HOW TO UPLOAD YOUR PORTFOLIO

a. Prepare your Images

Collect all your images together and put them in a folder.

• Make sure that the dimensions on the longest side of each is a minimum of 400 pixels.(larger images than this will be automatically resized). Make sure the image is cropped as tightly as possible with little or no border.
• They must be in rgb mode.
• Save as jpgs (gifs are not acceptable and will not upload!).
• Resolution of 72dpi.
• Aim to get your files below 100kb. There is no technical reason for this but larger files will take longer to download for the viewer.
• Title your files, preferably with your surname, initial and number (sequentially from 1 to 20). Make sure there are no spaces between letters/numbers as this will prevent upload. Also ensure you use no other characters apart from letters and numbers (excepting the fullstop before jpg) as this will either prevent upload or cause editing/captioning problems.
  
• Make sure each file ends with the extension .jpg
  eg. smithr01.jpg smithr02.jpg etc.
  
• Prepare your Portfolio Icon which sits next to your name in the Portfolio section. This should be 150 pixel square and saved as a good quality jpeg. (for more info see Step 3. Portfolio Icon).
  
• Animators Only.Manually prepare a thumbnail which will link to your Flash or Quicktime movie. This must be a jpeg and measure 110 pixels on the longest dimension. As well as the .jpg extension you must prefix the filename with tn_
  e.g tn_smithr01.jpg
  Your animation must end with the extension .swf or .mov but no prefix.
  e.g smithr01.swf
  

b. Login

You can use Safari, Internet Explorer, Firefox or Netscape browser to administer your Portfolio.

Go to the AOI Portfolios main page and click the 'login' button on the top menu. Enter the username and password supplied to you by the AOI administrator. This will take you to the Portfolio Members area. To the right of the screen you will see a personalised welcome message, below which is the Logout button.


c. Upload Image
Click the 'Upload Files' button located below Logout on the Portfolio Members screen.

On the Single Upload screen that appears click on 'Browse'. (Do not choose the 'Manual Upload option unless you are an animator or have special requirements - see below. The Manual Upload screen has 2 browse boxes, the Single Upload screen has one). You will then see your computer desktop. Find the first image you want to upload and click on 'open'. In the Upload Location box, your name should be highlighted in blue, if not, click on it to highlight. Then click 'Upload Media'.




Watch as the satellite transmits your image! Can take anything up to 30 seconds to complete depending on connection.

Upload instructions for Animators Only
After clicking the 'Upload' button, choose 'Manual Upoad' on the screen which appears. Click 'Browse' to find your prepared thumbnail image and then 'Open'. Click 'Browse to locate your 'Preview' image (i.e. your Flash or Quicktime movie). Check your name is highlighted in blue in the Upload Location box, then click 'Upload Media'.


d. Enter Image Info

After your image has uploaded the Image Caption screen appears for you to enter your image information. This information (excepting keywords) will later be viewable alongside your image.
It is not essential to fill out the whole form, leave blank any fields you choose, however you must at least include your name otherwise your images will not be found by a search or the artists drop down menu. In the keywords field add as many relevant words as you like. See below for specific advice on using keywords.

When you're done click 'Yes, Add Captions' at the foot of the Image Caption screen. A screen appears showing what you've entered and giving you the option to modify. If you're happy click 'Close Window'. You're done!

AOI reserves the right to refuse any image deemed unsuitable for whatever reason.


e. Uploading Additional Images

To upload subsequent images, use your browsers 'Back' button to return to the Portfolio Members page, click the 'Upload Files' button and start over.


f. Log Out

At the end of your session use your browser's 'Back' button to return to the members page and click the 'Logout' button. To leave the Members area and view your Portfolio on the site proper, select Portfolios on the main menu bar at the top of the screen.
(If for some reason you cannot get back to the Logout button, click Portfolios on the main menu bar at the top of the screen. Login to the Members page again and then select Logout.)


g. Editing Info/Deleting Images

You can return at any time to amend info for any given image or delete selected images. To do this you must first be signed in. Go to your portfolio. Under each of your images you will see three symbols.

Lets you change file name (e.g. from snowman.jpg etc.)	Lets you edit image info	Lets you delete image

Simply click on the one you need to use and follow the onscreen prompts.


h. Submit Category Form

Once your Portfolio has been uploaded, please submit the Category Form here. This will enable your Portfolio to be entered in the various artists categories sections.


E-MAIL YOUR PORTFOLIO ICON

Your introductory (150 pixel square) icon represents you in the alphabetical Portfolio menus. The AOI has to install this. Unlike your portfolio images it is not editable. Please e-mail it to admin@theaoi.com
You will not appear in the menus until we have received your icon.


Direct Link

Once your Portfolio has been uploaded and configured you will be able to access it directly by using the following link:
http://www.theaoi.com/artist/yourname

Domain names

If you have chosen the option to include a domain name to link straight to your portfolio we will advise you of the availabilty of your preferred name and suggest alternatives where necessary.
Please note that it can take up to 14 days to purchase, register and link your new domain name to your portfolio.


TROUBLESHOOTING

Please don't hestitate to contact us should you have any problem or query. Before doing so however we woud be grateful if you would first read these faq's which answers many user questions.

I have forgotten my password
Click the Login button on the top menu and then the 'Forgot your password?' link on the Portfolio Members page.

My username and/or password are not accepted
Make sure you enter your username and password exactly as supplied to you and ensure you include the underscore separator between your first and last name. Avoid using any spaces. Ensure cookies are enabled (see below).
Avoid using old or outdated browsers. Internet Explorer 5 and up, Safari, Firefox and Netscape 7 up are recommended.

I get an error message when uploading.

• The most likely cause is due to the filename of your image. You must not have any spaces, or non letter/number characters, i.e. no . \'d0 ( ) _ = + @ ! or similar characters. AOI Portfolios only accepts .jpg files (.swf or .mov files for animations). Make sure the extensions are spelled correctly i.e. jpg not jpeg.
  
• Make sure your name is highlighted in the Upload box before clicking 'Upload Media'.
• Your web browser must have cookies enabled (which they usually are by default).
  To check cookies are enabled in Internet Explorer go to the Edit menu / Preferences / Receiving Files / Cookies. Set ‘When receiving cookies’ to ‘Never ask’.
  To check cookies are enabled in Netscape go to the Edit menu / Preferences / Privacy & Security / Cookies. Set cookies to ‘Enable all cookies’ or ‘Enable cookies based on privacy settings’.
  To check cookies are enabled in Firefox go to the Preferences menu / Privacy. Make sure the 'allow sites to set cookies' box is checked.
  To check cookies are enabled in Safari go to the Preferences menu / Security. Under Accept Cookies, ensure 'never' is unchecked.
  

What are cookies?
Cookies are small pieces of information (username, password etc.)stored by a web server on the visitor's hard drive. When the visitor accesses the same web site for a second time the server looks for the cookie and configures itself based on the information provided.

The page stalls when uploading.
This is a connection speed issue and although less common with broadband it still occurs and can be due to a variety of reasons. Quit your browser, restart the computer and connect afresh.

• Slow speeds can occur during peak hours for Internet use. If your service provider is putting many connections into a small combined connection, normal customer demand can overload the capacity of the combined connection. To resolve this behavior, you may need to switch to a more reliable ISP.
  
• The computer may slow down while you are running programs in the background. Quit all other applications, restart the computer, and then test the connection by uploading an image.
  

I have deleted an image but it still appears in my Portfolio.
Occasionally, after deletion, an image may still appear to be visible or it's space replaced with 'illustration'. Although the image no longer exists on the server this is a temporary anomaly which is cleared from your view once AOI Portfolios are next indexed. Indexing happens daily at 8 a.m..

I have uploaded and keyworded my images but they do not appear in a search or on the Keywords page.
Keywords, names and other caption info do not become searchable, or visible, until AOI Portfolios have been indexed. Indexing happens daily at 8 a.m..

How do I retrieve my lost username/password?
Go to the Portfolios mainpage (www.theaoi.com/portfolios) and click Login. Select the 'Fogot your password?' link and follow the instructions.

I get a ‘Service Unavailable’ message.
Occasionally our service provider may need to reboot their servers or are carrying out routine maintenance work. In this case quit your browser, wait for 10 minutes or so, restart and and sign in.
If the ‘Service Unavailable’ message persists then there is a good chance you are reading the same page from earlier which the computer has stored in it’s cache (memory). First refresh or reload the page. If that doesn’t work you will need to empty the web browser cache.
To empty the cache in Internet Explorer go to the Edit menu / Web Browser / Advanced. Under the cache section click the ‘empty now’ button. Quit the browser, (you may also need to restart the computer). Re-open the browser and go to sign-in.
To empty the cache in Netscape go to the Edit menu / Preferences / Advanced / Cache. Under the cache section click the ‘Clear Memory Cache’ button. Quit the browser, (you may also need to restart the computer). Re-open the browser and go to sign-in.

I have read the User Guide but am having problems...
AOI Portfolios have been extensively tested on all recommended browsers and on both the mac and pc platforms. If you are still having problems after reading the Troubleshooting section of this guide then please contact us at admin@theaoi.com outlining the specific problem you are encountering together with details of which operating system you are using (mac or pc) and which browser you are using (version number too if possible). If the problem cannot be duplicated by us it will in all likelihood be a local issue, in which case we would initially suggest restarting your computer and/or using an alternative browser.


KEYWORDS

Keywords are an aid to users in searching for images which meet a particular requirement. Accurate keywording will help your images be found. On the site we have two methods to assist users. One is a general search page with broad categories, www.theaoi.com/imagefile/portfoliosearch.html, and the other is a View Keywords page, www.theaoi.com/imagefile/keywords.html, which is a linked list to all the words tagged to images. It is recommended you look at these pages to get a clear idea of what is being used. The following lists contain general, but recommended, keywords. Additionally you may want to add more specific keywords, i.e. lion, shoe, hairstyle etc. Use a space to separate all keywords, do not use other separators.

Subject Keywords
abstract - animals - buildings - business - children - environment - ethnic - faces - fantasy - fashion - figures - finance - food - home - humour - historical - industry - landscape - lifestyle - machines - maps - medical - music - nature - objects - political - products - science - sci-fi - sport - technology - teenagers - transport - travel - urban - wildlife

Category Keywords
3d - abstract - animation - black & white - caricature - cartoon - character - children's book - collage - comics - conceptual - decorative - digital - humour - infographics - lettering - painterly - photo-illustration - realistic - technical

Type Keywords
advertising misc. - advertising press - book cover general - book interior general - calendar - children's book cover - children's book interior - corporate - design - greeting cards - magazine - newspaper - packaging - poster


IMAGE QUALITY

By necessity the Single Upload function applies a small amount of compression to images when resizing them for correct display. For 99% of images this is unnoticeable but occasionally a user may encounter visible image degradation. If this is the case you can use the Manual Upload option which bypasses any automation. You will need to prepare two images to upload. The main image, 400 pixels on the longest dimension and related thumbnail, measuring 110 pixels on the longest dimension. Both files must be 72 dpi jpg's. As well as the .jpg extension you must prefix the filename with tn_
The files you upload should therefore be named as follows:
yourname01.jpg
tn_yourname01.jpg


GENERAL INFORMATION

Do I have to enter caption information?
You should at least enter your name and keywords. Good, accurate keywording will ensure your work turns up in all relevant searches. Although your contact information appears on your personal page header, users will undoubtedly find it useful to also see it alongside images when carrying out a search.

Can I order my images?
As visitors can sort your images by name, date added or random you don’t have much control over the order of appearance. However you can name your images sequentially so they will be ordered if sorted by name.

Do you have a general Guide to the user features of the Portfolios?
Yes, go to the Portfolios section, www.theaoi.com/portfolios, and choose Faq's from the main menu at the screen top.

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