What images can I send?
All digital images of moths taken in VC55 are welcomed. Preferably these should be of species, forms or life-stages (including leaf-mines etc) not presently featured, although good images of species already featured are also appreciated. Images of genitalia preparations are also acceptable, but images of set specimens will only be used where there is no alternative image, or where an important identification feature is more clearly illustrated.

What format can I send?
Many digital stills cameras are now capable of producing images that are very large in pixel and file size. Whilst this is ideal for publishing or high-resolution printing, they are far too big for utilising on a website. It is therefore necessary to reduce the file size and resolution; images should be submitted in either of the following formats:

• raw file for editing: cropped and resized to 600x450 or 338x450 pixels and saved as a .jpg file at medium-high quality. The image should be 'as-captured', i.e. without any software enhancement (level/colour correction, sharpening). The file size should be no greater than 200Kb. Standard image-editing software packages as supplied with digital cameras should be capable of this.
• web-ready: enhanced, cropped and resized to 333x250 or 188x250 pixels and saved as a web-optimised .jpg file at medium-high quality. The file size should be no greater than 45Kb. A comprehensive image-editing software package, such as Adobe Photoshop, is necessary for completing this.

Note that web-optimising is not the same as saving the image as a low quality .jpg file. A file saved 'normally' will be obviously inferior to one optimised with the same, or even lower, file size. The following images are differently saved versions of the same base image:

Software enhancements should be kept to a minimum; do not expect miracles - these cannot compensate for a poorly executed original image. Slight sharpening (ideally using an 'unsharpen mask') can help to make an image crisper, but cannot bring an entirely out-of-focus image into focus! Similarly, level and colour adjustments cannot fully correct a completely under or over-exposed photograph.

How can I submit images?
Image files can be submitted via e-mail, but please limit e-mail file sizes to 1Mb maximum.

Image file names should clearly indicate the species, site and date of capture (not date of photography), and photographer's initials. A suggested format is species_sitedate_initials.jpg, e.g. brindledpug_pickworthgreatwood190305_mps.jpg (Brindled Pug taken at Pickworth Great Wood on 19th March 2005, photographed by Mark Skevington).