zoomable userpics/icons

[kjwcode]

Title:
zoomable userpics/icons

Area:
userpics/icons

Summary:
Show userpics/icons as 100x100 in posts, but allow the viewer to zoom in/blow up the icon to see detail, etc.

Description:
Many of my icons are comic panels, and at 100x100px the text can get *really* small. I'd like to be able to use the icons and when people are interested in what they say, they can click on the icon (or do some other intuitive thing) to see a bigger version (limited by image disk-space size) where the text is readable, etc.

Poll #8381 zoomable userpics/icons

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 56

View Respondents

This suggestion:

View Answers

Should be implemented as-is.
3 (5.4%)

Should be implemented with changes. (please comment)
10 (17.9%)

Shouldn't be implemented.
19 (33.9%)

(I have no opinion)
22 (39.3%)

(Other: please comment)
2 (3.6%)

Comments

[axiom_of_stripe]

Because the icon images are stored as 100x100 pixels, I don't think there's really a way to zoom in -- it's not like having a larger image that's compressed for display. However, I think it could be nice to be able to provide a link along with the description of the icon. Right now html (including links) appears to be stripped from image descriptions, and it would probably need to continue to be stripped when the description is used as the icon's alt text; it might be easier to have the link in a separate field rather than try to juggle what html should be allowed. This could then link to a variety of things -- image sources, a larger version of the image (hosted elsewhere until a dw-scrapbook is available, sadly), essays on the image topic, credit for the iconmaker, etc. -- and if combined with the "clicking on the icon should jump to be point in the icon page where the icon information is displayed" suggestion would allow for providing a lot more information about our tiny 100x100 public faces.

[azurelunatic]

I was there in IRC when kjwcode wrote up this suggestion; the idea came out of the process where Dreamwidth can shrink images to icon size. The process is not really clear that it's not storing the large version of the image also.

[cheyinka]

It should definitely be clear that it's not keeping the large version!

[silverflight8]

If you put it within <a href=""> HTML, then yes, it gets stripped. But if you just paste the raw URL right into the field, it displays as plain text.

[melannen]

+1

[kyrielle]

+1 - the ability to link to something about it would be glorious.

[deborah]

I like the idea of a link more than the idea of storing a large version. Not only would it be fewer resources for us, but it means that people could do a better job of crediting their images. You could link to the original source, for one thing, or to a page where you talk about why that image is important to you. It gives a lot more flexibility than just storing a larger image.

[ciaan]

Yeah, zooming in on an icon is just going to make it really blurry. I already voted yes on the "go directly to specific icon on icon page" suggestion, and while it takes a few more clicks, including a link to larger source images as an icon comment would be an option.

[cheyinka]

I don't think I'd want to see "click on the icon, now it's enormous", but I'd be happy to see "click on the icon, go directly to that icon's spot on the icon page, have a link to click for a big version"!

[azurelunatic]

And there's another suggestion in this batch that addresses the "go directly to that icon's spot on icon page". \o/

[chagrined]

I like this idea in combination with that other suggestion with anchors.

Another use I can think of for this is that icon-makers could provide links to the icon entry posts that different icons came from, if they wanted, etc.

[azurelunatic]

It would be glorious if there were an API that, given the original icon, could fetch the location of the big version, so extension programmers could make a "yes, please zoom this for me when I click on it" extension for people who want that.

[cheyinka]

Yes! Just because I don't want it doesn't mean I think nobody should get to have it.

[green_knight]

That sounds like a premium paid feature to me - an option to include a large image, or several images, and some text about your icon in case you want to tell people about it. I can't quite see how 'large version' would work - most of my icons don't _have_ large versions, but I might want to post the image they were taken from or the full text; and I might want to say more (what inspired the icon, etc.) And I wouldn't want to do that for all icons, but for some of them, it could be really neat.

[arethinn]

That sounds like a premium paid feature to me

+1

I can't quite see how 'large version' would work

If you upload an image bigger than 100x100 as a user icon, you are directed to a page which helps you crop and resize it. If that original version were stored somewhere it could be pointed to in this manner.

(btw I am more in favor of being able to provide a link than storing, but I imagine this is the kind of thing the OP was thinking of)

[cheyinka]

But what if you've never used that feature, because you've always made sure that your images were no bigger than 100x100? You'd have to upload two images... and that'd require image hosting already being available. I think it'd be better to just make it unambiguous that the icon-cropper-and-resizer does not (or maybe "cannot") store the original image, and then provide a place for a link to a larger version - that way someone who always uploads a large image and someone who never does have the same chance of benefiting from the feature.

[arethinn]

But what if you've never used that feature, because you've always made sure that your images were no bigger than 100x100? You'd have to upload two images...

I would assume in that case that there would simply be no "click to embiggen" link generated. Or it would just link to the 100x100 because that's all there is.

[cheyinka]

To me that feels a little unfair for those people who do their cropping and/or resizing on their own machines, but who might still appreciate a way to show people the original size of the image.

[azurelunatic]

I can't see this being workable until after image hosting myself either. Until then, unambiguity is a good idea.

[cesy]

I like the idea of clarifying the message to make it clear that the bigger version isn't saved when cropping, though.

[montuos]

Definitely clarify the point that the fullsize image is not stored.

I like the idea of adding a way to link to a fullsize image hosted elsewhere, but won't insist on it. I usually try to include a link in the icon comments regarding source/attribution/explanatoryGratuitousIconPost, but I find that I often run out of space there.