How to Add Images to the AC Photo Library Without Publishing Content

Are you interested in storing images on AC for future use on articles or in sharing your photos with the AC Community? The AC Photo Upload Tool makes those options possible and simple. Here's how to upload images to AC if you aren't in the process of submitting an article or slideshow.

Where is the Photo Upload Tool and Image Library?
To find the photo upload tool, be sure you are logged in to your AC account. From your account page, click on your content tab. Then, click on the "image" tab. This will bring up the photo upload tool, which is also the AC Image Library.

Choosing Photos to Upload
When deciding which photos to upload, the first thing you need to do is be sure they follow AC's image submission guidelines. At the present time, photos you take yourself fall within usage rights, as will certain photos from certain websites. Not all free use photos can be used on AC. Always be sure to check what the image guidelines currently state. Another thing to consider is whether the photo would be good to attach to an article. Images should be clear and reflect topics you or someone else might look for to accent articles. Objects, symbols, as well as pictures that set a scene or tell a story are good for this.

Uploading a Photo
Once you are in the photo upload tool, click on "upload." It's in small text over to the right at the top of the tool. This will take you to the upload page. Click on the "browse" button to choose a picture that is saved to your computer. Double-click the image to add it. Next, add the credit and copyright information. Then, fill in a description for the photo as well as search tags. Search tags are especially important if you are adding the image to the public gallery. Next, check off whether you'd like to add these to the public gallery or not. If you choose no, they will only be added to your gallery. At this point, the image will show at the top of the screen. You can then proceed to repeat the process for more images if you wish. When you are done, you can go back and view them in the photo upload tool or go about your other business.

Can I Change the Info on My Uploaded Photos?
Yes, the information on photos that you have uploaded can be changed. As long as you are the person that uploaded the photo, you can always do this. This can come in handy if you have made typos, want to remove the image from the public gallery, add it to the public gallery, or if you have changed your AC pen name and would like your photos to reflect the new name. To change info on your photos, go to the photo upload tool and click each photo in your gallery one at a time. Info will appear at the bottom. This information can be edited. It saves automatically. There is no save button.

How Can These Images Be Added to Articles Later?
To add images in the AC Image Gallery to your article, simply go through the article submission process as you normally would. When you get to the photo section, simply click on the image or images that you wish to display on your article. They will appear at the to[p of the screen and can be dragged and dropped to change order. If you change your mind on any, delete them by clicking the red arrow. AC currently has a limit of 5 images per article. There is no limit on the number of images in a slideshow, however. To add images from the public gallery, it's the same process, except that you need to click on the public gallery folder located on the left side of the screen.

Can People Find These Images?
The answer to this depends on how you upload and use the images. If you choose yes when asked to add the images to the public gallery, they are searchable by AC Contributors and also might be found on Google. If you select no and have not added a photo to an article, it will only appear in your AC gallery. If you do add it to an article, but have chosen not to share it in the public gallery, it may still show up on Google, but this is true of any photo published on any live website. If you don't want people to find an image, your best bet is not to put it on any website.

Can I Delete Images From the AC Library?
You can remove images from a submitted article or a published display only article at any time. You also may remove images from any slideshow. Just go into the edit screen on the photo upload tool page and click the red arrow to delete. You may not remove images from published articles that are work for hire, exclusive or non-exclusive. Images cannot be completely removed from the library, except by AC staff. However, as mentioned above, you can remove an image from the public gallery.