JCE Content Editor Image Manager
Before you can insert any image into an Article, you must first upload the image.
In this article we cover how to work with images using the Image Manager function of the JCE Content Editor.
The default content editor in a Joomla! CMS website is TinyMCE.
But we prefer to use the JCE Content Editor and so we focus here on how to use JCE to add images to your website.
The JCE Image Manager
The Image Manager is possibly the most useful feature of the JCE Content Editor.
When using the JCE Content Editor you open the Image Manager by clicking the Image Manager icon.
When you do a pop-up window will appear, as shown in the next image.
If the pop-up does not display then please check your browser settings to ensure pop-ups are enabled.
Note
The image properties may be pre-configured globally when you change the settings of any one JCE Editor Profile.
Get organised
RESIZE, RENAME and REFORMAT images before you upload them.
Also, store image originals on your computer in the same way as on the server.
Why bother?
Incorrectly addressed files may not load as intended when your website is viewed from older web browsers.
Later renaming of folders can cause undue extra work that is best avoided!
Large images (in terms of memory size) will load much more slowly than smaller images.
The web is increasingly mobile and, for now at least, mobile connection speeds are slower than from desktops.
Small images are therefore essential.
And slow sites rank more slowly (all other things being equal) in search engines.
Read on!
There is a file size limit of 2MB for any file (including images) uploaded to your WYNCHCO website.
This is the default Joomla! CMS setting.
We recommend much smaller file sizes however.
100 KB is ample for good quality display on a computer or smartphone screen.
So before uploading your images, reduce their size using a suitable Image Resize application.
Image Resizer Tool for Windows Users
We have not used Windows since the days of Windows 7.
Back then it was not easy to resize images without installing an image editing application.
We did however come across one useful tool, which if you use Windows 7 or 8 you may like to try: Image Resizer for Windows.
After installation (and the usual malware and virus checks) the process of resizing images was pretty straightforward:
- select the images,
- right click - select Resize pictures.
The default settings as shown in the image below will reduce a 1+ MB image to 100 KB +.
All file names should follow these rules:
- all lowercase,
- alphanumeric (letters or numbers or both),
- no spaces,
- no fancy symbols,
- describe the image content in three to four words,
- use hyphen between each word (example: fast-car.jpg).
Example
Many of our customers are running Joomla! eCommerce websites.
Here is an eample of how you could rename images before upload to an eCommerce website selling shoes!
Best practice for search engines is to include three keywords in an image title.
Example:
567456.JPG
could be renamed
567456.jpg
but would be better named
shoes-boys-red.jpg
OR
shoes-boys-red-567456.jpg
if you want to quickly cross-reference to the image.
In eCommerce every product should have a unique reference number (SKU or PLU).
If you already know what these are then you could incorporate in your image names.
Example
Red Boys Shoes
Ref No 345
Image could be renamed
shoes-boys-red-345-1-567456.jpg
This image would be 1 of several for product 345.
A second image could be
shoes-boys-red-345-2-567457.jpg
We recommend GIF or JPG (we prefer lower case).
Avoid PNG format if you believe your target audience mostly use older browsers, as the latter may add a shadow when presenting PNG images.
When detail is important, for example, photographs, use JPG.
When detail is less important, for example, button links, use GIF.
GIF images can have a transparent background.
FREE Image Editors
If you do not wish to edit your images and only to convert their format then a basic image editor application should do the job but there are also lots of free resources on the web.
Read more: FREE Image Editors.
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We coach, help and support managers of businesses and organisations across Cheshire, Manchester, Merseyside, North West England and the UK.