I figure that I'd like to include a few images into my posts, but I always seem to encounter various difficulties such as:

• Text Wrapping
• They can overlap sidebars, other text
• No image resizing options
• Etc.

So I'm curious if there's a great plugin out there that will easily allow me to embed images from any URL, self-hosted, etc. into my posts?

(Also, I might want to do something similar with videos in the future, too)

One other question is how would I go about watermarking my own created images? I know I should, but don't know how, is there special software you use for it?

I size most of my images to 560 pixels wide, so they'll fit in the main column without going beyond the edge. I also use css selectors to give a five or ten pixel padding to images within the content area, to keep the text away. I prefer to host the images with the blog, because wordpress can create a page for them with almost no extra work on my part.

What image editing software do you have? I can give you step by step instructions in Photoshop, or more general ones for The Gimp or something else. Paint.net will work, and is free / open source. You might be able to get something simpler that only does watermarks ... but any of these will give you more control over how the watermark looks, and where it goes within the image.

Use the text tool, or if the software has one, the text selection tool. Hold down the alt key and type 0169 on the numeric keypad to get the © symbol, then a space and your name. Make a new layer from the selection, or from the text if one isn't made for you. Play with the layer blending options to get a style you like.

Try turning down the opacity a little bit on the watermark layer. I've found it's harder to remove one of my watermarks if it's a little bit transparent than if you can't see the background behind it.

Originally Posted by ForrestCroce

I size most of my images to 560 pixels wide, so they'll fit in the main column without going beyond the edge. I also use css selectors to give a five or ten pixel padding to images within the content area, to keep the text away. I prefer to host the images with the blog, because wordpress can create a page for them with almost no extra work on my part.

My images will range in sizes, depending on the blog post, I might want one image to basically take up the width of the post's text, and I might have another post where I have two images side by side (via the columns plugin)

Originally Posted by ForrestCroce

What image editing software do you have? I can give you step by step instructions in Photoshop, or more general ones for The Gimp or something else. Paint.net will work, and is free / open source. You might be able to get something simpler that only does watermarks ... but any of these will give you more control over how the watermark looks, and where it goes within the image.

Honestly, I don't have much, the only images I've created so far have been with the computer's default paint program.

Originally Posted by ForrestCroce

Use the text tool, or if the software has one, the text selection tool. Hold down the alt key and type 0169 on the numeric keypad to get the © symbol, then a space and your name. Make a new layer from the selection, or from the text if one isn't made for you. Play with the layer blending options to get a style you like.

Try turning down the opacity a little bit on the watermark layer. I've found it's harder to remove one of my watermarks if it's a little bit transparent than if you can't see the background behind it.

I've never watermarked my images before, so I have no idea where to begin with that sort of thing. Maybe that's something I should have asked about in the graphics forum.

What operating system do you use?

Originally Posted by ForrestCroce

What operating system do you use?

XP (Home edition)

I love using the Flexible upload plugin for my wordpress sites. It lets you specify the size of
the pics and thumbnails. You can choose to open the image as a file, a page, or in a lightbox
window. It can also automatically add a watermark image to the original (not the thumbnail).
All you have to do is create a small image to use as the watermark and the plugin will add it
to all the images you upload.

Sounds like that's a much easier option. I know my blog's main column is about 600 pixels wide, so I make the images a bit narrower than that; if I wanted two side by side I'd half it and subtract a little. If you're using XP, this will do everything you need, free and open source, but it sounds like Moxxnixx has better advice.

Thanks for the info guys, I'm not quite sure *how* just yet I'm going to want to implement these options, but I'll use them the next time I create a blog post with photos .

Every once in awhile I find some little gems that aren't listed on WP's main site.

Also, if you eventually want support for video in the future, check out Lightview JS.
It lets you put almost anything, including videos, in a lightbox format in your posts.