I've seen discussions of lost pictures here, (for various reasons, ranging from applet or computer crash to moderator deletion), and I thought I should share my methods for avoiding serious problems from this, in case they're of use to anyone else. I've also seen people very upset over having lost their only copy of their work, as a result of someone else's decisions.

So, this post is not here to add fuel to that fire, because potential deletion by the moderators isn't the only reason to save a local copy of your picture. I tend to save screen captures of my own work, in case the applet crashes, or won't save, or I accidentally hit the "Back" button, or somehow manage to close the window, or any of the other many things that can cause a picture to be lost.

These kinds of problems cost me my first several pictures in oekaki format, and I hated having the image lost, and the work "wasted" (though the practise is never wasted, I liked having the picture, too). So, to make sure that I don't lose something I really like, I tend to save screenshots.

I also save screenshots of my work as I go, when I've got a piece to a point where I really like it, even if I'm going to edit it more -- that way, if I screw up the online version in the editing process, I can always finish it up in my graphics editing software.

I even save the layers seperately, capturing one at a time and importing them into the graphics software I use, so that I can reassemble a complex layered image and work with it more, later, in a local version. (In fact, this is one of the ways that I make large high density versions of works originally created in smaller oekaki versions.)

Then, when I'm done with the piece, I save a copy of the final version, so that it isn't lost, should it be deleted by a moderator, or scroll off of the bottom of a revolving board (one which rotates the pictures, each new picture displacing an old one).

Best of all, by saving a screenshot of the picture, I have a copy of the picture that isn't affected by JPG compression, on those sites where images are compressed when they're saved.

I figure, the folks who put up these sites are offering a resource, one which they have a right to run however they see fit -- and if I want to have control over my own images, I need to take responsibility for them, by keeping my own copy.

Clicking the back button should not lose your picture on PaintBBS, Shi-Painter, or Lascaux Sketch. Just click forward again and restore it.

The best way to save an image before a moderator deletes it, is on the submission page. Then you can even delete it if you think it has no chance to survive or make its time.

There is actually a way to save the uncompressed version to your hard disk, but it involves editing the url and changing jpg to png. This can only be done for the latest version, however.

But yes, taking screenshots is a good idea in general.

It may not do that in those applets, but this was back when I first started doing oekaki, and I was using OekakiBBS - which promptly totally lost my picture, and did NOT restore it when I clicked forward to return to the applet window page. <sigh> <wry laugh> So, I started turning off the toolbar buttons on my browser window, when I do oekaki, so I couldn't accidentally click the "Back" button any more.

But it's very nice to know that at least the other applets won't do *that* to me -- instead, I seem to have found new and innovative ways to have problems with each of them. <LOL>

At least they've avoided each other's faults, introducing new and different ones, instead... ...and with Lascaux, at least I have reason to look forward to improvements. Thanks!

ahahaha "Then you can even delete it if you think it has no chance to survive or make its time. XDXD

yeah. saving pics is always a good idea. though. ive never cared *that* much. but hey.

"make its time"? I don't follow you... Would you mind explaining what you mean by that term? I'm confused enough by some of the slang I see here, but this looks like it might affect my ability to draw (or keep what I draw), so it may be something important for me to know. Thanks for any explanation you can offer, and if nothing else, for cluing me in that there's something about which I should try to hunt up more information! :)

And, I know everyone puts a different level of importance on their artwork, but I have trouble sometimes keeping my confidence up, to stick with this, and looking back through my old pictures so I can see my progress is the best thing I've found for giving me the encouragement I need. Besides, I tend to put several hours into everything I create, at the minimum.

move zig.

Okay, now I'm even more confused than ever... <sigh> ...was this supposed to be an answer to my question?

yea i new and i knew that i should save it anywayz

Thats pretty useful. *scribbles it all down* Thanks!!

On Shi-Painter.... If you turn your pc off while your drawing something, it will ask if you want to restore the previous image when you go to draw something else.. I like this feature. My 2 year old has already hit my power button a couple times when I was drawing.. luckily, nothing was lost.

Um, if you turn off your pc, everything is lost. What is more likely is that your computer is going into suspend when the power button is pressed briefly (note that if you hold in the button for a few seconds, it will turn off completely, and you'll lose everything).
However, if you hit suspend, when you restore your comp, everything should open back up just as it was before... (and it should not ask you to restore anything, because the picture will still be open).