Thread "2016 Rant/Share/General Discussion Thread" in forum "Comic Talk and General Discussion *"

Posted at 10:02PM, Feb. 3, 2016

I think I already posted this somewhere else, but if there's a filesize cap can we look at removing the picture-width cap of 950 pixels? It's getting a bit silly when both monitors and even smartphones have much higher widths than that.

I figure it probably has something to do with inflexible page HTML, so I understand if it's not a quick fix but it really would be very handy. Heroes Alliance typically fits within the limit okay, but there are times when it would be cool to have a double-page spread.

Random aside: I wonder if autosizing the picture depending on platform would be a good idea or not.

Random aside 2: Is proper support for mobile devices on the wishlist somewhere?

Thanks.

EDIT: PS. OMG, lookit all the perfect line breaks!^_^

ozoneocean wrote:
You can't upload files over 1 meg- I think that code was always there but had been disabled by a bug. Since the site has had many of the bugs fixed that code has started working again. There should be a note of it on the page.

I think that with it in operation in lowers our hosting costs and also reduces the load on the server because it's not constantly doing image processing tasks. I'll try and get text put up about it.
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Posted at 1:02AM, Feb. 4, 2016

Please have compassion for the great unwashed who don't have great pixel width and have to scroll all over to get the image width we have now.

Personally I would rather see the detail than the epic span of double page spreads. Besides any text is often so small one has to zoom in thereby losing whatever panoramic view there was anyway. Maybe I am a special case with my ancient eyes and reading glasses.

I already resize all my pages for viewing following wonderful advice found on DD hints and tips.

Posted at 6:02AM, Feb. 4, 2016

Sorry for the jargon earlier. Our campaign is selling health insurance for Kaiser Permanente.

Posted at 8:02AM, Feb. 4, 2016

Are there email notifications with pqs or is that a possible addition?

Posted at 8:02AM, Feb. 4, 2016

@Irevenant- I will look into larger pages. It would be good to have the option of doing something bigger occasionally.
Mobile support is something I would love simply because it would help us with our Google rank. I hate mobile versions of websites, especially when you're forced into them and they have half the functionality of the real version, but that doesn't help us if no one comes to the site because Google downranks us :(
It will be one of those things on the wish list after easier stuff is tackled.

@Genejoke- yes. Email alerts And alert boxes in your browser. Both of which will be able to be switched on or off. Alerts will be on by default, emails off by default.
And in future you'll be able to get some sort of alerts for comments and for threads in the forums that you follow.

Posted at 11:02AM, Feb. 4, 2016

I started inking the latest page in my comic only to look at it and relise that it didn't work, time to start all over again. (Deep Sigh)

Posted at 1:02PM, Feb. 4, 2016

ozoneocean wrote:
@Irevenant- I will look into larger pages. It would be good to have the option of doing something bigger occasionally.
Mobile support is something I would love simply because it would help us with our Google rank. I hate mobile versions of websites, especially when you're forced into them and they have half the functionality of the real version, but that doesn't help us if no one comes to the site because Google downranks us :(
It will be one of those things on the wish list after easier stuff is tackled.

@Genejoke- yes. Email alerts And alert boxes in your browser. Both of which will be able to be switched on or off. Alerts will be on by default, emails off by default.
And in future you'll be able to get some sort of alerts for comments and for threads in the forums that you follow.

If we have a mobile version, I demand that it have a button for switching to the desktop version. ;) (No, really though.)

I also just heard from another user that they're having trouble keeping pages under 1mb. Might not be a bad idea to make that allowance a little higher.

Posted at 2:02PM, Feb. 4, 2016

But there are so many ways to compress an image page so that it's under 1 MB. This is for on-screen viewing. You want higher resolution have another version someplace else but if I'm reading pages I don't want one page stopping my computer dead because it's so HUGE. My computer is less than a year old and my wi-fi is way up there, but I've had pages stopped dead because someone didn't know how or couldn't bring themselves to compress an image file.

Just for comparison my panels are usually 40-120 MB EACH with all their layers. I average 4 to 6 panels per page. But the completed pages for uploading are generally under 400 KB to keep them a reasonable size.

Posted at 3:02PM, Feb. 4, 2016

@bravo: I just had a look at my own comic pages and none are over 1 MB, so I suppose I agree with you. But I also don't want to make the site more difficult for creators to use.

Posted at 4:02PM, Feb. 4, 2016

Well the automatic compression did take care of that, but like bravo said there are ways to compress files. It's not a big deal, I'd just gotten used to uploading them at the size I make them.

Posted at 7:02PM, Feb. 4, 2016

When I started posting on the web on Elfwood back in 2000 we weren't allowed to have files over 100k. :D

Upping the limit to 1.5 meg is an idea, the issue is hosting costs through Amazon AWS. Storage of files is cheap, but actually serving them is very expensive: retrieving the art from storage and displaying it on DD when people click through an archive.

The thing is people are uploading 1.5 meg (and over) files that could easily be 500k with minimal compression and no visible loss of quality, which results in needless costs for DD, a slower website and a horrible experience for mobile users.

So I'm thinking education is the answer- a note on the upload page about file size and how to compress images, as well as links to free online services that do it for you.

For example this site can be used online without downloading or installing and it resizes and compresses images just like photoshop: http://www.sumopaint.com/home/#app

Posted at 3:02PM, Feb. 5, 2016

ozoneocean wrote:
Upping the limit to 1.5 meg is an idea, the issue is hosting costs through Amazon AWS. Storage of files is cheap, but actually serving them is very expensive: retrieving the art from storage and displaying it on DD when people click through an archive.

Amazon? I doubt this would work, but I'll throw it out here as a "wondering". As you might know, Amazon has a feature that enables customers to designate a charity as a recipient for a tiny bit of cash from each purchase. Do you think it would be possible to have TheDuckComics presented to Amazon as a potential recipient? The site is not for profit, isn't it?

…this site can be used online without downloading or installing and it resizes and compresses images just like photoshop: http://www.sumopaint.com/home/#app

This site might be sticky-worthy in one of the tips threads?

— (haven't forgotten the wildebeest prancing—although I have forgotten rules of code)

And, hey! Hi, guys :)

Posted at 1:02AM, Feb. 6, 2016

bravo1102 wrote:
Please have compassion for the great unwashed who don't have great pixel width and have to scroll all over to get the image width we have now.
Personally I would rather see the detail than the epic span of double page spreads.

That's one of the reasons I suggested a page layout that auto-resizes the image by default. A low-rez screen is never going to be ideal for webcomics of any reasonable detail, but if it starts at full screen size with the option to zoom in further if you need it, then you can control how big it needs to be.

What platform are you using, by the way? Is it a mobile/tablet platform with pinch-to-zoom, or something else?

HippieVan wrote:
ozoneocean wrote:
@Irrevenant- I will look into larger pages. It would be good to have the option of doing something bigger occasionally.
Mobile support is something I would love simply because it would help us with our Google rank. I hate mobile versions of websites, especially when you're forced into them and they have half the functionality of the real version, but that doesn't help us if no one comes to the site because Google downranks us :(
It will be one of those things on the wish list after easier stuff is tackled.
@Genejoke- yes. Email alerts And alert boxes in your browser. Both of which will be able to be switched on or off. Alerts will be on by default, emails off by default.
And in future you'll be able to get some sort of alerts for comments and for threads in the forums that you follow.
If we have a mobile version, I demand that it have a button for switching to the desktop version. ;) (No, really though.)

I second HippieVan. A well-implemented mobile site can have all the same functionality as the regular site but there are always times when the full version is more convenient.

Posted at 9:02AM, Feb. 6, 2016

ayesinback wrote:
ozoneocean wrote:
Upping the limit to 1.5 meg is an idea, the issue is hosting costs through Amazon AWS. Storage of files is cheap, but actually serving them is very expensive: retrieving the art from storage and displaying it on DD when people click through an archive.

Amazon? I doubt this would work, but I'll throw it out here as a "wondering". As you might know, Amazon has a feature that enables customers to designate a charity as a recipient for a tiny bit of cash from each purchase. Do you think it would be possible to have TheDuckComics presented to Amazon as a potential recipient? The site is not for profit, isn't it?

…this site can be used online without downloading or installing and it resizes and compresses images just like photoshop: http://www.sumopaint.com/home/#app

This site might be sticky-worthy in one of the tips threads?

— (haven't forgotten the wildebeest prancing—although I have forgotten rules of code)

And, hey! Hi, guys :)

Hey ayes! ^_^

Those are both really good ideas. When I have some spare time I'll add that link to the help site somewhere.

As for the amazon thing, I hadn't thought of that but it's definitely worth looking into! I'm 99% sure you don't have to be a charity to get those kickbacks, because a number of podcasts that I listen to have their own amazon link.

Posted at 12:02AM, Feb. 8, 2016

That's a fine idea Ayes.

I've asked Alexey to up the file limit to 1.5 meg.

There really does have to be limits because of our serving costs and the database load - If DD is always compressing images for people then other features directly suffer like stats and stuff like hat which is a heavy load on the server but are things people would like.

-edit-

The file size limit is off again for now so go back to business as usual.
Files above 960px wide still get recompressed though as usual as well so keep that in mind.

Posted at 5:02AM, Feb. 8, 2016

Would there be a way of making the size thing optional so people can do spread pages? Perhaps incorporating a file size limit if compression is off?

Posted at 8:02PM, Feb. 8, 2016

I don't really get the optional thing…? If we can have wider sizes why wouldn't we just stay with using the wider size option all the time?

Or are you saying "you can be limited by dimension OR file size"?
So you can have massive pages, but they have to be under 2 meg, or you can have pages limited to a max of 1000px wide and 2000px high and be almost any size, but the system will compress them if they exceed those dimensions?

Posted at 1:02AM, Feb. 9, 2016

I'm suggetsing that by default it does what it currently does and resizes and compresses, which helps with the costs, but if someone has a wider page they want to post they can choose not to have the automatic compression and do it them-self, but for the sake of hosting cost put a size cap on it. I'm lazy so the compression thing works for me, but as irrevenant mentioned, there are times a two page spread would be nice. Of course this could also be done via offsite hosting. Just ideas for you to mull over, I'm no coder so know jack about the practicality of it.

Posted at 9:02AM, Feb. 9, 2016

Wouldn't a two page spread be like a landscape versus portrait page layout?

In other news the quack cast inspired me to do an entire essay on weapon systems in the SIG universe including a page and a half putting together all the techno babble written about the Robofemoids weapons system.

Posted at 1:02PM, Feb. 9, 2016

bravo1102 wrote:
Wouldn't a two page spread be like a landscape versus portrait page layout?

It depends.

Sometimes a double-page spread is required because you need to fit in a lot more detail than usual. eg. If you're showing a wide shot of an epic and detailed battle with dozens of combatants.

Sometimes you're just doing a splash page for pacing reasons - this moment is important so you want to smack the reader in the face with it.

In the latter case, just turning the page sideways would do the trick. In the former it wouldn't. A double-page spread has the capacity for two pages worth of detail and sometimes you need that.

Although the proportions are also slightly different if using US paper sizes. A landscape page is 3:2 and a two page spread is 4:3. (If using the much more sensible European/Australian standard, the proportions are exactly the same for both). So when I say "a landscape page would do the trick" I probably really mean "A 4:3 page with around the same amount of pixels as a regular page". Say 1200x900 rather than 900x1350. At least for comics that plan/hope to produce a print version.

Posted at 1:02AM, Feb. 10, 2016

Thank you. I understand the difference now. There have been a few times I wanted to do the double sized splash page but settled for a page top splash panel. And lost details. But I am not concerned about that right now. I have all panels saved separately and could change layouts as needed if anything ever went to print.

Posted at 9:02AM, Feb. 10, 2016

Wow! That sumopaint thing is fantastic!!

Posted at 1:02PM, Feb. 10, 2016

Thanks for that Banes! I haven't been able to find a malware free download of Paint.net for my old XP machine. I only use it for a couple of speed tasks anyway - Sumo seems better.

Posted at 4:02PM, Feb. 10, 2016

Paint.net… yeah it's very hard to find without malware these days. I may need to go back to using gimp before long. Cs2 is having trouble with windows 10 and no way adobe will update that, manga studio doesn't seem much use for my needs, that was a waste of a fiver.

Posted at 7:02PM, Feb. 10, 2016

I'm finding Manga Studio great for inking but I haven't had chance to really get to grips with it. I still use Gimp for quite a few things, but you don't always want to wait ages for your sledgehammer to load when all you want to do is crack a walnut.

Have you tried Pinta? I'll probably give that a go next - supposed to be an open source, multi platform version of Paint.net.