What's the best way to replace a few gifs with custom made png images?

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  • RedHotChili
    Senior Member
    • Dec 2008
    • 399
    • 3.8.x

    What's the best way to replace a few gifs with custom made png images?

    I've created custom images for the status icon images: forum_new.gif and forum_old.gif in png format, and I'm trying to edit the templates that use them.

    Do I use the Find and Replace in Templates feature for this? Or is there a more direct way of doing this?

    TIA
  • veenuisthebest
    Senior Member
    • Mar 2008
    • 589
    • 3.8.x

    #2
    The BEST and EASIEST way to achieve this is to upload your new .PNG files onto the server and simply rename their extension to .GIF from .PNG via FTP client. No template editing or anything required.

    For ex: upload forum_new.png and rename it to forum_new.gif

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    • RedHotChili
      Senior Member
      • Dec 2008
      • 399
      • 3.8.x

      #3
      Originally posted by veenuisthebest
      The BEST and EASIEST way to achieve this is to upload your new .PNG files onto the server and simply rename their extension to .GIF from .PNG via FTP client. No template editing or anything required.

      For ex: upload forum_new.png and rename it to forum_new.gif
      Sounds like you misunderstood me.

      I deliberately created these images in .png format to take advantage of the superiority of this image format over the older .gif format, and wish to keep and use these images in the .png format. Converting them to .gif format defeats the purpose.

      Anyone here from vBulletin support or any other knowledgeable individual willing to help?

      Comment

      • peterska2
        Senior Member
        • Oct 2003
        • 8869
        • 3.7.x

        #4
        What was said in post #2 is correct.

        Or you can spend ages editing lots of templates to use .png and then need to do it again every time you upgrade.

        Comment

        • napy8gen
          Senior Member
          • Jul 2001
          • 525
          • 6.X

          #5
          Originally posted by RedHotChili
          Anyone here from vBulletin support or any other knowledgeable individual willing to help?
          you can use replacement variable.

          style manager> style name> from the All Style Options drop down> replacement variables> [Add New Replacement Variable]

          Search for Text : forum_new.gif

          replace with text: forum_new.png
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          • veenuisthebest
            Senior Member
            • Mar 2008
            • 589
            • 3.8.x

            #6
            Originally posted by RedHotChili
            Sounds like you misunderstood me.
            You did.

            Originally posted by RedHotChili
            Converting them to .gif format defeats the purpose.
            Did I said convert?? Just rename the extension over FTP.

            Comment

            • RedHotChili
              Senior Member
              • Dec 2008
              • 399
              • 3.8.x

              #7
              Originally posted by napy8gen
              you can use replacement variable.

              style manager> style name> from the All Style Options drop down> replacement variables> [Add New Replacement Variable]

              Search for Text : forum_new.gif

              replace with text: forum_new.png
              That's what I was looking for.

              Thank you very much.

              I wasn't sure if this was the best way to do it, but you confirmed it for me.

              Comment

              • RedHotChili
                Senior Member
                • Dec 2008
                • 399
                • 3.8.x

                #8
                Originally posted by veenuisthebest
                Did I said convert?? Just rename the extension over FTP.
                Same difference.

                By renaming the file to have a gif extension I lose the alpha-channel transparency inherent in the png format.

                Comment

                • RedHotChili
                  Senior Member
                  • Dec 2008
                  • 399
                  • 3.8.x

                  #9
                  Originally posted by Kerry-Anne
                  What was said in post #2 is correct.

                  Or you can spend ages editing lots of templates to use .png and then need to do it again every time you upgrade.
                  I only have a few of these special images, which will make it easy during upgrades to edit the templates, as napy8gen demonstrated.
                  Last edited by RedHotChili; Thu 30 Apr '09, 8:10am.

                  Comment

                  • eJM
                    Senior Member
                    • Sep 2004
                    • 916
                    • 3.8.x

                    #10
                    Originally posted by RedHotChili
                    Same difference.

                    By renaming the file to have a gif extension I lose the alpha-channel transparency inherent in the png format.
                    I don't think so. I've done it myself and lost no transparency. The same custom image saved as a GIF looked worse than the PNG image renamed to *.gif. I tried to upload both here to show you the difference, but the system wouldn't let me upload the renamed PNG files because the extension was wrong for the file type.

                    Jim
                    If my post was helpful to you, please take the time to register at my forum and ask a question you've always wanted to know about floors.
                    www.TheFloorPro.com

                    Comment

                    • RedHotChili
                      Senior Member
                      • Dec 2008
                      • 399
                      • 3.8.x

                      #11
                      Originally posted by eJM
                      The same custom image saved as a GIF looked worse than the PNG image renamed to *.gif.
                      Thanks Jim.

                      That's why I didn't want to rename my PNG images, but use them as is. File sizes tend to be smaller with PNG images than with GIF images, another advantage of the newer format.

                      Comment

                      • eJM
                        Senior Member
                        • Sep 2004
                        • 916
                        • 3.8.x

                        #12
                        Originally posted by RedHotChili
                        Thanks Jim.

                        That's why I didn't want to rename my PNG images, but use them as is. File sizes tend to be smaller with PNG images than with GIF images, another advantage of the newer format.
                        I think you misunderstood. You are confusing conversion of file formats with renaming a file. My "GIF" images are actually PNG files. I renamed them to *.gif from their original *.png. This retains the format of the image as a PNG, but still lets me use the default file extension.

                        This forum here at vB.com will not allow the uploading into messages of images with the wrong file extension - it prevents the uploading of viruses and trojan files. It does not have the capacity to determine that I merely changed the file extension. This is why I was not able to upload images for you to compare.

                        Jim
                        If my post was helpful to you, please take the time to register at my forum and ask a question you've always wanted to know about floors.
                        www.TheFloorPro.com

                        Comment

                        • napy8gen
                          Senior Member
                          • Jul 2001
                          • 525
                          • 6.X

                          #13
                          Originally posted by eJM
                          My "GIF" images are actually PNG files. I renamed them to *.gif from their original *.png. This retains the format of the image as a PNG, but still lets me use the default file extension.
                          Jim
                          This is interesting Jim.I don't know they still rendered as PNG if renamed to Gif.
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                          • eJM
                            Senior Member
                            • Sep 2004
                            • 916
                            • 3.8.x

                            #14
                            I believe they do, but I am no graphics expert. I do know that my GIF images didn't look as good as my renamed PNG images.

                            Jim
                            If my post was helpful to you, please take the time to register at my forum and ask a question you've always wanted to know about floors.
                            www.TheFloorPro.com

                            Comment

                            • napy8gen
                              Senior Member
                              • Jul 2001
                              • 525
                              • 6.X

                              #15
                              Originally posted by eJM
                              I believe they do, but I am no graphics expert. I do know that my GIF images didn't look as good as my renamed PNG images.

                              Jim
                              I visited your floorpro forum.
                              Now I believed it. I see the forum_old is gif. But when viewed its property it says type is PNG, and when I saved it, it saved as PNG but it will lose its alpha tranparency and behaved like a gif. But it works. thats the important thing .. so how you renamed it? in the FTP like above post?

                              Originally posted by veenuisthebest
                              The BEST and EASIEST way to achieve this is to upload your new .PNG files onto the server and simply rename their extension to .GIF from .PNG via FTP client. No template editing or anything required.

                              For ex: upload forum_new.png and rename it to forum_new.gif
                              I am not using PNG as it is not good in IE6. Still if using IE6, your forum old look jaggy also your welcome image.But who cares, I think now users with ie6 is not that many.
                              But When I go to this survey statistic , IE6 users are 17% from 1.5 billion users? I think they are still many.
                              Last edited by napy8gen; Thu 30 Apr '09, 9:19pm.
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