Part 2 :Turn Your Grab My Button into a Free BillBoard

In this post you'll learn how to make a " grab my button" image change like a public billboard, using PhotoBucket.com as a resource. The part one post on turning your button into a billboard has tips for

• using size attributes to accommodate different sidebars
• finding out who has grabbed your button
• replacing your image  without affecting blogs that currently display it

A. Replace the entire image on PhotoBucket

Let's use the button from And Twins Make 5 in our first example.

1. Create a new look for your button.

   Original	Winter Time!	Twins Birthday

   Use your regular image handler to make new images. Each must be the same width as the original,  125px in this case to fit as expected on your friends' blogs. The image names must be the same as your current image, so use subfolders on your pc or work with only one image at a time. The same name can be used in multiple PhotoBucket albums, but not in the same album. Hence, next steps.

2. Create a grab button billboard album.

   Go to your Photobutton and find the block on the left side called ALBUMS with a button to 'add a new album'. Key in the name 'Billboard' or anything you choose. Press 'save'.
   
   This is where you'll upload the replacement image.

3. Replace the original image in your grab button.

   Select the Billboard album and upload the twins birthday version, for example. Press 'choose files' to browse for your new image. It on the right side of the screen:
   
   Then go to the album where the original image is. You must be brave and DELETE it. (You do have a copy on your pc, don't you?)
   Press delete...
   Lastly move the new one to the spot where you just deleted the original. Go back to your Billboard album, select new image, click 'MOVE' (instead of edit). A window opens to let you select the album where you just deleted your current image. Move it there!

4. Magic happens on your friends' blogs.

   The grab button image is now restored and works fine without your friends doing anything. The grab button code has not changed. Here's the code:

   <a href="http://andtwinsmake5.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/tt108/andtwinsmake5/twin5-button125.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a>

   Later when you want to change to the 'winter time' image, upload it to the now empty Billboard album (start at  step 3) --- just need to create the new image with the "twin5-button125.jpg" name, like the current one.

B. Modify the image dynamically on PhotoBucket

In this section we see how a little planning can embed a mini-billboard in your image. You can then edit online using PhotoBucket's tools. This a new mini-billboard version of the current BWS button. For a taller bill board, re-compose your image to add height and enough room to hold more of your current logo. Keep the same width if the button has been grabbed already!

1. Upload and Edit the mini-billboard version

   Following step 2 in first section. Select the image and press 'Edit'. Then press 'Decorate' on the toolbar --- you'll get colorful icons representing many ways to edit your image online.
   

2. Let's start with Text. Select one or several options: font type & size, text & background color, etc. Here's what I did with the BWS mini-board. You can adjust the text and drag the text box to fit the white portion.
   or
   Then go to full screen where you can select 'save' (replace the current version if any) or 'save a copy'. For the tutorial I saved copies.

Once you try it out, you can work directly with the primary image each time you want to paste on more billboard 'paper.'

Experiment with the other edit options and leave a comment and pointer to your new billboard!