A friend, Anita Hartman contacted me this morning asking,
“Is there a photo program that allows for a rotating photo gallery and easy interface with Word Press that you like to use?”
As I was pondering how to respond, it occurred to me to write a post and share the information here. There are several methods for inserting a rotating image on your blog. Some are simpler to use than others. WordPress has plugins to accomplish this. My current favorite is the WP-Cycle by Nathan Rice.
Upon installing WP-Cycle a link is added under the Media section of your navigation bar. This is where you upload your images, in the order you wish for them to appear. (note: the order can’t be changed later). If you like, you can also link the images to a url within your blog. Images settings allow for you to determine various transitions, timing and effects. You can also determine the size. The image can be larger than the size you set in settings, but it cannot be smaller, not even 1-pixel smaller! (Ask me how I know!)
I like this plugin, because I can begin with as few as two photos and add more later. To place the images in your blog you use the short code [ wp_cycle ] (without the spaces inside of the brackets. On my blog at Denver Dwellingsyou can see an example of the WP-Cycle plugin on the side bar. If you want the rotating images to remain at the top of your blog stream, you can insert the short code on a “”post” and then click “sticky” under “visibility” found on the right side of your editor in the Publish Section. WP-Cycle can only be used once on your blog.
NextGen Gallery Plugin
Another plugin I have used is the NextGen Gallery plugin by Alex Rabe. This plugin can handle multiple galleries and also requires an additional plugin from JW Image Rotator by Jeroen Wijering for the rotating images function to work.
Need Multiple Slide Shows on your Blog?
I have found the easiest way to do a slideshow on a blog post is to use Picassa which is a Google product, offered to anyone who has a Gmail account. Picassa can be found by logging into your Gmail account. Go to “More” than “Even More” scroll until you find Picassa Web Albums.
You will need to upload your images from your hard drive to a “Gallery” on Picassa. Once your pictures are placed in a Gallery, you can create a slideshow, grab the code to embed on your blog.
Watch this screencast, demonstrating how to Embed a Rotating Slide show using Picassa.
Here’s what an embedded slide show from Picassa looks like when complete.
Using this method with Picassa, you can easily create multiple slide shows throughout your blog. The workflow of getting the images to Picassa is easy. You can upload images directly to Picassa from your hard drive, or by sending them from your Google Plus app on a smart phone. Once the images are uploaded, create an album, label each one and go grab the code! (watch the screencast). If later you want to add more photos, just add them to the album in Picassa. They will automatically show up on your post.
Seasoned bloggers or those who are just beginning will find this resource worth it's weight in gold!