I dowloaded the S.ware and it comes in english. Now to the next step. Uploading. Should be interesting. Spring is eternal.