This article provides step by step instructions for how to upload pictures from your computer directly into your community contributions.

It also shows how to add YouTube videos that can be viewed directly in your contributions.

How to Upload Pictures Directly into Posts and Articles

Most community members know that they can add photo links when editing their forum posts and articles. This is done by pasting a photo's internet URL address into the Insert/edit Image dialog.

What many contributors do not know is that you can upload pictures directly from your computer and have them appear in community contributions. That means you do not have to use a photo hosting service to share your pictures with the community.

Here is how it is done.

First, in the post edit area, click on the Tree icon to get the Image Insert/edit dialog.

Note that there is a Browse icon to your right of the Image URL field.

When you click on that Browse Icon, you will get the Image Upload dialog.

Note that I already have a previously uploaded picture in the screen capture of the dialog. Once you upload a picture, it is associated with the thread, blog, or article you are updating. The next time you open the Image Upload dialog, you will see the pictures that were previously uploaded.

When you click on the Browse button on the Image Upload dialog, you will get your computer drive File Upload dialog. This is my XP dialog, with display set to Thumbnails, so that I can easily identify the photos. Navigate through your computer directories to find the picture you want to share.

When you double click on a picture in your computer files dialog, the location of that file will be filled in on the Image Upload dialog's file name field. Press the Upload button to pull it from your computer drive into your community upload area.

Finally, click on one of the uploaded file icons, which will prefill the URL field of the original Image Insert/Edit Dialog with the address of the picture in the upload area.

Click on Insert on that Image Insert/Edit dialog to paste the picture directly into the post. I've done that multiple times for this post to insert these screen captures into the thread.

How to Insert YouTube Videos Directly into a Forum Post

Another way to add some graphics to your contributions is to insert a YouTube video directly into your forum posts or articles. To do that, follow these steps.

First, find a YouTube Video you want to share with the community.

You will need to save the URL address of the video for later use. Mouse Copying and Pasting can handle that nicely.

Next, start editing you community post and click on the YouTube Icon in the Post Edit dialog.

Paste or type that YouTube URL you saved earlier.

When you click on the Insert button, a placeholder for the Video will be placed directly in the post you are editing.

When you Post your contribution, the video will appear directly in the post, like the one here.