Tutorial Tuesday (GingerScraps)

Step-By-Step: Gallery Limits, Challenges and Filling Your Cookie Jar 

[editor’s note: Sorry this is so late! I got caught up watching the Olympics. 😉 ]

PDF Version : https://bit.ly/4fLz9D5

Over the weekend I got a message from Ginger with a plea from a new GingerScrapper. This is a very timely request, given GingerScraps is running a Summer Scrap-a-Thon with a mega-collab reward for completion. In part: ‘Here is her message, ‘Help please. I’d love to do all the challenges, actually have a couple that would qualify as already done for August. I just do not understand how to post these with links and all. Could somebody do a step by step for me? I see those cute colabs as rewards every month and hate to keep passing them up. Something simple like Facebook’s dropping an image in a box I can handle, links & things I don’t understand.‘” Well, that’s a big job, but I’m up for it! That is… if our newbie is using Photoshop Elements. 😀  Warning: This will be a long tutorial and many of you aren’t going to need it. But if you do, I’ve got you!

First things first. The GingerScraps Gallery has strict limits on image size, type of file and number of images posted per day. I’ll go over them, starting with image size. The usual pixel size of a digital paper is 3600×3600 – clearly way too big for the Gallery, but good for detail, clarity and ease of use. So most layouts tend to be 3600×3600 and will need to be Resized for the Gallery, down to 600×600 pixels. To do that, click on Image>Resize>Image Size… OR use the keyboard shortcut CTRL/CMD>ALT/OPT>I.

This dialog box opens up. Make sure all the boxes at the bottom left are ticked and choose Bicubic in the long bar for best results. Change the Pixel Dimensions to 600×600.

Then click File>Save As…  or use the keyboard shortcut CTRL/CMD>SHIFT>S. This will give you several options.

I always Save my layouts as a full-sized PSD, a 2400×2400 JPG and a 600×600 JPG (except signatures – those are PNGs). So I have to change the name of my file when I go to save the 600×600 version. I add GS to the title. Just a note: if I want to use your layout in an Individual Style tutorial, it’s a lot easier for me if you Save As a JPG…

So, format is figured out. Now File Size… it can’t be bigger than 500KB. Depending on the complexity of your layout you may be well under that… or well OVER it. See the box outlined in red. If that number is lower or barely more than 500KB – like 510KB, you’ll be okay to go ahead and Save As is. (There’s a tiny bit more compression that takes place after you hit OK.)

But if it’s too big, do this instead.

First, make sure the image is Optimized (#1). Then look at the File Size at #2. If it’s less than 500KB, you’re good to go. And it usually is. If not, make adjustments at the Quality box, #3. The size drops REALLY fast, so watch it closely! Then when your file is at or less than 500KB, click Save.

Okay! On to Gallery uploading and Challenge entering. I find it easiest to have 3 GingerScraps tabs open at the same time, one for the Cookie Jar, one for the Gallery and one for the Forum. Then I just move between tabs.

Take a moment to commit the Gallery limits to memory. (Just kidding – the Gallery will tell you is you’re overstepping!) A lot of other digital shops use the same platform for Gallery posting, and have the same or similar limits. When you first open the Gallery tab on the GS site, the default is the Member Galleries – your personal Gallery, as it were.

To choose a Challenge Gallery or a Designer Gallery, click on the arrow shown below then scroll through the list that pops up. Pay attention when choosing a Challenge Gallery because sometimes the one you choose is actually last year’s version and you don’t want that**. The label should say (2024) after the name of the Challenge. [There are also some special-events Galleries.]

Once you’ve got the right Gallery, click on the bar that says Choose File. (As you can see, there are five of those. Yes, you CAN upload five different layouts at a time. But… you can only have a total of eight in one day. I’ll expand on that in a few.) The last folder you accessed on your computer will appear. If it’s not where your layout is, find the correct folder, then click the 600×600 image you Saved. Then click Open.

The title of your layout will appear to the right of the button as shown.

Okay, let’s recap. The correct Gallery is selected. The correct image is chosen. Now enter the title you want displayed with your layout once it’s up in the Gallery. It doesn’t have to be whatever you named the image when you Saved it.

Leave that big box empty for now. We’ll fill it later. You can skip the Keywords step if you want. I always just fill it with the name of the Challenge. Here I have August 2024 Signature Challenge. Then look at that bottom section. It’s asking if you want people to be able to leave comments on your layout, and if you want to be notified. If your answer is no, click on the Upload/Submit bar in either section. If it’s yes, click on the bottom Upload bar.

If your image is small enough, you’ll see the thumbnail. If it’s too big, you’ll get an error message on this screen where the thumbnail is.

NOW we’ll fill in the big Description box. At the very least, type in your credits. The Designers deserve recognition, it’s part of their Terms of Use, and if you’re entering Challenges, you have to meet content requirements. So don’t skip them! You can also add other Galleries in this step. BUT… each additional Gallery you add on THIS STEP will count toward your daily limit. Yes, it’s only ONE image, but ON THIS STEP, each Gallery counts as a separate image. Weird, right? [I’ll do another tutorial on multiple uploads later if y’all think it’s needed.] Then click Process.

There! My siggie is in the Challenge Gallery, and in my Member Gallery as well. (Oddly, the platform does that automatically, but doesn’t count it toward the limit. I know… weird!) You can see my credits there too.

If you’re interested in earning the monthly Challenge Reward, you’ll need to have a Cookie Jar. It’s where you record links to all of the layouts you’re entering for the month. Highlight the text in the address bar at the top of your browser, which is the Universal Resource Locator (URL) for your layout. Right-click and choose Copy.

Then click over to your Cookie Jar tab on your browser. I like to set up my Cookie Jar on the first day of the month with just the Total Challenges Completed:(0) bit filled in. Then when I’m ready to add a layout, I just have to do this next step. But you can just type in the name of the Challenge then Paste in your URL. Up to you. I type in the Challenge and the title of my layout.

Then I highlight the title and click on the globe-with-chainlink icon (in the little red box). That opens the link box option.

Set the cursor inside the box, right-click and choose Paste.

That adds a direct link to the Gallery where the layout title is, which makes it easy for Missi to verify at the end of the month, and for any of the Challenge hosts who need to check content.

Are you tired yet? 🙂 Almost there!! The last part is to add your layout to the Challenge thread in the Forum. Click your cursor somewhere inside your layout then right-click and choose Copy Image Link from the pop-up.

Now click through to your Forum tab in your browser. Find the Challenge thread and scroll to the bottom of the page. There’s an Add Quick Reply box there. You can add some text in the Reply box if you like. Click on the icon that looks like a stretchy photo, as shown,

This box will open. Set your cursor in the box, then Paste the Image Link that your computer has conveniently remembered for you. Click OK.

If you see any part of your layout in the Quick Reply box, you have success! All that’s left is to click Post Quick Reply.

Do you feel like you just ran a marathon? I know I do! Obviously, you don’t have to do all of this in one go. Now have fun!