How do I upload and insert an image into a post?

Uploading an image is easy once you know how, but it can be a bit tricky to start with. Follow these steps and you'll be fine.

1. Click on the image icon in the text editor tool bar -

2. A pop-up box will appear. If you want to upload an image from your computer, click on the Upload tab and go to step 3. If you want to display an image from another website, you can enter the URL of that image into the marked box and then go to step 4 to see how to adjust the image properties.

3. If you have clicked on the Upload tab you will see the box below. Click on the button marked Choose File - this will open a browser windo from which you can select the image file from your computer. Once you have selected the file, click on Send It To The Server. The file will upload and a message box will tell you whether it has been successful. If your upload fails the message box will tell you why (e.g. file size too large, incompatible file format, etc.).

4. Once you have uploaded a file or entered the URL of an image, the following box will display. There are several options available to edit the image properties. You can complete some, none or all - it's up to you. The options are:

• Alternative Text - If a user has set their browser not to display images then this text will appear instead of the image. Users that are visually impaired may also be using software that reads them the page - this is the text that they will hear.
• Width and Height - You can manually edit the width and height of your image by changing these figures. The padlock next to the numbers controls what is referred to as the aspect ratio. If it is locked and you change one figure, the appropriate figure for the other number will automatically be calculated to retain the correct proportions. You can click on the padlock to unlock it if you do not want to keep the aspect ration. If you get confused or make an error, click on the circular arrow to reset them back to the original values.
• Border - This does what it says, applies a border to your image. The thickness of the border is controlled by pixel size. For example, if you want a 1 pixel border around your image, put a 1 in this box. A higher number will result in a thicker border.
• HSpace - This refers to the space on each side of the image that will be empty. This is sometimes referred to as padding. This can be useful to create white-space in your posts to make it look less cluttered. As with the border property, this field accepts numbers that refer to pixels.
• VSpace - Similar to HSpace, but refers to the space on the top and bottom of the image.
• Align - This is probably the most useful property. It determines whether your image will appear on the left, the right, be centered, be displayed in-line with the text (i.e. next to) or on a new line. The preview box provides an example of how your image will be displayed for each option.