Converting THREAD/POST with LOST PhotoBUCKET Photos to Flickr (or other Respository)

[Wally.B]

Converting THREAD/POST with LOST PhotoBUCKET Photos to Flickr (or any other Photo Repository)

Perhaps someone has already provided this information, but I haven't fount it so posting to help everyone.


So as you may know, of don't yet know.

All PhotoBucket Photos used in Reef Central not longer show up.

All you get is the following Image.

If you follow the Link back to PhotoBucket, it will state the 3Rd Party Posting like on Reef Central is not longer supported for free.

From what I saw in my options, it is a few hundred dollars a year to allow 3rd Party Posting from Photo Bucket.

If you don't know (which I didn't till recently), Reef Central has opened up the EDIT function (limited time) for all thread for so Folks can edit their Posts/Threads/ with update photos from another Photo Source.

So you can redo those Photo LINKS if you have the photos handy.

But I discovered another way. Not Easy, but certainly better than trying to figure out what image you posted, and then match a upload.

If you LOG INTO photo bucket, you can still see the image that is NO LONGER viewable on reef central. That is because Photo Bucket has Block the ReefCentral Computers from getting the Image.

But the PhotoBucket URL in the Thread will work for you if you are logged into Photo Bucket.

That means you can download the image down to your computer. (ie See it, and get a copy)

The Exact image on the Thread or Post.

This simplifies things (a tiny bit).
Certainly a big effort for hundred of photos, but if you have a important thread with a few photos that really keeps the thread useful, then it might be worth it.

I will show the steps in the next post. (working on screenshots, and will be posting in a few minutes, so hold off from posting any replies)

My example will be using FlickR since that is where I now post my photos, and use the URL that still works for Reef Central.

 

[Wally.B]

THE BASIC STEPS to Convert from PhotoBucket

First you don't have to user FlickR. You can use any repository that will link a URL photo like Photo Bucket used to work before.

I decided to use FlickR since it was the first free respository I found and because it was easy to use.

Plus I found one feature really nice. You can upload a HiRes Photo once, and then use a choice a few URL's provide by FlickR to show different size photos.
What this means is you don't have to upload various image resolutions.

Doesn't mean that some day FlickR will also stop 3rd Party postings, but at least you are more prepared if it happens again.

Here are the basic steps: (I will show screenshots in next few posts with explanations)

1A) Log in to Reef Central
1B) Go to Thread you wish to update the missing Photo
1C) HIT the EDIT button at the bottom of the Post
1D) Look for the image links that start an IMG in square brackets
1E) The URL for the Photo Bucket is between and starts with http://
1F) COPY THAT URL

2A) Log into Photo Bucket
2B) If you lost your password since it was in Browser cache, just use password reset.
2C) Past the URL from Reef Central Thread. The one between the IMG tags into the browser that is Logged into Photo Bucket.
2D) Your image will show up. Not the 3rd Part Warning, but you actual image you posted a while ago on Reef Central.
2E) Right Click with your Mouse on that Image and Select "Save Image as"

3A) The SAVE AS will save to your computer, so for many photo replacement you should create a unique folder for the thread you are working on.
3B) Save the Photo to that folder/location on your computer Hard drive.

4A) Next is to upload that photo to a Repository of your choice.
4B) In my case the Repository is Flickr
4C) Once uploaded in FlickR get the URL to that Photo.

5A) Replace the Photo Bucket URL in between the IMG tags with the FlickR URL
5B) Hit Save

You are done. You thread post will have a photo.

I'll show the screenshots with steps. Next.

 

[Wally.B]

STEPs with Screen SHOTS

In this example I restored all MY Images in this Thread. Took me about 30 minutes.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2510779

HERE IS THE THREAD with the Missing PhotoBucket Image.

THE EDIT BUTTON is available for ALL POST for a Limited Time.

Here you get the image URL from Photo Bucket

COPY THE URL

Open A 2nd Browser, or 2nd TAB and LOG INTO PHOTO BUCKET (Details below to save the Image to your Computer)

SAVE THE IMAGE TO YOU COMPUTER

Now open 3rd Tab or 3rd Browser and LOG into FlickR

Select the Upload feature and Drag the Saved IMage to Uplaod to FlickR

Image is now on FlickR, get the URL to that Image

LAST STEP (EDIT Reef Central to change Photo from PhotoBucket to FlickR

That's it.

Hope this help.

If anyone has a better way, or better repository. Please share.

 

[Wally.B]

Hmm. Decided to look up the Flickr Photo Posting Policy.

Here is one of their posted notes...

Link back to Flickr when you post your Flickr content elsewhere.
Flickr makes it possible to post content hosted on Flickr to other web sites.
Pages on other web sites that display content hosted on flickr.com must provide a link from each photo or video back to its page on Flickr.
This provides a way to get more information about the content and the photographer.

Good to know, and I must start doing this, or find another repository, or face another dead end like with Photo Bucket some day down the road.

 

[Wally.B]

I've been thinking about the FlickR requirement above.

The requirement could be more for single posts using 3rd Party sites like Reef Central.

What I'll be doing is posting a Link back to FlickR at the beginning of a new thread stating that all photo's of Original Poster are from FlickR and provide the link only once. I tried a link to FlickR and it shows all the Photo's you have uploaded.

As below:

All photo's posted on this Thread by Thread owner are posted on flicker as linked here https://www.flickr.com/photos/147613604@N08/36512452220/in/dateposted-public/

This will keep the Reef Central Thread Pictures more neat since each photo won't have the link but be somewhat compliant with the Policy.

Still hoping some folks add some other options for Photo Hosting since I know there must be many.

 

[ReefWreak]

Wally,

Thanks for always being so helpful. You might want to check out this methodology that has been working as well:

append ~original to the end of the original picture URL and it works

Learned it from this post

 

[Wally.B]

Wally,

Thanks for always being so helpful. You might want to check out this methodology that has been working as well:

append ~original to the end of the original picture URL and it works

Learned it from this post

WOW that works!!! (Photo appears rights after save) So Simple.
Wonder why? Possibly Photo bucket hasnt't caught on YET.
So simple it takes a second to update a post (Way less time then what I describe above).
THANKS!!!

 

[ReefWreak]

I'm just glad I can give back in a small way after all you've shared with the community

 

[Wally.B]

Thank you for your Kind words. Greatly appreciated.

YOU ARE MY HERO for pointing me to the trick. I can't thank you enough since you saved me tons of hours, days (for now).

I did post a big thank you to the Member who found the ~original hack.

So I restored many threads.

And a big 40 page page Tank Thread that spans a couple of years (in minutes). Something I wouldn't even try using the download/upload/replace method.
It was a great re-visit to review lessons past.

SO with THREAD restored, I did some digging on how to capture it, in case Photos vanish again.

Many solutions out there for web page, archiving, cloning.

Here is the first one I tried (Google should know about web page robots, since they are experts).

There is a CHROME browswer plug in that you can install in seconds.
Then go to your Thread (page by page) and hit "ALT-SHIFT-P" and you get a copy of the whole thread page (with images) that you can store and archive on your computer.
(I viewed the ACHIVE COPY for now and it works perfect. Ih aven't tried how it saves, but will).

Here is the CHROME plug in.
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/full-page-screen-capture/fdpohaocaechififmbbbbbknoalclacl

Not a solution to restore on Reef Central, but a great way to archive a copy for yourself.

 

[Wally.B]

CHROME WEB-PAGE CAPTURE (Plugin) Works

So I tested the Chrome Plug in.

I did a page by page capture of the whole 40 page thread that was restored with (Images back) using ~original trick.

If you have the Chrome plugin installed, you go to the WEB page you want.
After you hit "ALT-SHIFT-P" the browswer will scroll through the whole page (Top to bottom). Don't do anything during capture.

Then you hit the DOWNLOAD button on top right, which will save the page to your DOWNLOADS folder.

Below is the whole 40 page thread in images. One image per Thread Page.

Then you can open the PAGE IMAGE and view it.
You need to zoom in to see better, but this gives you an idea.

If you zoom in further (as shown below) the text and images are excellent.

Compare above Page Capture (Only Top Portion shown due to zoom) to original page here http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2500379&page=22

You can't search text, or edit, but this is all about viewing something that could be all gone, or hard to get back (In proper order or with comments, notes).