Closet Artists Forums

I've had some people ask me about file sizes and such, so here's a quick rundown on how I usually do it. If anyone knows a better way, feel free to share. If you don't have a scanner, they're available for free at the PCL and other places around campus. I always use Photoshop when scanning because it's easy to retouch and resize my scans.

Scanning

- Put your image on the scanner. For many scanners, it doesn't matter that you put it perfectly so long as it's properly oriented.

- In Photoshop, go to File -> Import and select the scanner.

- Always preview your pictures before you scan, because usually it lets you set the boundaries on scanning the image so that it's pre-cropped for you. Mess around with the different scanner options until you get something you like. If you're scanning a black and white image, selecting Grayscale or B&W helps a lot.

- Scan the image. Close the scanner window if it's still open or Photoshop won't let you edit your image.

Editing for Upload
There are a LOT of things you can do in Photoshop to make your image look better, but try not to go overboard. I'm just going to list the basics:

- For black and white images, you want to mess with the contrast. Image -> Adjustments -> Auto Contrast usually does a good job, but Brightness/Contrast works too.

- Color images don't usually need too much adjustment. Maybe the brightness or the color balance. Just mess with everything under Image -> Adjustments until you're happy with the way it looks. Contrast, Levels, Color Balance, and Hue/Saturation are what I mess with the most.

- After you're done adjusting, it's time to crop and resize. Cropping: Select the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M) and pick the part of your image you want to keep. Then go to Image -> Crop. Ctrl-Shift-Z to undo.

- Here's an easy resizing trick: At the bottom left corner of your image window is the current zoom level. Change the value there until the image looks the size you want it to be. Then go to Image -> Image Size. Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked. On the units for height/width select percent instead of pixels. Type in the same number as the amount you're zoomed in and hit OK.

- The max file size allowed on the CA site is 500Kb in either .png or .jpg format. I suggest using PNG for higher quality. Go to File -> Save for Web and a new window should pop up. At the bottom left it should say your image size. Make sure it's under 500Kb. If it's more than that, you can either resize your image to make it smaller or lower the quality on the right hand side of the Save for Web window.

Uploading to CA Website

- If you don't have CA account go here: http://closetartists.alonfarchy.com/newAccount.php and make one. It will send you a confirmation email. Yahoo mail doesn't seem to like us, so if that doesn't work try another email account.

- Once you have an account go to the CA website ( http://www.closet-artists.com/ ) and log in. The option Upload Image should appear under where you logged in. Click on it.

- Fill out the form, select your image, and hit submit. It will NOT instantly appear on the site. I have to personally look at your image and create a thumbnail for it first, which will usually take 1-2 days. After that, it should show up.

Okay my fingers hurt now so I'm gonna stop typing.
Hope this helps.