Best way to handle images based on new WordPress image sizes

[rughooker]

In an effort to reduce plugins (due to performance issues) I plan to stop using NextGEN Gallery. I can get everything I need without it using native WordPress [gallery] and the eStore shortcodes, but I’ve been relying on it to produce the thumbnails.

Is there a way to use the built-in WordPress image sizes? I uploaded some images, used the path to the 100×100 thumbnail in some new products and then changed the thumbnail size to 150×150 during some theme revisions. I used Regenerate thumbnails and it deleted all the 100×100 images across the board. It worked fine in the rest of WordPress.

I’d like to be able to set an image size in functions.php and then somehow use that for the product thumbnails.

How does everyone else handle images? Do you create a full size and thumbnail manually and then upload each?

[admin]

I don’t use the WordPress’s “gallery” shortcode a lot but you shouldn’t need to have a separate thumbnail image unless you want to. You can specify the thumbnail size in the gallery shortcode like so:

[gallery size="medium"]

or

[gallery size="large"]

[rughooker]

Thanks, admin.

The problem is not with the [gallery] shortcode but what to use with wp eStore. I plan to upload images attached to the post for that category to create the automatic gallery. If I upload an image and then key in the path to the 150×150 image(my thumbnail size), the path is something like http://mywebsite.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/image-150×150.jpg.

If I use the original file it is more to load from my server, right?

Just confused with best practice method with wp-estore now that I’ve discovered that changing the thumbnail in WP is so easy and trying to avoid duplicate work.

[admin]

The choice is really yours… both options will work fine. You can use the bigger image in eStore as your thumbnail too. If you are using the “smart thumbnail” option in eStore, it will dynamically create a smaller version of the image anyway.

[Luciano]

I am starting selling hi resolution fine art photography in my site [http://www.lucianoippolito.com/decor] and I want all pictures in the same page (with no pagination). As I make periodic backups of my server I placed all the photos (hi res and thumbnails) in Amazon S3 so I can Keep my backups smaller and download them faster.

The problem is right now the 71 images I have take about 8mb in size and thus the page takes too long to load. My question, is there any way to have separate files for the small thumbnails and the enlarged ones(besides the hi resolution ones)? I tried using “Thumbnail Target URL” feature for the larger images but it opens the images not in a gallery style but in a ugly way, so this is not a solution for me.

Do you have any advise to help my page to load faster?

Thank you,

Luciano

[admin]

You definitely don’t want to have 8MB worth of images loading on one page.

Here are all the possible solutions… you pick which one works for you:

1) Use a pagination so you are never loading all the products in one go.

2) Categorize your products and then display products from each category in a separate page

3) Use eStore’s “Additional Product Images” field to specify the big image. Use the small image in the thumbnail as usual. This way a customer can click on the thumbnail and hit next in the lightbox view, which will load and display the big image.

4) Use the target image URL field for the bigger image a is a good way to not load the big images when your page loads.

5) Create individual product page/post for each of your image/photo products where you will allow them to preview the big image and any other extra details. This way when they are browsing they can click on the product name or the thumbnail image to go to the individual product page/post and see all the other detail. An example of this would be our products page:

http://www.tipsandtricks-hq.com/products

[Author]

Posts