WPS Uses DiCentra.
Thanks to some excellent work by Dave Lally, you won’t have to worry about preparing your PDI files in “DiCentra” format. The entry form, which now handles both PDI and Print competition entries, is visible on the Internal Competitions sub-menu when logged in, includes a check routine for:
- Image type, (ONLY jpeg)
- File size, (no greater than 4mb)
- Image dimensions, (max 1600px wide by 1200px high)
- The correct colour space (ONLY sRGB).
Another change is to introduce check boxes per image for Press / Website / Social Media and External Competition use. These permissions stay with each file to make it much easier to identify photographs that cannot be used for those specific purposes.
IMPORTANT – It will still be necessary to get the title element of your PDI files correct. The easiest way to rename a file in a Windows environment is to left-click once on the file, whether it is in a list, detail or icon view and then press F2 on your keyboard. The existing filename will be highlighted and you simply enter the name as you want it to appear on the screen. Spaces between words please, and you may use any character OTHER THAN THE UNDERSCORE because this is used in DiCentra to separate the various parts of the whole filename. PLEASE NOTE – PC users cannot use any “Illegal Character” in a filename. These are / \ : * ? < > ” | MAC Users have the ability to use the “?” character BUT this will cause a problem when the file is uploaded as it is recognised as an illegal character and is replaced by an underscore “_” which is used by DiCentra to separate each field in the file name. For MAC users only – DON’T make your filename a question!
If you want to call your entry, “Under the moonlit sky” and the filename is, for example, _IMG_1234.jpg, replace the “_IMG_1234” with, for example, “Under the moonlit sky”. N.B. Image titles must not include the entrant’s name – either in part or whole.
When you submit your PDI entries, you MUST enter your name as you want it to appear on screen together with your distinctions if you have them. Then select the PDI Competition and class – the upload form does the magic and creates the filename needed for DiCentra. For Print entries, the process is the same but the uploaded images will only be used for website etc., dependent on the permissions but the requirements are still the same.
You will receive an email confirming your entry but this may take up to 30 minutes to process so please be patient. There will be a confirmation of a successful upload at the foot of the page. If, by whatever reason, the upload fails, and here it must be stressed that the only checks are for the file type – jpeg and maximum file size, no greater than 4mb, please inform Dave Lally (Email address on Committee Contact Details when logged in). Every entry will be logged, including ones that fail so we’ll have a history check if things do go awry.
Tony Charters & Dave Lally.