HELP PAGE

In an effort to make your experience at Big Picture top-notch, we've complied a page of commonly asked questions. Please review the trouble-shooting tips prior to contacting the website administrator.

• Classroom "Login"
• Can't see the new classroom, only a supply list
• Displaying the Wrong Classroom
• Can't see any images/buttons/downloads in the classroom
• Emails
• Gallery (Photo Uploads)
• Posting to the Message Board
• PDF's
• Audio Files
• Slide Show Presentations
• Video Files
• Zip Files
• Other

Classroom "Login"
Q. I'm having trouble logging into my classrooms. It's taking me to a screen that says I'm already logged in.

A. It sounds like you may have forgotten to logout. There should be a button that allows you to "click here" to get into the classrooms. If that doesn't allow you into your classrooms, you'll need to delete your cookies/clear your cache/clear your history. This will give you a fresh start in the system.

Be sure to logout every time you access your account (logout is at the bottom of the blue page). If you continue to have problems accessing the system, try re-setting your password (under "My Account").

If you're still having trouble getting into the system, please click here. Be sure to mention that you have tried the above suggestions & try to be as specific as possible about the problems you are encountering

Can't see the new classroom, only a supply list
Q. My class has started, but all I can see is the supply list - none of the handouts or audio files .

A. It sounds like your browser is caching the old content (before the class started). First, hold down the Shift key on your keyboard, and press the "Reload" icon in your browser (usually under the address bar). Then, clear out any temporary files from your browser including cache, cookies, and other. If that doesn't do it, then try rebooting your computer after that. Lastly, try a different web browser.

If you're using the AOL browser then you probably need to clear the cache out. Try the instructions at http://help.channels.aol.com/kjump.adp?articleId=218737

If you're still having trouble viewing the new classroom, please click here. Be sure to mention that you have tried the above suggestions & try to be as specific as possible about the problems you are encountering

A. If you have more than 1 classroom open at a time, you're likely to experience some file "cross-over". Try deleting your cookies/clearing you cache/clearing your history. In the future, be sure you're only logged into one classroom at a time.

If you're still having trouble viewing the correct classrooms, please click here. Be sure to mention that you have tried the above suggestions & try to be as specific as possible about the problems you're encountering.

A. This is a firewall issue. Your firewall settings won't allow the site to load. You'll need to reconfigure your firewalls to accept our pop-ups, third-party cookies, skyscraper ads, animations, and headers, and it will load the "missing" elements. Since our site has some pretty heavy security measures built around everything from the graphics to the PDFs, it can cause an issue with some firewall software programs.

If you're still having trouble viewing the classroom buttons, images, etc., please click here. Be sure to mention that you have tried the above suggestions & try to be as specific as possible about the problems you're encountering.

Emails
Q. I haven't been getting any of the weekly/daily emails.

A. First off, check your Junk Mail folder; it's possible your email software is sorting our emails into the folder. Also- double-check that your email address under "My Account" is correct. You'll want to add admin@bigpictureclasses.com and any teacher email addresses to your contacts. These emails are always listed in the classroom.

Second, it's possible you unsubscribed from BPC emails. Find an old BPC email, and click on the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom. You'll actually receive instructions on how to resubscribe yourself if this is the case. If you don't have an old email, please click here to resubscribe, and follow the steps provided. PLEASE FILL THIS FORM OUT EVEN IF IT TELLS YOU YOU'RE ALREADY SUBSCRIBED!! You may be subscribed to the main BPC mailing list, but not the one for the class.

If you're still having trouble receiving emails, please click here. Be sure to mention that you have tried the above suggestions & try to be as specific as possible about the problems you're encountering.

Gallery
Q. How Do I Actually Upload Photos to the Gallery?

A.If you go into the Gallery for your particular class, you'll see an "add images" link in the upper right hand corner. When you click on that, you'll be brought to an "add images" screen. Just click on one of the "browse" buttons, locate the image on your computer, and then click the "upload" button. Once you have uploaded the image you can give it a title, description, and select which gallery you would like to feature the image in. Click the "save" button and your image should appear in the gallery.

If you have problems with the upload process,please look here for some common issues that people have.

Q. My photos aren't posting to the Gallery when I try to upload.

A. It could be a number of things. Make sure your images are no larger than 640 x 480. You can download free photo software that will allow you to re-size your images if you're not sure how to do this. One of the software programs other students have used with success is Fast Stone Image Resizer (http://www.faststone.org/). You can also re-size you images online by visiting http://www.picresize.com/.

Please try re-sizing your image, deleting the old one from the gallery & uploading again.

NOTE: Files must be in JPG format in order to upload properly.

Finally, file names cannot contain any spaces or special characters. For example:

If you're still having trouble posting photos, please click here. Be sure to mention that you have tried the above suggestions & try to be as specific as possible about the problems you're encountering.

Posting to the Message Board
Q. How do I post to my classroom message board?

A. To post a brand new message, you actually have to add 2 posts. The first being a new topic, and second being your actual message. Go to the message board for the classroom, click on the "New Topic" button. Think of this as your message subject. Type a quick and small sentence in here as to what your actual message will be about. DO NOT PUT YOUR ENTIRE MESSAGE IN THIS BOX. Writing a small and quick topic sentence will make it much easier to see in the message board list.

Once you've put in a small subject line, press the "add" button. This will then add your new topic to the message board. Now that the topic is listed, you can actually type the question or comment you had. Go back to the message board (you should be there already), click on your message in the list, and then click on the "New Post" button. Write what you want, and press the "Add" button when you're done, and this will add your message to your topic.

If you're still having trouble posting messages, please click here. Be sure to mention that you have tried the above suggestions & try to be as specific as possible about the problems you're encountering.

A. Are you using the latest version of Acrobat Reader (Version 7.0)?
This can be downloaded for FREE at www.adobe.com. Once you've installed the software, you'll need to reboot your computer before the software will function properly.

I've downloaded the latest version of Acrobat, and still am having problems viewing the files. What next?
Instead of clicking on the link, put your mouse over the link and "Right" click. A menu should pop out to the side. Select "Save Target As" and select your desktop (or anywhere else on your hard drive). Once the file has downloaded, open up the Acrobat program & find the file on your hard drive.

Tried that, still doesn't work. What next?
See if you can open any PDF files. To test this, try clicking on the this link: http://www.creatingkeepsakes.com/images/stories/magazines/simple_scrapbooks/MarApr2009/LFEA_JF09.pdf

Can you view this PDF, and just not Big Picture PDF's? Please click the link below.

Can't view anything? You'll want to re-install Acrobat Reader. Try removing the old version first by Uninstalling, then downloading & installing the new version.

If you get an error message from Adobe Acrobat saying The file is damaged and could not be opened, or Expected a dict. object, or your browser hangs and the PDF does not open:

In Adobe Acrobat disable the fast view, and Display PDF in browser options.

1. Close your browser.
2. Open Adobe Reader.
3. Go to the Edit menu and select Preferences
4. In the left column select Internet
5. Uncheck Allow fast web view
6. Uncheck Display PDF in browser
7. Click OK, and try again

The PDFs will display in a separate window rather than in your browser window.

If you're still having trouble viewing the PDF files, please click here. Be sure to mention that you have tried the above suggestions & try to be as specific as possible about the problems you're encountering.

Audio Files
Q. I can't listen to the audio.

A. We created our audio section with 3 different options. The first is streaming audio, which uses your computer's existing media player. Just turn your speakers up, and this should play right from your browser. In the event that you can't hear the streaming file, you can download the audio file. Files will come through as "ZIP" documents, which will need to be uncompressed before you can listen to them. You can download free software to unzip files. Audio transcripts are also included for all of the classrooms.

If you're still having trouble listening to the audio files, please click here. Be sure to mention that you have tried the above suggestions & try to be as specific as possible about the problems you're encountering.

Slide Show Presentations
Q. I'm having problems viewing the slide show in the classroom.

A. You'll want to make sure you have the latest version of Flash installed to view the presentation.

If the slide show is slow to load, or hangs up during the presentation, we recommend pausing the slide show and allowing the presentation to load. The presentation includes a full set of navigation buttons at the bottom of the screen, including the ability to pause, play, skip forward and back, adjust the volume levels and mute.

The slide show also includes a progress bar that let's you know what slide you are currently viewing, how long the slide is, and how far along you are in viewing the current slide.

Note that these are slides, not movies, so it may look as though you're stuck on the title screen, but you're really not. Just look at the progress bar, and you can see what's happening.


Q. Can I download the slide show and save it to my computer?

A. The slide shows require a browser to function properly, and therefore can not be saved on to your computer. If you have concerns about viewing the activity after class has finished, no need to worry. The classroom will remain open for awhile after class has finished, and you can always request an access pass if you need to view the files after class has closed.

Video Files
Q: How long does it take to download a video?

A: That depends on the file size, and your connection speed. Here's a comparison chart to give you an idea of what to expect:

For more information on download times, click here.

Q. I'm having problems playing the video in the classroom / the video plays but I only get the audio.

A. Download and install the latest version of Quicktime from http://www.apple.com/quicktime. Before you install it, make sure you quit your web browser so any updated plugins can get installed as well. If you're still having problems with the video after that, then save it to your computer instead. In order to do this, instead of clicking on the video in the classroom to play it, right-click on the video, choose "save target as" (or something similar) and save it to your hard drive. Double-click on the video you just saved on your computer, and it should open up and play using Quicktime Player.

Q: When I play the video, the audio skips at times, or it seems to hang up.

A. Try pausing the video and allowing it to load prior to viewing. This will ensure smoother playback.

ZIP Files
Q. I just downloaded a "zip" file from the classroom. What is it, and how do I open it?

A. The ZIP file format is used for data compression. A ZIP file contains one or more files that have been compressed to reduce their file size. To open the file and access the materials (videos, audios, templates, etc), you will need to "unzip" the file. You can download free software to unzip files, however most computers have the ability to unzip the files without any additional software installation.

If you're having trouble unzipping files, please click here. Please be as specific as possible about the problems you're encountering.

Other
If your having any other trouble with the site, please contact our website administrator.

Big Picture Scrapbooking, Inc
PO Box 279
Greenacres, WA 99016-0279