Trains.com

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Alternative to Photobucket

19236 views
299 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    July 2010
  • 121 posts
Posted by tankcarsrule on Wednesday, July 5, 2017 8:33 PM

  • Member since
    July 2010
  • 121 posts
Posted by tankcarsrule on Wednesday, July 5, 2017 8:34 PM
This is from Flicker on my tablet. It works, so bye bye Photo bucket!
  • Member since
    December 2015
  • From: Shenandoah Valley
  • 9,094 posts
Posted by BigDaddy on Wednesday, July 5, 2017 8:42 PM

peahrens
Can you clarify, please? I uploaded one photo to Amazon Prime Photos. (I did not put it in an album, if that matters.) Using Windows 10, I opened the picture to large size. When I right click I get 8 options, including "share picture", "copy Picture" and "copy". Not "copy image address".

The phrase is "Copy Image Location" third choice from the top for me.  Like Google, it is not a picture format and I cannot post it to this forum

 

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

  • Member since
    September 2004
  • From: Dearborn Station
  • 24,281 posts
Posted by richhotrain on Thursday, July 6, 2017 4:17 AM

OldSchoolScratchbuilder

Just read an article that many Amazon and eBay images also lost to Photobucket's 'ransom demands' lol

 

Why do you find that funny?

Alton Junction

  • Member since
    September 2004
  • From: Dearborn Station
  • 24,281 posts
Posted by richhotrain on Thursday, July 6, 2017 4:19 AM

RR_Mel

Sorry guys, I did some research and found out Google Photo doesn’t permit 3rd party hosting.
 
I guess the reason some see my picture and some don’t is that if you have a Google Account it works.
 
I reposted the picture from my Google Blog, let me know if anyone can’t see the picture below.
 
  
   
 
 
Mel
 
Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951
 
My Model Railroad   
 
Bakersfield, California
 
I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
 

Yes, Mel, I can see that photo.

Rich

Alton Junction

  • Member since
    April 2017
  • From: Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
  • 1,585 posts
Posted by OldSchoolScratchbuilder on Thursday, July 6, 2017 5:27 AM

richhotrain

 

 
OldSchoolScratchbuilder

Just read an article that many Amazon and eBay images also lost to Photobucket's 'ransom demands' lol

 

 

 

Why do you find that funny?

 

 

Amazon and eBay can make money at Photobucket's expense, but when Photobucket, rightfully in my view, wants their piece of the pie, they are criticized as blackmailing everyone. I am not using Photobucket because of the expense and all the annoying advertising, but they have every right as a business to charge for their services.

I am a member of an online mineral site, no fees to register. They have their own image uploading methods to their forums and don't rely on outside parties like Photobucket. If Model Railroader would do the same, this would be a much better solution. Probably MR doesn't want to spend the money on this and that is also a valid business decision.

i can participate without posting pictures. Doesn't bother me in the least.

  • Member since
    September 2004
  • From: Dearborn Station
  • 24,281 posts
Posted by richhotrain on Thursday, July 6, 2017 5:40 AM

OldSchoolScratchbuilder

I am a member of an online mineral site, no fees to register. They have their own image uploading methods to their forums and don't rely on outside parties like Photobucket. 

Neither do Amazon or eBay.  What article did you read that suggested the contrary?

Rich

Alton Junction

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • From: Southeast Texas
  • 5,449 posts
Posted by mobilman44 on Thursday, July 6, 2017 5:54 AM

Photobuckets "extortion" (for want of a better word) is not funny in any way.  They suddenly dropped this on folks, locked up most of user's access without warning.

There is nothing wrong with them wanting a fee for downloading, but there should have been ample warning and a gradual implementation.

My wife and her graphics partners pay Photobucket annually to withhold the advertising.  While she is still allowed access (likely because of that annual payment to withhold advertising) she and her group have worked umpteen hours to remove their pics to other storage or sites.   Believe me, witnessing all this is definitely "not funny".

   

ENJOY  !

 

Mobilman44

 

Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central 

Moderator
  • Member since
    May 2009
  • From: Waukesha, WI
  • 1,764 posts
Posted by Steven Otte on Thursday, July 6, 2017 8:57 AM

Threads merged.

Before you post on this already lengthy thread, please read it all to make sure what you're going to add hasn't been said a dozen times already.

And if you want to test your photo-posting capabilities, please do so in the Trains.com Forum Testing area, not here. Thanks.

--
Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editor
sotte@kalmbach.com

  • Member since
    January 2010
  • 2,616 posts
Posted by peahrens on Thursday, July 6, 2017 9:33 AM

Steven Otte
And if you want to test your photo-posting capabilities, please do so in the Trains.com Forum Testing area, not here. Thanks.

Steve, glad you pointed this out as I was unaware of that option.  I tend to hang out just here on the MR Forum so I did discover I don't know how to navigate the Trains.com sites, so had some fun finding the Forum Testing "forum".  It depends on which Trains links one chooses (for instance at the top or bottom of this page) whether you find your way there easily.  In the end, I find it's easy to just remember to enter "cs.trains.com" in the browser bar to get to the page that lists the forums listing, including the Testing one. 

http://cs.trains.com/

If I may, I suggest that the MR General Discussion thread on how to post photos might point out the Forum Test option and where it is. 

 

Paul

Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent

  • Member since
    December 2015
  • From: Shenandoah Valley
  • 9,094 posts
Posted by BigDaddy on Thursday, July 6, 2017 9:40 AM

The NY Post calls it a shakedown of users.  http://nypost.com/2017/07/05/how-photobucket-is-now-shaking-down-its-users/

I was in error about its ownership.  According to the article it is owned by a Seattle company Ontela.  I would not have guessed they had 100 million users.

 

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

  • Member since
    December 2012
  • From: Mesa, AZ
  • 1,530 posts
Posted by RideOnRoad on Thursday, July 6, 2017 11:23 AM

From GetHuman.com

Photobucket email:  support@photobucket.com

Richard

  • Member since
    August 2003
  • From: Collinwood, Ohio, USA
  • 16,367 posts
Posted by gmpullman on Thursday, July 6, 2017 3:14 PM

BigDaddy
The NY Post calls it a shakedown of users

Main-stream media has taken notice:

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-40492668

Still no real explanation from Photobucket. They seem to have taken the "duck and cover" response.

Ed

  • Member since
    August 2003
  • From: Collinwood, Ohio, USA
  • 16,367 posts
Posted by gmpullman on Thursday, July 6, 2017 5:58 PM

One Word Of CAUTION for those modifying the BBCode of Flickr to post a photo here without linking back to Flickr:

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.

By Modifying the code may be in violation of Flickr terms? 

https://www.flickr.com/help/guidelines/

I would hate to see a bunch of us get burned again after investing much time in transfering to Flickr only find out that THEY don't support "3rd Party Hosting" the way we were used to with Photobucket, either.

Maybe I am mis-reading it but I believe the entire BBCode has to be pasted into the link which then refers back to the Flickr site.

Good Luck, Ed

  • Member since
    January 2010
  • 2,616 posts
Posted by peahrens on Thursday, July 6, 2017 6:19 PM

Thanks for the info, Ed.  I've decided to go the Flickr route for my new photo postings.  It's so well established and seems really easy to use.  I will only use it for RR photos so I dont need to get fancy.  I made a Windows 10 Start screen icon that takes me straight to my photos with one click.

I've decided to use the copied full BBCode as I don't particularly care if my name and Flickr show below it.

A technical detail on Flickr as I exercised it on the (cs.trains.com) Forums Testing  site today.  When I posted a certain photo using the the largest size under BBCode (Large 2048x1536) copy, this particular photo (at least on my PC) appears with cross-hatching artifacts that are a distortion.  I'll show it that way here for other's benefit.

 IMG_4492 by Paul Ahrens, on Flickr

Choosing the lesser size Large options helped marginally.  But using the middle Medium 640x480 BBCode copy helps it display ok.  I'm not sure why but it's as easy to pick one as the other.  This may be why the Forum general Discussion "how to post a photo" item suggests limiting the photos to 1 megapixels.  Here is the middle sized "Medium":

  IMG_4492 by Paul Ahrens, on Flickr

 

Paul

Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent

  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: US
  • 1,386 posts
Posted by Curmudgeon on Thursday, July 6, 2017 7:54 PM

NYBW-John

 

 
hon30critter

So I guess if we close our Photobucket accounts all our pictures will disappear from our previous posts. Do I have that right?

I'm also guessing that the only way to restore those photos to the threads would be to go back through the picture files on my computer, find the same photo, copy it to another photo hosting site, and then re-post the photo in the original thread. Correct?

That's a bummer!

To me, this is a breach of business ethics of the highest order!

Dave

 

 

 

I see nothing unethical about what they are doing. They are making a business decision. We as consumers have the right to accept their new terms or look elsewhere for similar services. Time will tell if they made a wise business decision. Generally speaking, when you start charging a consumer for a service that they had been getting for free, it doesn't work out well.

 

Well...it has always been of questionable ethics to change the rules in the middle of the game. User Agreements we click to agree to is what we agree to. For them to change their TOS (look it up on da google..that's what they did..changed the TOS at their end) without the user signing on is a problem.

This whole thing should be a wake up call for everyone who thinks anything "cloud" is wonderful. It really is a hook to get you to use it...then charges, subscriptions, MONEY.

I only use hosting for website posting of photos...I have hard copies on my various hard drives. If Flickr goes away (and being now yahoo, don't think something won't happen..look at Picasa once google bought it) I can use my photos here to re-populate elsewhere.

  • Member since
    February 2007
  • From: Shenandoah Valley The Home Of Patsy Cline
  • 1,842 posts
Posted by superbe on Thursday, July 6, 2017 8:11 PM

Re: Flicker

I have two birthdays.....the real one and one I give when requested by internet sites. Flicker evidently knows my real one as it wont accept the other.

Just why do they need one's birthday? How is that associated with picture or data hosting?

Bob

Bob

  • Member since
    October 2006
  • From: Texas
  • 2,934 posts
Posted by C&O Fan on Friday, July 7, 2017 4:33 AM

Snip>

Just why do they need one's birthday? How is that associated with picture or data hosting?

 

 

[/quote]

Bob Im guessing its marketing data to sell to a certian age group

That they sell to other marketers

 

I was kinda hoping Photo Bucket would be sued

for this

TerryinTexas

See my Web Site Here

http://conewriversubdivision.yolasite.com/

 

 

  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Reading, PA
  • 30,002 posts
Posted by rrinker on Friday, July 7, 2017 7:00 AM

 Wow - I haven't used PB is ages, just clicked on someone's posted picture and you can;t even view ehen you go back to their site, plus even with Adblock installed and running - my page was COMPLETELY COVERED by ads. I'd say what Photobucket can do but this is a family forum. What they are asking is way out of line with what you can get hosting space for, and to cover their page with inescapible ads like some Facebook clickbait page - wow. I can't imagine people aren;t leaving in droves. They will figure it out. Or disappear completely.

 My web hosting provider has plans starting at just $1 per month. All my pictures I want to post here, I just upload to my site and link in. No muss, no fuss and I am not hostage to some future plan which suddenly renders it all inaccessible like PB did.

 Bonus, most of what I would post here ALSO would go on my web site (if I ever updated it - I will once I start work on the basement) so they are already there and ready for use.

                               --Randy

 


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

  • Member since
    June 2007
  • 8,892 posts
Posted by riogrande5761 on Friday, July 7, 2017 7:04 AM

would like to email Photo Bucket

You and tens of thousands of others probably.  Let us know how it goes.  Surprise

Rio Grande.  The Action Road  - Focus 1977-1983

  • Member since
    October 2006
  • From: Texas
  • 2,934 posts
Email address for photo bucket
Posted by C&O Fan on Friday, July 7, 2017 7:04 AM

I just finished moving my photos

and would like to email Photo Bucket

Does any one have an address ?

TerryinTexas

See my Web Site Here

http://conewriversubdivision.yolasite.com/

 

 

  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Reading, PA
  • 30,002 posts
Posted by rrinker on Friday, July 7, 2017 7:14 AM

peahrens

Well, didn;t want to post the photos all over again, but wanted to show who i was talking to - anyway, there's clearly some compression going on. The larger one doesn't look crosshatched to me, but then I might not be able to see such a thing unless I really blew up the page size, but the smaller one DOES look less blurry, especially in things like the tanks and piping right center, and the loco boilers. The question is, what is the ACTUAL size of the image you uploaded? If that large size is larger than the actual file you uploaded, artifacting is to be expected (at least with lossy compression methods like JPG). If the actual uploaded file meets or exceeds the 'large' size, then there is compression happening afterwards, maybe even in this forum software although since it's an external link I'm not sure why it would even need to do that. The 1MB size thing I always thought was more a courtesy than a technical requirement - not everyone has super fast internet. Good example when I am at a hotel for work, it takes me forever to read Mike Rose's Georgetown and Allen Mountain layout progress thread - even though they dare call it "high speed" internet. Takes forever to load all the photos. Here at home - that threat opens instantly, but my speed at home is at least 100x what I get at the hotel, based on speed test results.

                                --Randy

 


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

Moderator
  • Member since
    May 2009
  • From: Waukesha, WI
  • 1,764 posts
Posted by Steven Otte on Friday, July 7, 2017 8:55 AM

Threads merged.

Please stop creating new threads about Photobucket. This Forum is not about Photobucket, photography, or any other photo hosting site. We're letting this thread live solely to allow Forum users to help each other find alternative ways to post photos to this Forum. If you have something to say about Photobucket, say it in this thread. Any other such threads will be merged here, so don't waste our time starting a new thread.

--
Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editor
sotte@kalmbach.com

  • Member since
    January 2007
  • From: Kentucky
  • 10,660 posts
Posted by Heartland Division CB&Q on Friday, July 7, 2017 9:45 AM

At some point, it might be good to summarize the instructions for each of the alternatives, and retain them for future referance.

GARRY

HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR

EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU

  • Member since
    January 2004
  • From: Canada, eh?
  • 13,375 posts
Posted by doctorwayne on Friday, July 7, 2017 10:44 AM

richhotrain

 

 
doctorwayne

I've not yet received anything from photobucket in way of a "cease and desist", but I notice that I can link pictures from some of my 80 albums but not from others.

I'll wait to hear from them directly, but if the cost is too high, I'll remove all of my photos from their site.  And with no photos to post, I don't see much point in sticking around here, either.  

Wayne, once you delete your photos from their web site, why would you take the unnecessary step of abandoning this forum?  Set up your photo albums on another website and stick with your friends here. You are one of the most important members of this forum.

Shame on you.  Stick out tongue

Rich

 
Thanks for your kind words, Rich, but from what I've seen mentioned here and elsewhere, it's too convoluted a process to link photos from those other sites.  At photobucket, it's one click to copy the data and one click here to paste it into my post.  

I did read all of photobucket's on-line info, though, and apparently anyone with a "Plus" account will be allowed to continue linking photos until December 31, 2018, as long as their subscription is up-to-date.  Mine renews August 1st, and as long as the price is the same, I will renew.  I've also contacted them regarding my renewal on August 1, 2018, and as long as I have to pay for only the months until the new policy comes into effect, I will do so.

I'm as upset about the changes as anyone, but there's always been a disclaimer on their site that "terms and conditions may change at any time", so there's nothing illegal about the changes and it's also not as "all-of-a-sudden" as many (including me) originally supposed, with a year and a half before the full changes take effect.
 
Wayne
  • Member since
    January 2007
  • From: Kentucky
  • 10,660 posts
Posted by Heartland Division CB&Q on Friday, July 7, 2017 11:12 AM

Wayne ... I certainly admire your photos, and hope to continue seeing them. ... In my opinion, Photo Bucket was convoluted when I began with that service. ... Now I am starting with Flickr, and it is no more convoluted to me than was Photo Bucket when I started with them. .... Flickr will be easy for a smart person such as yourself. 

GARRY

HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR

EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU

  • Member since
    October 2006
  • From: Western, MA
  • 8,571 posts
Posted by richg1998 on Friday, July 7, 2017 1:06 PM

If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.

  • Member since
    January 2010
  • 2,616 posts
Posted by peahrens on Friday, July 7, 2017 2:06 PM

Heartland Division CB&Q

Wayne ... I certainly admire your photos, and hope to continue seeing them. ... In my opinion, Photo Bucket was convoluted when I began with that service. ... Now I am starting with Flickr, and it is no more convoluted to me than was Photo Bucket when I started with them. .... Flickr will be easy for a smart person such as yourself. 

 

I'm also going the Flickr route.  I can get straight (very fast) to my photos (Photostream) page by making a Windows 10 Start screen link of that specific page.  No navigating at Flickr to get to my photos if I set it up like that.  

I click on the desired photo to expand it, click on the curved arrow for the links, and it defaults with the BBCode and picture size that I used last, so I just right click/copy the code.  It's fast, no waiting.  I just tested the callup of Flickr plus these 3 onsite steps (I chose a ready photo and did not navigate in my list) and it took all of 17 seconds from when I started. 

At my MR thread I just right click / paste the code in my thread and I'm done.  Not necessary to use the Insert image thingy.   

Paul

Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent

  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Reading, PA
  • 30,002 posts
Posted by rrinker on Friday, July 7, 2017 3:23 PM

 Photo linkign from a standard web host (not phot-specific) is dead simple - easier than Photobucket with less chance for getting the wrong URL posted in the photo link - how many times have we seen that? The photo sites usually give you multipel choices and only one really works here. With a standard web host it's simpe, there is one and only one URL for the photo, which is what gets pasted in the box here on the forum. If it's not in the URL bar when viewing the photo, in Chrome you can right click the image and "Copy Image Address"

Example from my web site. If you go to Constrution Progress and the second entry from 5/13/2012 (I guess I need to update my site...), left picture of some box cars with the couplers painted. Click on the picture, the URL at the top shows:

http://www.readingeastpenn.com/images/construction2/couplerpaint.jpg

So if I click the insert image button here and paste that same thing, voila!

Can't get much easier than that. There are many web hosting providers out there that are cheap, and you DON'T have to actually create a web site to use the space as image hosting.

 

                          --Randy

 


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

  • Member since
    September 2004
  • From: Dearborn Station
  • 24,281 posts
Posted by richhotrain on Friday, July 7, 2017 3:44 PM

Are guys not interested in imgbb?

www.imgbb.com

Rich

Alton Junction

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Users Online

There are no community member online

Search the Community

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!