EAPH is a hosting service designed especially for eBay sellers
EAPH's file management system via iDrive is geared to accommodate auction photos as well as permanent photos and graphics with an interface that displays important information about each file. Everything you need to know is right there including URLs and HTML image tags you may need. Access to the typical functions you would want to perform with files are also present including to the unique editing and optimizing tools provided with EAPH:
Because you are in control over the assignment of folder and file names you are able to create a highly efficient visual organizational system. iDrive's ''All Folders List'', sorted either alphabetically, oldest (files) first, or newest first, zips you straight to the folder you wish to work in:
Great for beginners, iDrive protects you from all the problems sellers typically encounter when using their own photo hosting for eBay via built in safeguards and an extensive warning system. You literally can not make a mistake without having ignored specific advice and warnings appearing on iDrive screens.
Creating multiple versions of your eBay photos fine tuned to their specific purpose greatly increases their effectiveness and display quality...
Optimizing photos for use on eBay or the web is often more than merely reducing their dimensions to a standard size and adding compression to improve loading times. Other editing may also be important and everything that is necessary to be done with a photo should be done in a manner that minimizes visual quality loss.
The EAPH iDrive Photo Optimizing Tools have got you covered. You may Crop, Rotate, Mirror, Resize, Brighten, Soften, add Fuzzy or Beveled Edges, and add a Copyright - all without worry about incidental quality loss because interim versions of the photo being edited are saved in what is called a "lossless" format. Upon completion you are presented with 5 previews of the finished result to choose among each with a different level of compression applied - rather than trust to any formula you may use your eyes to judge the best balance between visual quality and loading speed.
When resizing using iDrive the very best method available is employed...
The Resize tool incorporates use of the Lanczos filter, a superior method by which photos can be reduced in size without sacrificing important detail.
To the left is an example original image that includes both fine lines and rounded edges. To demonstrate the difference in quality that can result using different reduction methods here are 3 samples of that same image reduced to 96 x 96 pixels:
From left to right: The first example is a resize using HTML - I displayed the same original image but instructed via an HTML image tag to display it 96x96 pixels. For the second I created a new version using a Bicubic filter method which produces results similar to what I think of as lazy photo editors. The third is a new version reduced via the Lanczos filter used by iDrive. Notice that the look and feel of the original is best retained in the Lanczos version.
In summary: 1) Create separate versions of your photos to use when they need to be displayed in different sizes -- the resulting quality will be greatly improved. 2) Especially when selling items that gain their appeal based on appearance, it can help a lot to use the right tools to prepare them -- tools such as those built into EAPH hosting.
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Gallery photos are usually very important to an eBay selling effort. See the tutorial Self Hosting eBay Gallery Pictures to learn how EAPH iDrive tools can help you produce versions of your photos that appear extraordinarily well in eBay search results.
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You CAN overcome problems such as your eBay pictures displaying too small, too large, with insufficient detail, or taking too long to load...
Most digital cameras are designed to produce high quality prints which require tremendously more digital information (storage space) than is useful for display on computer screens. In fact, that large amount of storage space (file size) causes photos not only to take a long time to load over the Internet but also appear way too large on computer screens. iDrive gently guides you toward adapting your photos so they are more appropriate for use on eBay or in web pages. You remain completely in control with the option and means by which to reduce them without sacrificing display quality. That process is called "optimizing".
Once you have become familiar with the benefits of optimizing you may take advantage of the option to optimize while uploading. iDrive provides a Java interface that enables drag and drop, copy and paste, and browse to select the files you wish to upload. You may select a number of files or even a folder to upload all at once and include optimizing in the process.
An example of the safeguards built into iDrive with the Java Upload Method is automatic renaming of files when they would otherwise overwrite others already present with the same names.
A separate traditional browse upload method is provided if you wish to specify optimizing on a file by file basis. Immediately following the completion of uploading you are presented with advice regarding the photos and may individually determine which you want to be converted and/or reduced and compressed:
The screen shot above demonstrates the sort of improvement in photo performance on eBay and the web that you can expect as a result of optimizing your photos. Notice that iDrive is only guiding you, not pre-determining what is best for you and your photos. You are always in control.
Link from emails, eBay, or web pages to automatically generated customizable photo albums
Let's say you want to share a group of photos without going to a lot of trouble. With iDrive all you need to do is create a folder, upload new photos into it (or copy from other folders), then email, post, or publish a single URL automatically provided in iDrive for that purpose. Here's an example of what's created for you by default (no settings):
http://samples.eaph3.com/viewalbum.cgi?angelica
(opens in new window)
If you want to share them with a little more style you have the option to add a background, a custom title, a description section, a web page link, and an email link. Here's the working example of the screen shot to the left with those options added:
http://samples.eaph3.com/viewalbum2.cgi?angelica
You will have created a simple web page with very little fuss but with the added convenience that its photo contents are automatically updated simply by adding to or removing photos from the folder.
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Every part of the EAPH service is carefully designed to help eBay sellers and at the heart of that is iDriveTM, a special utility created especially for photo and web page hosting used in conjunction with eBay or other on-line venues. All EAPH features run through web browsers (Internet Explorer or FireFox, PC or MAC) so there is nothing to download or install.
