A picture is worth a thousand words. A picture inside an article is worth even more. Readers are more attracted to articles that have pictures than ones that don't. So enhancing your submission with pictures is one way to increase your readership. Here are some tips for finding and embedding pictures in your Triond content.
When to Use a Photo
When embedding photos in articles, the most important rule to follow is use photos to demonstrate, not to decorate. When you think about embedding a photo, ask yourself: Will the photo enhance the article? Will the article be stronger with the photo? If the answer is no, leave it out. Only if the photo has a descriptive or demonstrative value should it be used.
Getting Non-copyrighted Photos
In order for Triond to be able to publish an article containing photos, the photographs must not infringe any copyrights. We hold photos to the same high standards that we hold everything else we publish. You can obtain non-copyrighted photos from a variety of sources. Here are four sources that we recommend:
- SXC is one of the biggest free stock photos in the world. After finding the photo of your choice, be sure to click on Restrictions to see what the licensing agreement is.
- Morguefile is another great free stock photo site. All photos on Morguefile are copyright-free, so you can use any of the photos you find there. However, the inventory is smaller than SXC's.
- Wikipedia is a great source for photos since it is easy to search and contains a lot of information. Moreover, you can find a lot of non-copyrighted photos there. When taking a photo from Wikipedia, be sure to check the licensing agreement underneath the photo you have clicked on. The licensing agreement will tell you under what circumstances you are allowed to use the photo.
- Flickr - Some of the photos on Flickr are copyright-free and ready to use. In order to find photos that you can use:
- Type a keyword into the search.
- Click "Advanced Search". Use only the "Show Photos" option. Be sure to click on both "only search within Creative Commons-licensed photos" and "find content to use commercially."
- When you find the photo you like, make sure to check on the right-hand column under "Additional Information" for the copyright information. Here it will tell you under what circumstances you may use the photo. If you are using a photo that you have published on Flickr, make sure you edit the licensing agreement so that our editor staff knows that it can indeed be used.
Manipulating Photos
When you find the perfect photo, it is not always ready to be added to the article. Sometimes, it needs a bit of work to make sure that the photo is the right size and in the proper file format. In order to resize, crop, or make any other changes to the photo you can use programs you may already have, such as MS Paint, or free online tools. When you save your finished photo, be sure to save it as either a .jpeg or .gif file format.
MSPaint - You can typically find this program in your start menu under Accessories. Open the program and then copy and paste the photo you want to use. Once in the paint processor program, you can crop, size, add, subtract, or anything else you want to the photo.
The following are free online sites that will also enable you to manipulate photos:
Embedding Photos within Articles
Now that you have found the photo you want and manipulated it to your liking, you have to find the best place for it within your article. Remember, you want to use your photo to demonstrate, not just decorate.
Most word processors have an option where you can navigate through the main menu to Insert ןƒ photo ןƒ From file. Use these commands to find the photo file you have chosen and attach it to your article.
So, now that you know where to find photos and how to attach them, go out and start making your articles even better!