Guidelines for Images in DATAMP:

Each patent record in the database can have up to 10 images associated with it. These images may be excerpts from the patent specification, photos of the actual tool, or any other small image that helps identify the tool.

In order to keep the data storage requirements low and the retrieval speed high, we have placed the following restrictions on the images uploaded:

• Image size limited to 400 x 400 pixels
  Since we want to be able to display the images on the patent information page, we are limiting them to a fairly compact size.
• JPG and PNG Images only
  For portability and compatibility reasons, we are restricting image type to JPG and PNG. GIF format is not supported due to it's reliance on LZ compression, which is a proprietary (and patented) technology.

Image Guidelines

In addition to the hard-and-fast restrictions placed by the image upload process, we also have some guidelines to help keep our load times fast and our look clean:

• Patent drawing should be primary image
  Each patent has one image designated as "primary"-- this is the one that shows by default when the patent detail page is displayed. This primary image should be taken from the patent drawing, so that all pages look similar when loaded.
• Patent drawing should grayscale JPG or PNG
  Both JPG and PNG produce fairly compact files for grayscale pictures, so one of these two formats should be used for the patent drawing.
• Compress your JPGs!
  JPG is a wonderful format for photographs, but at higher detail levels can generate very large files. There are utility programs that allow you to adjust the compression of your JPG (I have used one called JPG Wizard), which can result in significant size reduction without loss of picture quality.
• Use a white background for photos if possible
  If at all possible, crop out the background of any photographs and use plain white. It requires a little more work than just doing "crop and drop" but doing the extra work makes it easier to see the tool and keeps the pages looking less cluttered.
• Watch your gamma correction
  Be careful that the images you create look good on monitors other than your own. You can normally adjust the gamma correction in your image program to adjust for your monitor's default brightness.
• Use caption for attribution
  If you use someone elses photo with permission, be sure to attribute the original owner. The photo caption is a good way to handle this-- add some text like "Image courtesy of John Smith".

Adding/Editing DATAMP Images

All stewards can upload images for their patents using the standard patent detail page. If you are logged in as a steward, you will see "[add]" and "[edit]" buttons in the title bar of the picture table for any patents you added.

Clicking on the "[add]" button will take you to a form that allows you to upload a file from your hard disk. The server will make sure that your file adheres to our restrictions (JPG or PNG smaller than 400x400), and if it does it will automatically move it to the images directory and add the proper links in the database.

Clicking on the "[edit]" button will take you to a form that allows you to change the caption for the image, make the current image the primary image, or delete the current image. Note that if you delete the image it is permanently deleted from the server, so use this option with caution!

Image Manipulation Software

Good image software makes all the difference in the world. If you already have PhotoShop or some other professional image editing program that's great (I used to use Photoshop on Windows and liked it a lot), but if you don't there is a good free alternative-- GIMP.

GIMP stands for "GNU Image Manipulation Program" and is an open-source image editor that is just as powerful as something like PhotoShop, and absolutely free. It runs like a top on Linux, but is a bit slow on Windows (no slower than PhotoShop, though). Unfortunately it is also just as difficult to learn as PhotoShop, but it provides a wealth of powerful features and makes a nice free alternative to the expensive commercial software.