Help & Support

What is the file size limit for uploading images?

Images uploaded to Aminus3 must meet both of the following limits:
1. File size must be less than 3 MB.
2. Maximum effective resolution must be less than 6 MP (Mega Pixels).

A+ Members have double the limits:
1. File size must be less than 6 MB.
2. Maximum effective resolution must be less than 12 MP (Mega Pixels).

Note that instead of enforcing a maximum of 3000 pixel width (or height) Aminus3 limits the effective resolution of the image. This means that images with resolutions of 3072x2048 or 2048x3072 or 4000x600 (as examples) are acceptable being within the 6 MP limit (6,291,456 effective pixels). To determine the effective resolution of any image, multiply the width in pixels by the height in pixels.

For best results - from the perspective of upload time and image quality - it is recommended to resize your images before uploading to Aminus3. Specifically, we recommend resizing to 1000 pixels wide.

What types of files can I upload?

Images uploaded to Aminus3 must be valid JPEG files (.jpg, .jpeg, .jpe).

What is the maximum display width of an image?

Uploaded images are resized to 800 pixels wide for large images and 600 pixels wide for small images.

Note: The resizing process may affect the quality of your images, especially if the width of the image you upload does not divide easily with 800 (or 600). For example, an image of size 807x578 will not resize smoothly to an 800 pixel width whereas an image of size 1200x800 (or 1600x1066) will work much better. To ensure the best image quality, it is advised to resize your image to 800 pixels wide (or less) before uploading them to Aminus3.

What is the maximum display height of an image?

There is no restriction on image height.

Is there a limit on the number of images I can upload?

There is no limit to the number of images you can upload to Aminus3. You can only display one image per calendar day but you can upload as many images as you want for different dates in the past, present or future. So what are you waiting for? Start posting!

Can I display/upload more than one image for a specific date?

Aminus3 is a photoblog website based on the concept of posting one image per calendar day. You can upload as many images as you want for different dates in the past, present or future but you cannot display more than one image for a single date.

You can, however, combine 2 or 3 images together using image editing software (like Photoshop), save the combined images as a single JPEG file and then upload that file for a specific date.

For example, to combine two images that are 800x533 pixels you would create a new image that is 800x1066 pixels and copy and paste the two original images into the new one then save this as a JPEG and upload to Aminus3.

How do I upload a new image for a different date?

On your image posting page there is a calendar displaying 3 months (along the right side). Select any day in the calendar and you can then upload an image for this date.

Note: Images posted in the past will not appear on the current community page nor on the home page of Aminus3 and, as a result, they tend to be overlooked by visitors. It is recommended to post images into the future where Aminus3 will automatically display the image when the day arrives.

How do I delete an image?

Go to your image posting page, select the image (date) you want to delete, scroll to the bottom of the form and click the "Remove this image" link. You will then be prompted to confirm the image deletion, after which your image will be completely removed from Aminus3.

Can I automatically watermark images I upload?

The generic aminus3.com watermark can be applied to any image upon upload. The default settings for watermarking can be configured on your account settings page. You can choose the opacity of the watermark (10%, 15%, 20%), the percentage of coverage (30%, 50%, 100%) and the desired position (top, middle, bottom - left, center, right).

Once configured, the watermark will be automatically applied to every image you upload. Note that you can also override any or all of the watermark settings during the image upload process.

Can I use my own custom watermark?

Custom watermarks are available to A+ Members. It is possible to use custom text, font, size and opacity and position.

How do I get EXIF data to display for my images?

(Most) digital cameras will embed EXIF data directly into the image file upon saving. Among other information, this encoded data specifies the make & model of the camera, the aperture (f-stop), shutter speed and ISO setting.

Aminus3 will automatically extract any available EXIF data during the image upload process and display the information to the right side of the image on your photo page. There are no additional steps that you have to take for this to occur.

Be aware that some image editing programs will remove the EXIF data when saving the file (usually for reasons of reducing file size). Removal of the EXIF data can also happen inadvertently by you during the image editing process. For example, if you open the image in Photoshop, then copy & paste the image into a new canvas window, you will lose all EXIF data.

If the EXIF data does not display for an image you have uploaded to Aminus3, try uploading the original, untouched version of the image (the file directly from the camera). If this original image does display the correct EXIF data then something is removing the EXIF data during the image editing process. If not, then either your camera does not embed EXIF data or it stores it in such a way as to make it inaccessible to Aminus3 code, in which case there's not much we can do.

Why did my image get rotated after upload?

We do not rotate images when they are uploaded. Some desktop applications will show you a rotated preview of your vertical or portrait image. Although it appears the photo is rotated correctly, the actual image file has not been rotated. When you upload this file it will appear incorrectly on Aminus3.com.

You can ensure your photos retain the proper orientation by explicitly rotating the photo in an image editing application and saving the file.

Why do my images look different compared to Photoshop?

How images are displayed in different programs (including your web browser) is determined by the image's color space. A color space tells a program how to display the colors in an image. The same image can look very different depending on which color space is used.

An in depth understanding of how color spaces work is beyond the scope of this FAQ. What is important, is to know that most web browsers ignore the color space of your image. This is why an image that looks great in an image editing program may appear washed out or have different colors when displayed on the web.

This can be tested by opening your image file directly in your browser. (In Firefox, for example, you can do this through the File menu > Open File...) Compare the image in your browser with the image in your editing program. Likely the two images will look different - with the browser version appearing washed out or faded.

To ensure your image appears similar in different browsers, you should save images in the sRGB color space. Most computers running Windows will already be calibrated to sRGB color. If you are using a Macintosh, it may be helpful to change your color profile to sRGB when editing images to ensure what you see is similar to what other people will see.

For more information on color spaces...

Can I post images containing adult content?

Yes, you may upload and display images that contain adult content (such as nudity, drug use, violence) but only if the photos are done in an artistic and tasteful manner. Please be aware that on your image posting page there is an Adult? option that must be set to Yes if your image contains adult content.

Images marked as Adult will not display on the community page for the general public (non-members) nor for Aminus3 members who have specifically requested to block adult content.

While Aminus3 supports creative expression, we reserve the right to remove images that we deem to be offensive or inappropriate (whether or not they are marked as Adult). If you have any doubts as to whether your image will be inappropriate, please contact us before posting.

Can I post images that were not taken by me?

In general, if you did not capture the image yourself then you should know the person who did and have their permission to post their photo. Images found randomly on the Internet are generally protected by copyright and should not be posted on Aminus3.

We take copyright very seriously on Aminus3 and we reserve the right to remove your image (or your account) if you are found posting copyrighted photos. View our terms & conditions for more details.

Can I send an image to Aminus3 through my mobile phone?

Currently, there is no way to blog to Aminus3 from a mobile phone or other method besides using the image upload page. This functionality may be implemented at a later date but we have no development plans at this time.

Can people view the original, unscaled images I upload?

For reasons of disk space, Aminus3 does not store any of the original images you upload. We may offer this service in the future but for the moment we recommend hosting your full-sized image on a photo gallery site (like Flickr) and then creating a link to that image from your respective photo page.

How do I prevent people from using my images?

The only reliable way to prevent people from using your images without your consent is by adding a watermark. A watermark is a semi-transparent pattern or text on the image that identifies you as the owner and cannot be removed without altering the original image. (See the help topics above on watermarking your images.)

How does uploading an image affect the image quality?

The image upload process performs a few operations which may have an effect on image quality.

1) Resizing
All images larger than the maximum width (800 pixels) will be resized. Images that are slightly larger than 800 pixels (for example, 807 pixels) will be noticeably distorted. For those who are concerned about image quality, It is advisable to resize your images to 800 pixels wide before uploading (or a number that is easily divisible by 800, like 1600 or 2400). There is no limit on the height of an image - images are not resized based on height.

2) Compression
The cost of disk space is a constant expense for the Aminus3 team. In an effort to reduce the amount of disk space, we apply a compression algorithm during the image upload process. We believe that the trade-off between quality and cost is fair. Most images are not noticeably affected by the compression. The compression is most notable in images with large blocks of similar colours.

Compression is a percentage of the file size. Therefore, larger images (in kilobyte file size) are reduced more than smaller images. A 2mb file will be compressed more than an 80k file. However, a reduction in file size does not always equate to an observable loss of quality.

As a photography service, we understand that image quality may be a top priority for members. As a solution, we now offer 100% quality uploads to our A+ premium subscribers. Please note that this affects compression but not resizing. A+ members are still encouraged to resize images before uploading for the best possible image quality.

What are those stars next to my image?

In addition to leaving a comment, Aminus3 members can rate images. Image rating helps to determine Spotlight Images. Higher rated images will also show up first on the front page of Aminus3.com as well as on community and other common pages.

A general guideline for rating images is as follows:

1 star
- Poor photographic technique, needs improvement

2 stars
- Good attempt was made
- A typical shot, common subject
- No post processing

3 stars
- Reasonably well executed (good focus, exposure)
- Interesting subject and/or composition
- Decent post processing

4 stars
- Technically well executed (correct focus, exposure)
- Creative subject and/or composition
- High quality post processing
- Unique shot, not something that you'd see every day

5 stars
- Technically challenging and very well executed
- Highly unique subject matter and/or composition
- Conveys a mood, emotion or story
- Exemplary or original post processing
- Award winning and/or print worthy photo

We encourage you to bring your own judgment to the rating system. Try to vote with these ideas in mind in order to highlight the best images on Aminus3 and allow other people to improve on lower rated images.

Can I rate my own images?

All members are able to rate their own images. We encourage you to rate your own images as fairly as you would rate others.