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.