For each faculty member, we create a node in the content area. Current practice is to specify 3 sizes of images in content node. This means 3 images are uploaded to the media library and 3 are selected. Only 2 are shown below, but in actuality we need three sizes. The image used is determined by out applications we have built, fore example, for Nancy Ascher:
The cool thing about ImageGen is that you can use it to simplify the lives of your content editors AND your site builders.
If I were building the site afresh I would organize the media section just as you have done, but with one fewer levels, because each person would get a single (large, possibly very large) headshot photo rather than thee versions of each.
Media - Headshots - + A - + B - - C - - - Charlie Chan.jpg - - - Charlie Chaplan.png - - - Sheryl Cole.jpg - + D - + E ...etc...
On the document type, I would have a single media picker for the headshot, that chooses the single (large) headshot. Again, only need to select a single one.
Then, on your templates and in your macros, you know which size you want to display. So use ImageGen to resize the large original to exactly the specifications you want. If the design ever changes and you need other sizes ImageGen can create those from the original images as well, with no additional work for anyone.
We are reorganizing our media library now. So we're going to move to the system you recommend above. When it's done, we'lll post the before and after results as a mini-case study. In this way, others can see how the transition takes place and how much time it ended up save us, which will be considerable - as these bios, once we add residents, fellows and some staff to the existing 125 faculty, will balloon to two to three times that number.
re: an earlier posting, http://our.umbraco.org/projects/website-utilities/imagegen/imagegen-how-to/38091-Folder-Properties, you stated "Instead, you would use a named class (for the logical folder in the previous post) and include the &class= parameter when calling ImageGen to get whichever size of the original image you want.". Not to get too deep in the weeds, as I'm not a developer, I assume that the named class gets implemented: in the code, templates and marcros using imagen w/the relevant string/paramater.
I believe you indicated in the earlier discussion we had that the before and after processing of these photos to gain a new background, see 1st image below (the original UCSF Medical Center Image (we get the original high res photo from the them) to the 2nd image below, cannot me done w/imagen. We do this on almost every headshot photo using photoshop. I don't perform the conversion/photoshopping, but someone in the Dept., who is well-versed in the program does. It's somewhat labor-intensive. Can imagen help w/this - I assume the answer is still no; if not, would you recommend a simpler method than photoshop, something that automates this pre-production conversion?
Thanks, Richard, I look forward to hearing how you and the content editors like the simplified approach to creating images of various sizes.
You are correct that you simply use the &class=blahblah querystring to tell ImageGen to apply all the settings you've defined in the imagege.config file in the named class entry for 'blahblah'. Really easy.
Some things really require a human eye to choose and approve. Your example images are a dramatic demonstration of how important (and difficult) it is to get things just right. The edge of the jacket is difficult to discern from the background and htat's a challenge to get right. Picking up the correct edge all the way around the head and shoulders is critical and easy to tell when it isn't correct but id difficult to get just right. This is what a human and photoshop do very well. It isn't what ImageGen does.
The only aids to automating background removal are 'actions' in photoshop and purpose-built masking tools/plugins. I've not used this one but I pass it along as in the category of tools your graphics user might find hlepful for most (if not all) images: http://www.ononesoftware.com/products/perfect-mask/
Dynamic Image Content Selection w/Imagegn
Sorry of the general title.
For each faculty member, we create a node in the content area. Current practice is to specify 3 sizes of images in content node. This means 3 images are uploaded to the media library and 3 are selected. Only 2 are shown below, but in actuality we need three sizes. The image used is determined by out applications we have built, fore example, for Nancy Ascher:
67 px - http://surgery.ucsf.edu/
90px - http://surgery.ucsf.edu/faculty.aspx
144 px - http://surgery.ucsf.edu/faculty/chair-of-the-department/nancy-l-ascher,-md,-phd.aspx ;
Ideally we'd like to have a single image in the media library and a single entry in the biography node based on our bio template.
How could we best accomplish this, assuming such is possible?
Links above not displaying properly
67 px - http://surgery.ucsf.edu/ ;
90px - http://surgery.ucsf.edu/faculty.aspx ;
144 px - http://surgery.ucsf.edu/faculty/chair-of-the-department/nancy-l-ascher,-md,-phd.aspx ;
Hi, Richard,
The cool thing about ImageGen is that you can use it to simplify the lives of your content editors AND your site builders.
If I were building the site afresh I would organize the media section just as you have done, but with one fewer levels, because each person would get a single (large, possibly very large) headshot photo rather than thee versions of each.
On the document type, I would have a single media picker for the headshot, that chooses the single (large) headshot. Again, only need to select a single one.
Then, on your templates and in your macros, you know which size you want to display. So use ImageGen to resize the large original to exactly the specifications you want. If the design ever changes and you need other sizes ImageGen can create those from the original images as well, with no additional work for anyone.
cheers,
doug.
Thanks Doug.
We are reorganizing our media library now. So we're going to move to the system you recommend above. When it's done, we'lll post the before and after results as a mini-case study. In this way, others can see how the transition takes place and how much time it ended up save us, which will be considerable - as these bios, once we add residents, fellows and some staff to the existing 125 faculty, will balloon to two to three times that number.
re: an earlier posting, http://our.umbraco.org/projects/website-utilities/imagegen/imagegen-how-to/38091-Folder-Properties, you stated "Instead, you would use a named class (for the logical folder in the previous post) and include the &class= parameter when calling ImageGen to get whichever size of the original image you want.". Not to get too deep in the weeds, as I'm not a developer, I assume that the named class gets implemented: in the code, templates and marcros using imagen w/the relevant string/paramater.
Thanks, Richard, I look forward to hearing how you and the content editors like the simplified approach to creating images of various sizes.
You are correct that you simply use the &class=blahblah querystring to tell ImageGen to apply all the settings you've defined in the imagege.config file in the named class entry for 'blahblah'. Really easy.
Some things really require a human eye to choose and approve. Your example images are a dramatic demonstration of how important (and difficult) it is to get things just right. The edge of the jacket is difficult to discern from the background and htat's a challenge to get right. Picking up the correct edge all the way around the head and shoulders is critical and easy to tell when it isn't correct but id difficult to get just right. This is what a human and photoshop do very well. It isn't what ImageGen does.
The only aids to automating background removal are 'actions' in photoshop and purpose-built masking tools/plugins. I've not used this one but I pass it along as in the category of tools your graphics user might find hlepful for most (if not all) images: http://www.ononesoftware.com/products/perfect-mask/
cheers,
doug.
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