HOW TO INCLUDE PICTURES OF ITEMS
IN YOUR ONLINE AUCTIONS
Everything You Ever Needed or Wanted to Know....

PART ONE

INTRODUCTION

There are ALL types of auction sellers who sell ALL types of items, with all levels of experience. One trait that ALL sellers have in common is that....ALL need to know the various proper methods of how to include pics of items in their auctions! When it comes to this subject, even the pro sellers can make stupid mistakes and dumb goofs, or not know about other options and additional tools available to them. I have written this article to educate ALL types of sellers, even people who are only interested in the possibility of using online auctions to make money.

Believe me, I made all the stupid mistakes anyone could with my auctions when first starting out. I also made all the dumb goofs with various types of graphics when learning how to create them for web sites. Over the past 3 years I have made a living by selling items in online auctions. And over the past 5 years, I have become an experienced webmaster and competent web site graphics designer. This experience has enabled me to write this article to educate anyone from beginners to experts, and am proud to provide this article for your use and success.

Information about this subject can be found all over the Internet. The most common source of information about this subject are the online auction sites themselves. Most of these sites provide tutorials for sellers who want to include pictures of their auction items. Unfortunately, most of this information is brief, and usually leaves a lot of the novice auction sellers in a state of confusion, especially if they have no experience with electronic images and graphics. Most of these tutorials assume people already have a basic understanding of the subject. Auction sellers that have a little bit of experience under their belt to the pro sellers, may still have questions about many of the aspects of correct methods for adding pictures to their auction items.

Anyone that has an interest, or is experienced at selling items in online auctions will benefit from this information. It does not matter what types of items you sell or wish to sell, whether you sell a couple items here and there, or make a living by selling items in online auctions. This article outlines tools for both computer users and Web TV users, and even people that don't own the newest computer accessories or equipment. Various options and tools are outlined so ANYONE can start adding pictures to their auctions using the equipment and resources currently have available to them, without shelling out any money. It doesn't even matter what online auction site(s) you use.

The detailed information in this three-part article will teach you:

PART ONE

What is a Pic?
The Electronic Formats of Pics Explained
Why Should Pics be Included For Items in Online Auctions?

PART TWO

Equipment Used to Create Pics
Guidelines for Editing Pics

PART THREE

Where to Store Pics on the Web for General Viewing
How-to Put Pics on the Web
How-to Point to Pics From Your Item Description
Technical Aspects For Including Pics in Online Auctions

WHAT IS A PIC?

There are several free online glossaries of Internet terms and lingo. I have not found one that gives a definition for the word "pic". This Internet term is widely used all over the web!

Pic is a shortened term for the word picture. A picture is a visual representation of; a person, place, thing, idea, or event. On the Internet, a pic is exactly that, but does not come in the form of; a painting, photograph, drawing, illustration, sketch, or blueprint. Instead, a pic (or picture) on the Internet comes in the form of various types of electronic files that a computer can understand and relay to you visually.

On the Internet, a pic is also called an "electronic image", or just "image", or a "graphic". Pic is more often used to describe photograph (or photo). A graphic is more often used to describe logos, buttons, backgrounds, and other such electronic images found at websites that portray their visual design. Electronic image or image is more often used to generally describe any type of electronic, digital, and computer file with any form of visual image, such as a pic, photo, and graphic. At online auction sites, "image" or "graphic" or "photo" has the same definition as "pic", and is specifically meant to describe any type of visual image of an auction item.

What is an icon? OK, an icon is also a form of graphic or image. Icons are small images that have a visual representation of a specific item (or situation). Icons are not just found on the Internet, but are found everywhere in your every day life. For example an icon representing a man or a woman can be found on public bathroom doors to indicate whether the bathroom is for men or women. Icons are found on road signs indicating gas, food, or lodging will be available ahead. An icon picturing a skull and crossbones can be found on poisonous household products. Common icons found on the web are tiny simple pictures of: a house indicating a link to the home page, a mailbox or letter indicating a link to send an email, an arrow pointing to the left indicating a link to go back to the previous web page, an arrow pointing to the right indicating a link to go forward to the next web page, and many more. You get the point, but to make sure this is totally clear.... Most online auction sites will add an icon representing a camera or photograph to indicate that an auction has a pic or pics of the item.

THE ELECTRONIC FORMATS OF PICS EXPLAINED

Only an expert graphics designer needs to understand all the various electronic formats for pics. The common computer user or Internet user who wants to put pics on the Web for other users to view, needs to only understand the aspects of these electronic formats:

JPG or JPEG
GIF
TIF or TIFF
BMP

How Computer Files Are Named

All computer files, including pics, are named using a standard format. The characters that make up the name of the file, and the characters used to indicate the type of electronic format of the file (pic, text document, program, etc.), are separated with a "dot", also called a "period". To the left of the dot are the characters that make up the name of the file. To the right of the dot are the characters that indicate the electronic format of the file, and are usually only represented with three characters. The technical term for the characters found to the right of the dot is called the "file extension". JPG, GIF, TIF, and BMP are the characters found at the right of the dot, and are the file extensions which indicate the electronic file formats for pics. These are the only pic file formats (or file types) that you need to understand.

The JPG Defined

JPG or JPEG - pronounced "jay-peg", is one of the most common pic formats used on the Internet. JPG is the file extension usually used on PC computers, and JPEG is the file extension usually used on MAC computers. JPG or JPEG is named after the committee that wrote the file format standard for this type of electronic pic file. This committee, called the "Joint Photographic Experts Group", designed this type of pic file type to electronically represent; photographs and artwork in full-color or grayscale, in a compressed format. This format has become the most popular format for pics on the Internet because a compressed pic file takes less time to view on the Internet, yet a JPG pic retains a visual accuracy of color and detail.

The GIF Defined

GIF - pronounced "giff or jiff", is probably the second most common pic format used on the Internet. The GIF electronic pic file format was developed by CompuServe and stands for "Graphics Interchange Format". GIF files also have a compressed format, but to a lesser degree than JPG files. Because GIF files are larger in file size than JPG files, they take a longer time to view on the Internet than JPG files. Web site graphic designers often create pics and web site graphics in GIF format because of the attribute of making them appear to "melt onto the screen", versus the JPG format which will appear in sections from top to bottom.

The TIF Defined

TIF or TIFF - pronounced "tiff", stands for "Tagged Image File Format". TIF is the file extension usually used on PC computers, and TIFF is the file extension usually used on MAC computers. It is a pic file format developed by Microsoft and Aldus in the 1980s to be the standard pic file format. However, small constant improvements were made to the format, and now there are approximately 50 variations of the TIF format. JPG has become the standard pic format, because of it's small file size and compatibility on the Internet. Many computer graphics programs use and create TIF files such as; scanner programs, photo editing programs, illustration programs, etc.

The BMP Defined

BMP - pronounced "bee-em-pee", is also called a "bitmap". A bitmap is really just a map of dots or "bits" that look like a picture (as long as you do not look at it with your nose against a computer screen, or zoom in on one with a computer graphics program). JPG, GIF, and TIF files, are three of the various pic file types created with bitmaps made into a compressed format for a smaller file size. BMP files are used by Windows for the various pics or graphics that you see when Windows starts up or shuts down, the wallpaper that decorates your desktop, etc. Any BMP file can be easily converted into a compressed file format such as a JPG, GIF, and TIF.

The Standard Pic Format

The most important thing you really need to understand about this is....pics in JPG format are the standard and most popular format found and used on the Internet. Online auction sellers who include pics of their items in auction, provide all their pics in JPG format. Most online auction sites only enable the viewing of auction item pics that are in JPG format. Any graphics program you may use to create and/or edit pics of items you wish to sell in online auctions, can make them into, or convert them to, JPG format.

WHY SHOULD PICS BE INCLUDED FOR ITEMS IN ONLINE AUCTIONS?

Including a pic or numerous pics of the item you are selling in an online auction will increase interest in your auction. You have heard the saying; "A picture is worth a thousand words". Even if you are a "wiz" with words, and have the ability to describe all the aspects and condition of the item you wish to sell in an online auction, providing pics will enhance the item descriptions.

A pic, minimally provides proof that the item actually exists. Providing several pics of an item can show it's condition, special features, and specifications. In other words, providing a pic or pics of items you are selling in online auctions will not only prove the physical existence of your item, it will also give visual details about your item to potential bidders. Pics of items attractively presented can make your items more appealing to potential bidders, than the same item other sellers have in auction.

You do not have to be professional photographer to take attractive pics of your auction items. Most people have at least taken snapshots of family, vacations, and holiday get-togethers. This is all the experience you need. There are 4 easy steps to include pics for online auction items:

Save pics in electronic format to your computer
Editing the pic
Putting pics on the Web
Point to the pic from your item description

Don't miss PART TWO and PART THREE of this article....

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HOW TO INCLUDE PICTURES OF ITEMS IN YOUR ONLINE AUCTIONS Everything You Ever Needed or Wanted to Know....