Hello everyone,



I am very happy to announce that an idea we've had in the back of our minds for a good while has finally been brought to life! Today we're officially unveiling the PentaxForums Exclusive Gallery, which is conceptually similar to Pentax's PPG. At first, we wanted this gallery to also appear fancy and have cool effects, but we found that other solutions wouldn't offer the level of integration that this one did. So, let's jump right in to what we're looking at here.

Our Exclusive Gallery will become a collection of only the best photos taken by our users. Only PentaxForums.com users will be able to submit to this gallery. We will also be imposing certain quality standards to make sure the photos are at their very best.

To submit a photo to the gallery, simply click the 'upload' link in the upper gallery toolbar, or click here. The submission form is the same as that in our other gallery categories, so you should already be familiar with the controls. The following will be required of each photo:

• JPEG format and compression at 90%-100% (9-12).
• A resolution of at least 1024x700 (WxH or HxW) pixels; preferably around 1500 or 2000px on one edge
  
• Full EXIF left intact in the file, if digital
• Manual addition of EXIF metadata, if film
  
• A photo description and complete camera/lens fields
• If you choose to place copyright text in your photo, please do so in the lower-right or lower-left corner only
• No added frames, borders, or drawings
  
• Taken with a Pentax camera (no exceptions)
• Limit 2 submissions per user day (to be fair to our judges)
  

If your photo conforms to these regulations, it will then be evaluated by the site staff. If the photo is good enough, it'll be approved into the gallery; if not, we'll simply move it to a regular category. You will be able to submit as many photos as you'd like until 10 have been approved in the gallery. This limit is currently going to be in place so that every photographer gets about equal exposure, but may increase in the future.

Why this is going to be better than the PPG:

• Not a slow flash-based gallery
• Large resolutions will be available for your viewing pleasure
  
• Comments can be made
• More great photos will be posted!
• Feedback on your photo will be e-mailed to you once a decision has been made
• The approval decision will be made within 1 week at most (apply to be a judge)
  
• Status tracking at https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/galleryapprove.php?do=status and updates on status via e-mail
• It's integrated with your favorite photo forum
  

And, best of all:

• If 5 or your photos get approved into the gallery, you will be invited to become an Exclusive Gallery judge

So, why wait? Upload your best now!

A note to newbies: the gallery is accessible through the 'photos' button in the navbar. Simply click it and then select 'User Photo Gallery' from the menu.

Enjoy, guys! I'm very excited to be bringing you this.

Photos accepted into the gallery will also be tagged as "exclusive" in gallery searches and listings, and within the exclusive category, supersized thumbnails will be shown!

[Nass]

Hmmmmmmmmmm, not sure what you're doing. I download, unzip and click on licentiateship.exe - then go into tutorials at the bottom > common picture faults. Has a self testing thing to help you spot common faults

[MetteHHH]

Thanks a lot Nass. It's helpful, actually. (and satisfying too, because I spot many of the faults! )

[Nass]

Excellent! Glad to help =)

[testuser]

test post

[Pauld]

I've read the rules and and still at a bit of a loss as to how a photo gets accepted. I submitted a photo on 08-07-2011 and when I check the status of the submission it says "You currently have no accepted exclusive photos, and none are pending approval."

This is my first time submitting to the PEG and I thought I did it correctly. Am I missing something here?

[Adam]

I checked your photo and it looked like it was below minimum dimensions- but you should have gotten a notification via e-mail about this.

[Pauld]

I just edited the post with a larger dimension photo (1500-1000). Should I just delete the original post and re-submit it or just leave it as is?

[Ash]

Just resubmit your new image into the PEG submission queue and do what you will with your first image, which should be in your user gallery.

[Pauld]

Done and done. Thanks for all the help.
Hopefully the email gets through this time.

[Pauld]

Resubmitted my photo on the 14th and haven't received a thing about it's status. Again, when I check the status of the submission it says "You currently have no accepted exclusive photos, and none are pending approval." I receive emails from here all the time, in fact I just received an email that someone commented on it so it's not a matter that my email does not work. It will probably be rejected again, for what ever reason, but I still would like to know what that reason may be.

[Adam]

Is the photo in question "Aurora Borealis"?

As far as I can see, it's still in the "Night Scene" category. I can move it for you if you'd like, and then I'll be able to verify if it's in the approval system. Maybe I missed it, but I never saw it earlier.

[Pauld]

Do whatever you gotta do.

[Adam]

It's in the queue now, you should also see the status in your panel.

[Pauld]

Just for future reference. What am I doing wrong? I submit my photos through the "upload your best now" link and they don't go into the approval queue. Is there a different way I should do this in the future?

[JeffJS]

Upload to the exclusive gallery. You won't see the photo until (and if) it is approved. If it is not approved, it will be moved to one of the other galleries. Just for reference, your Aurora shot (if that's yours) is still in the voting que. Once it is approved or rejected, you'll receive an email telling you so along with any comments judges left (if any).