You can now upload multiple photos at one time and add captions to photos!
The new, transformed Photo Manager is now available in Listing Load on RMLSweb! Feedback from subscribers in the 2010 Subscriber Satisfaction Survey, as well as other channels, showed a need for RMLS™ to update our photo loading functions. Due to this interest, we have released a new Photo Manager, which enables users to upload multiple photos at one time, add captions to photos, and provides users with added functionality to make uploading and maintaining photos much more efficient.
Here are some exciting things you can do with the new Photo Manager:
Upload multiple photos at one time. When locating photos to upload, you can now select multiple photos and upload them all together. The new photo upload feature also displays thumbnail previews of the photos, as well as status and progress information, so you can track the uploading process. Note: To use this feature, you will need to install the free Microsoft Silverlight plugin on your computer, which can be downloaded here. For users who don’t want to download Silverlight, the previous functionality of uploading photos individually will still be available via a link on the Silverlight installation prompt screen.
Add captions to your photos. You can now add captions and sub-captions to your photos from a list of provided captions. If you don’t see a caption that fits your desired description, please email the desired caption to rules@rmls.com. The captions will only appear within RMLSweb and not in data feeds at this time. Note: you cannot assign a caption to the first photo.
Drag and drop your photos to reorder. The new Photo Manager allows you to drag and drop your photos to reorder them, making it easier than ever to manage all of your photos! To rearrange, simply click on the photo you would like to reorder, and drag that photo to the location you would like it to appear. Once the photos are in the desired order, you must click “Save the Order” before continuing for the changes to be saved. 
Auto resizing. No more stretched photos! One of the reasons the new Photo Manager will be more efficient than ever is that it now resizes photos for you! Silverlight allows you to select any sized photo and will resize it prior to upload. It will resize the photo to the size of 640 x 480. This makes uploading faster! For best results, we recommend using landscape photos. However, the Photo Manager now recognizes the orientation of the photo (whether landscape or portrait) and will now add padding (white space) to portrait photos to make them into a landscape-oriented photo. Therefore, portrait photos are now accepted and will be resized (with padding/white space) to prevent distortion and stretching.
Other highlights:
- Bulk deletion – delete multiple photos at one time!
- List & Preview/Grid View – two viewing options via a dropdown menu!
- New arrow buttons – allows scrolling through photos using a “previous” and “next” method!
- Pop-up Viewer – view and print larger photos!
For more details and information on the Photo Manager, take a look at Document #1726: How to Upload Photos Using Photo Manager. Or, watch our video tutorial: Adding Photos To Your Listing.
If you have any questions or need help with the Photo Manager, feel free to call Help Desk at 503-872-8002 or toll-free at 877-256-2169.
Hello,
I have a 64 bit operating system with Windows Vista. I’m having a problem downloading Silverlight. Apparently it’s not compatable with 64 bit systems. Seem crazy Microsoft does not have a compatable version since they touted 64 bit as the new best thing.
Any comments to get the Silverlight software to work with 64 bit would be most appreciated.
Thanks!
Hi Mike,
Thanks for the feedback. I spoke with our Help Desk Manager who said that Vista 64-bit should have Internet Explorer versions in both 64 and 32 bit. You should try using the 32-bit version of IE with RMLSweb. He said that Silverlight runs great in 32-bit. Here’s how to find the 32-bit version in Vista:
1)Open Explorer (Windows Logo + E)
2)Double click Local Disk (C:)
3)Double click Program Files (x86).
4)If 32-bit Internet Explorer is installed, there will be a folder called Internet Explorer. Double click it. You should see a file
called iexplore.exe. That is 32-bit Internet Explorer.
5) Right click the file, drag it to the desktop, release the right mouse button and select Create Shortcuts Here from the menu. The 64-bit version of Internet Explorer is in the folder Program Files.
If you have any questions or need help with any of these steps, feel free to call Help Desk at 503-872-8002 or toll-free at 877-256-2169. One of the Help Desk staff members can lead you through this process. Thanks!
For the developers to do list re the new photo manager. Just by way of comparison….I loaded 20 pictures in the coast mls is less than 10 minutes today, descriptions and all as that system allows the description to be pulled from the photo file name. It took me over 1 and 1/2 hours to upload 15 photos in the new and improved RMLS system. It would have taken me around 30-40 minutes in the old system between the slow uploads and the need to reorganize by number. For others having problems, I suggest not trying to upload the 16 photos at once; 5 was the max I could do and it took forever…sometimes it would not load even 1. My system locked up 4 times requiring complete closing out of RMLS and starting over. Others have found the same issues as I inquired as to whether I had misunderstood the instructions.
Also, it would be nice if we could see all 16 photos in a screen in order to drag and drop. If the last photo entered is a new 1st photo, you must drag it part-way, stop, grab it again and continue and then continue again. Also, it appears that the system is not smart enough to detect that a duplicate picture is being uploaded and reject it. Because I could not see what I had already uploaded while requesting new photos and because I could not select all 16 at once as promised, I ended up with multiple duplicates. Having to save a rearranged order before deleting a slide seems to be more steps than most photo managers require.
Thanks for the effort as the concept is much appreciated and until the bugs are out, is it possible to use the old system for expediency?
Hi Pat,
Thanks for the wonderful feedback! As always, it’s really appreciated. I’d like to address a couple of your concerns here, because we do have some of the functionality that you are requesting. I think these will help you in your photo uploading. For the other suggestions, I have passed this email on to our Help Desk and our Enhancement Committee.
First, we do have a way for you to view all 16 photos in one screen in order to drag and drop. In the Photo Manager, you’ll see a dropdown menu next to the Upload Photo(s) button at the top that says “List & Preview.” If you click the arrow, you can choose your view to be List & Preview or Grid View. The Grid View allows you to see all photos at once.
You can in fact use the old Photo Manager mechanism to upload photos individually, but to do so you will need to uninstall Silverlight. Once you uninstall Silverlight, you will be given a prompt to install Silverlight when you access the Photo Manager. In this prompt, you will see a link to use the old photo uploading feature.
I like your idea of being able to see the photos that you have already uploaded in order to prevent duplicates. I will pass this along to our Enhancement Committee for review. Thanks!
We’re sorry you are having an issue with your uploading. I am forwarding your concerns on to our Help Desk for them to be in touch with you. I’d like them to learn more about your issue and see if they can help you. In the meantime, we do suggest that if you have large photo file sizes, you can try resizing them to be smaller first in your own photo editing tools before uploading onto RMLSweb.
Thanks for the feedback. As I mentioned before, our Help Desk will be in touch with you to offer their support.
I have tried 3 separate times to use the new and improved photo system … with no success. I do have Vista and I followed the instructions regarding the 32 bit version – I found no difference. When I get to the upload photos I just see a round circle that continues and nothing else ever happens. Yes, I have verified that I have downloaded silverlight and that it is compatible with my system – I have windows internet explorer 8. I look forward to being able to use the new photo system and not have the additional step of resizing every photo prior to loading.
Hi Deborah,
Thanks for your feedback. I am having our Help Desk get in touch with you about this.
As always, if anyone has any questions or needs assistance, please contact our Help Desk at 503-872-8002 or toll-free at 877-256-2169.
Thanks!
I am getting very frustrated with the “new and improved” system featuring Microsoft Silverlight. When I used the Silverlight system for the first time, my photos were reduced in size on the MLS. I prefer the old system which was very quick and efficient and did not distort or reduce my photos. Now when I opt to use the old system in lieu of Silverlight it takes me over an hour to load 8 or 9 photos. Lots of stalls, corrupted files, timeouts, etc. Please GET RID OF SILVERLIGHT! Or at least restore the funcionality of the old photo upload system. It was working fine before. The moment I saw the advance promo. on the RMLS deskstop for Silverlight I cringed, now I know why.
Mike,
Thank you for your feedback. Our Help Desk will be following up with you shortly, to help with any issues you’re having.
Our new Photo Manager will not distort any pictures uploaded. If photos uploaded are smaller than 640 x 480, they will no longer be stretched and distorted to fit that frame; instead, white padding will be added around the photo to maintain the original image size. If the image is larger than 640 x 480, it will be shrunk to fit the frame, with the original aspect ratio maintained. Additionally, photos taken in portrait style will now be given white padding on the sides, to prevent image stretching like we used to see with the old Photo Manager (which means no more distorted bathroom photos!).
If anyone has any questions or is in need of assistance, please do not hesitate to contact our Help Desk at 503-872-8002 or toll-free at 877-256-2169.
Thank you!