Why is this site so easy to use?

The "box-thing" is called a Lightbox. It's a popular Javascript gallery that's used all over the internet - its main advantage is that when you're trying to look through a lot of pictures quickly, you don't have to close the viewer window to do so. In its standard form it's much nicer than the current FSM gallery - it's just that you need to know a bit about how it works if you want to save images from it.

The script usually works like this - the thumbnail is a plain, normal link to the full size image, but with a rel="lightbox" tag, so it pops up in the lightbox rather than loading just the image in the browser window. You could just copy the link location of the thumbnail, and you would have the URL of the full size image.

Armorama doesn't use the standard script, using PHP document calls rather than Javascript switching. PHP can be used to disable a direct link, but in my tests, copying the thumbnail's link location still shows the full size image with no problems. (both FF3 and IE7)

DrewH wrote:

Scott, I just clicked the image to enlare it in the slide show. Right click and 'save pic as' came up no problems. And that was direct from armorama site!

What browser are you using?  If I use IE7 I get save target as but it's just a modules. htm file which is the entire page, not the actual .jpg file.  Save the file, then open it up and you'll see what I mean. 

Here are screenshots of the process using IE7. 

The first one is of the popped up photo (insert shameless plug here ) in this case from my Tristar Pz.Kpfw. 38(t) Ausf. F. Note the only save option is "Save Target As" 

Here is the Save dialog box, note it's not trying to save the picture, it's saving a web page. 

And here is the "saved" item.  Note it is NOT the picture. 

And here are screenshots using Firefox.

Note the only option is to save it as a .php file. 

the doog wrote:

I wanted to beg you--PLEASE DON'T CHANGE FINESCALE'S SET-UP OR SITE IN ANY WAY!!!! It's PERFECT the way it is!!!

Yup, same here. Last change was enough for me

 Oh, and Doog - the made the site easy just for you (sorry buddy, couldn't resist )

the doog wrote:

Curious, I am, why the photo here opens up into a new window for you? Must be the way your computer is configured? Mine just blows right up on the page, enabling meto see detail, and save right from that if I want to. I like the convenience of that.

Does the same for me...most of the time. Always when I first open the thread and sometimes when I reopen it a bit later. Using Internet Explorer with XP at work and Vista at home. Mozilla would not let me copy and paste an image.

Rob Gronovius wrote:

Gee, Armorama gives you a FREE site to upload your photos that you can imbed or link to any forum post that you make at any modeling (or non-modeling) website you chose, and you complain? And how much free webspace does FSM give to the members to upload photos for your models? And when I click on someone's posted photo here at FSM, guess what happens? It pops up into a new window.

In Mozilla Firefox, when that "box" starts to open up, and I right-click on it, I don't see any option to save, so I naturally assumed there was no way to do it. My ignorance. Just never learned it.

As far as their free photo-hosting site, the space allotment is really so small that I not only have to resize all of my photos in order to allow more than like, five pics, but if I wanted to post several posts with photos, I'd have to delete older ones, or just really not be able to show much of what I wanted. Again, another inconvenience--I was actually asking myself, "Geez, man; why don't they just use Photobucket?" I think other people do that as well--surely there are others as computer-stupid as me because like I said; a lot of times when you bring up old posts, the photos are not there. That's what's annoying! And although you have shown a way to save the photos, I really wish it was as easy as saving them from FSM--right click, "save image as", done; bink, bink, bink.

Of course, now that I know you can link your photobucket site to their posts, that might make me more active over there as well.

Curious, I am, why the photo here opens up into a new window for you? Must be the way your computer is configured? Mine just blows right up on the page, enabling meto see detail, and save right from that if I want to. I like the convenience of that.

Rob Gronovius wrote:

espins1 wrote: I think he was referring to the photos that get posted in our reviews and other articles.  Here, click this link to go to my King Tiger w/zimmerit review.  Open up one of the pictures of the sprues, instructions or whatever on the right hand side.  Watch how the photo behaves.  Now try saving it locally.   Dragon King Tiger w/zimmerit    In just a few clicks, I saved it to my computer, uploaded it into my MSN space online and have now embedded it into this thread. And I'm not a computer expert by any means. The way to do it is to right click on the photo you want to save on the right side of the review you posted. Click the "properties" option and copy that url. Paste that url into your address bar and remove the "/thumbnail" portion of the url. Hit enter or click the "go" arrow in your address bar. It will take you to the photo itself. Save that to your computer.

Good to know Rob, thanks for the tip!  I didn't know you could do that.  However, the "normal" means of saving a picture through your browser doesn't work.  I'll have to remember that little trick, thanks! 

espins1 wrote:

I think he was referring to the photos that get posted in our reviews and other articles.  Here, click this link to go to my King Tiger w/zimmerit review.  Open up one of the pictures of the sprues, instructions or whatever on the right hand side.  Watch how the photo behaves.  Now try saving it locally.   Dragon King Tiger w/zimmerit

The way to do it is to right click on the photo you want to save on the right side of the review you posted. Click the "properties" option and copy that url. Paste that url into your address bar and remove the "/thumbnail" portion of the url. Hit enter or click the "go" arrow in your address bar. It will take you to the photo itself. Save that to your computer.

I think he was referring to the photos that get posted in our reviews and other articles.  Here, click this link to go to my King Tiger w/zimmerit review.  Open up one of the pictures of the sprues, instructions or whatever on the right hand side.  Watch how the photo behaves.  Now try saving it locally. 

 Dragon King Tiger w/zimmerit 

What do you mean you can't save a picture on your computer from Armorama?

I just tested this randomly from a post. There is no problem doing this.

Right clicked the picture. Chose the "Save picture as" or "Copy" option and paste it in a folder.

I also tested this using a photo directly from the photo section and had no problem.

I also just went to Scale Auto and this works there as well.

the difficulty saving a picture. I have tried to save one on armorama--it took me about 5 minutes to get ONE pic saved

By saving, do you mean uploading? That can take a bit of time depending on the size of your picture and the speed of your connection. In the last cmonth or so, there have been some problems with the photo sectio over there.

Gee, Armorama gives you a FREE site to upload your photos that you can imbed or link to any forum post that you make at any modeling (or non-modeling) website you chose, and you complain?

And how much free webspace does FSM give to the members to upload photos for your models?

And when I click on someone's posted photo here at FSM, guess what happens? It pops up into a new window.

You bet Karl!  Using the standard photobucket / link setupis much better than having to use the kitmaker setup. 

And a belated congratulations for your feature articles over there buddy    I should have one published soon, I'm just about finished writing it up.  

espins1 wrote:

You probably already know this, but with posts on Armorama you can use the same photobucket  setup to post pics in forum posts.  I write reviews and articles for Armorama and the pictures are posted just like you described.  I'll be willing to bet that system is designed to help protect copywrited material. everything I write is copywrited in my name, so that would protect pictures from a feature that I have written.  Doing the reviews allows me to post scans of copywrited instructions, pictures from books etc. that are copywrited as well.  So I'm sure that why they do it that way.

I didn't know that you can post from Photobucket! I thought you can only use that Kitmaker site to post? Well, that certainly is good to hear!

Thanks a lot for that tip!

You probably already know this, but with posts on Armorama you can use the same photobucket  setup to post pics in forum posts. 

I write reviews and articles for Armorama and the pictures are posted just like you described.  I'll be willing to bet that system is designed to help protect copywrited material. everything I write is copywrited in my name, so that would protect pictures from a feature that I have written.  Doing the reviews allows me to post scans of copywrited instructions, pictures from books etc. that are copywrited as well.  So I'm sure that why they do it that way. 

I agree. I have only been around for a short while but have a lot less posts then folks who have been around for even less time. The reason for this is that the Search Function is one of the best I have ever seen 99% of any questions I have have been answered by using this.

Even the most vague keywords turn up what I am looking for. Not trying to get "preachy" but if more people used the keyword search there would be a lot less repetative topics on here. I'm afraid if I type in "Future" my monitor will actually explode

Regards,

Jeff 

the doog wrote:

I wanted to beg you--PLEASE DON'T CHANGE FINESCALE'S SET-UP OR SITE IN ANY WAY!!!! It's PERFECT the way it is!!!

the doog wrote:

And 2. I wanted to beg you--PLEASE DON'T CHANGE FINESCALE'S SET-UP OR SITE IN ANY WAY!!!! It's PERFECT the way it is!!!

I second this! Furthermore, I share your sentiments about SA and Armorama, with the only exception being the pop-up-expanding-box picture viewer. I do kinda like it, I think it is a nice way to view multiple pictures; I really don't like using the "back" button. You are right, however, about the difficulty saving a picture. I have tried to save one on armorama--it took me about 5 minutes to get ONE pic saved.

On the other hand.... At first, I didn't like the redesign of this site, it was different and I was not willing to spend a few minutes (easily morphing into hours) each day to learn it. So, I took a break for a few months, I don't think I visited this site at all for about 4 or 5 months, and I didn't join until this year. After a long hiatus, I came back and had pretty much forgotten how it was, which made it much easier to learn the new FSM forums.
I guess that may be what it takes for me to learn to like SA, although that may be a bit harder, since I feel the need for speed... and I have some Ferraris lined up that are just begging to be built and painted.

I am getting a little sick of SA and the moderators over there. The 3 pic rule, and the constant deleting of threads gets old very very fast. Seems like if you don't include the words "scale" and "car/truck/motorcycle", in that order, your thread runs the risk of being locked or deleted. I'm not sure if it is the right term to use, but this forum does seem much more liberal. Since I've been a memeber here, I can only remember 1, maybe 2 threads being closed, locked, or deleted. Even then, it was over a mostly naked fantasy woman. That kind of post would get you banned "over there".

My point is the same as Doog's: This site, this forum, FREAKIN ROCKS!!! I wish I had an answer for your questions, Doog. But alas, I have to hop down from my soapbox.