# Embedding media (pictures, video clips, etc.) in a post **URL:** \ **Category:** Site Feedback\ **Created:** [July 14, 2025, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embedding-media-pictures-video-clips-etc-in-a-post/1020852 "2025-07-14T14:44:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![psiekier](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psiekier/32/116_2.png) [@psiekier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psiekier)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embedding-media-pictures-video-clips-etc-in-a-post/1020852/1 "2025-07-14T14:44:48Z")
I was thinking there should be a sticky here or an FAQ, but I don’t see it, nor do I see an explanation in the documentation that _is_ here. If I have pictures to embed in a post - even if they’re hosted securely offsite - I get an error message claiming that I’m not allowed to embed them. I thought maybe it was because I was a “Guest”, having let my subscription lapse decades ago, but in the very thread I wanted to post pictures, I see other Guests posting pictures. What gives? How do I unlock this capability? ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embedding-media-pictures-video-clips-etc-in-a-post/1020852/2 "2025-07-14T14:46:33Z")
The option is disabled here. You can paste a link to an external image, but not the image itself. If you post a URL to the image file directly, it will show a preview of that image. ---
**Author:** ![psiekier](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psiekier/32/116_2.png) [@psiekier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psiekier)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embedding-media-pictures-video-clips-etc-in-a-post/1020852/3 "2025-07-14T14:49:15Z")
I’ll be darned! I was over-thinking it. Shows you what I know. Posting a direct link to the image works. Using the IMG tags does not because that function has been explicitly disabled! ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embedding-media-pictures-video-clips-etc-in-a-post/1020852/4 "2025-07-14T15:10:44Z")
For Imgur specifically, note that posting a link to an album produces a squashed preview of the first image in the album. A link directly to that image has a not-squashed preview. Since albums of one pic are commonplace, this merits knowing. Vids are slightly more complicated due to a bug in Discourse. See here for more: > [@How to avoid the YouTube posting bug](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-avoid-the-youtube-posting-bug/1007499/55): > > Like was mentioned elsewhere we’re in the “call for a quote” category of sites so it’s hard to find list prices. I have no idea what we pay for storage, or how the cost scales with usage, but I think it’s safe to assume that Discourse is likely to monetize the heck out of media hosting. I’m simply saying that I find it hard to believe we’re in some vanishingly small minority who forbids images. People here keep saying this makes us some kind of unicorn, that doesn’t pass the sniff test. Simpl… ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embedding-media-pictures-video-clips-etc-in-a-post/1020852/5 "2025-07-14T15:28:56Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > A link directly to that image has a not-squashed preview. Since albums of one pic are commonplace, this merits knowing. I’ve been guilty of this for some time now. I pledge to reform. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embedding-media-pictures-video-clips-etc-in-a-post/1020852/6 "2025-07-14T16:44:11Z")
> [@psiekier](#): > > I was thinking there should be a sticky here or an FAQ, but I don’t see it, nor do I see an explanation in the documentation that _is_ here. Just note that this is the wrong category for that. ATMB is about things like board culture and decision-making. Site Feedback is to talk about board software and how to use it. There is a sticky over there about YouTube video uploads, and some discussion of how to imbed a photo is also talked about, but it’s probably not a bad idea to have a how-to for pictures as its own sticky. It seems like a lot of posters struggle, mostly because they don’t know how to get the address of a picture instead of the web page a picture is posted to. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embedding-media-pictures-video-clips-etc-in-a-post/1020852/7 "2025-07-14T18:38:23Z")
Moved to Site Feedback (from ATMB). ---
**Author:** ![psiekier](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psiekier/32/116_2.png) [@psiekier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psiekier)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embedding-media-pictures-video-clips-etc-in-a-post/1020852/8 "2025-07-15T14:25:07Z")
Thanks, engineer\_comp\_geek. Yes, the solution is to simply paste the URL for the picture itself into the post. The preview window will show you what this will look like. [![](https://u.cubeupload.com/psiekier/JohnnyVenarrovsNecro.jpg) ](https://u.cubeupload.com/psiekier/JohnnyVenarrovsNecro.jpg) The tricky thing is that using the IMG tags _also_ makes the image show up correctly in the preview; it’s not until you try to post that you get the error. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embedding-media-pictures-video-clips-etc-in-a-post/1020852/9 "2025-07-15T14:56:41Z")
> [@psiekier](#): > > Yes, the solution is to simply paste the URL for the picture itself into the post With blank lines above (unless the URL is the first line of the post) and below (unless the URL is the last line of the post). ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embedding-media-pictures-video-clips-etc-in-a-post/1020852/10 "2025-07-15T16:21:18Z")
Here is advice I posted in an older thread: > I usually copy an image then paste the image into my browser’s address bar. That should put the direct link to the image. Then copy that address from the address bar and paste it into Discourse on its own line with no other text with it. That’s my quick and dirty method. > > Note that it’s not a 100% guaranteed method of posting a photo. Sometimes the link is gibberish (especially if it’s directly from a Google search result) or it doesn’t end in an extension that Discourse recognizes as belonging to an image. But it works most of the time. Some images just don’t seem to work so I find something else. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embedding-media-pictures-video-clips-etc-in-a-post/1020852/11 "2025-07-15T18:57:34Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > With blank lines above (unless the URL is the first line of the post) and below (unless the URL is the last line of the post). That’s not needed. But putting the extra blank lines in will always work and as long as you’re happy with the vertical spacing that results, it’s no harm. No extra blank lines between line1 [![](https://u.cubeupload.com/psiekier/JohnnyVenarrovsNecro.jpg) ](https://u.cubeupload.com/psiekier/JohnnyVenarrovsNecro.jpg) and line 2. What I did do is make sure there was a hard [Enter] at the end of line 1, so there’s no confusion between line 1 ending, versus line 1 just happening to word wrap immediately ahead of the url. And a hard [Enter] after the url so the “and line 2” starts a fresh line for sure. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2025, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embedding-media-pictures-video-clips-etc-in-a-post/1020852/12 "2025-07-27T21:09:48Z")
I put my pictures on Imgur. I generate a link, then copy the link into my reply here, but the picture is squished. How do I un squish? [[Album] imgur.com ![](https://i.imgur.com/ucohccM.jpeg?fb "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/a/ETC95iQ) ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2025, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embedding-media-pictures-video-clips-etc-in-a-post/1020852/13 "2025-07-27T21:12:31Z")
Copy the image link. \https://i.imgur.com/ucohccM.jpeg the part with a filename that ends in an image extension, usually. You copied a link to the folder/album. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2025, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embedding-media-pictures-video-clips-etc-in-a-post/1020852/14 "2025-07-27T22:09:49Z")
Open the imgur album. Long-press or otherwise summon the context menu on the image within the album. Choose the menu option that reads “copy image location” and your clipboard should get a URL than ends in a valid image type (“.jpeg” in your case). You can also use an option in that menu to open the image by itself (without the Imgur framing gewgaws) in a new tab and copy its URL out of the tab’s address bar. Paste that URL and Discourse will one-box it correctly. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2025, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embedding-media-pictures-video-clips-etc-in-a-post/1020852/15 "2025-07-28T00:00:36Z")
Nope, there is no option to copy image location. I can copy a link, but that results in a squished picture. There also is no option to open an image by itself in a new tab. I’m trying to do this with the app off an iPad. Maybe that’s the problem. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2025, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embedding-media-pictures-video-clips-etc-in-a-post/1020852/16 "2025-07-28T00:08:27Z")
[![](https://i.ibb.co/WpDg3Y2H/Boop.jpg) ](https://i.ibb.co/WpDg3Y2H/Boop.jpg) Imgur sucks so I moved to Imgbb which actually works! ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2025, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embedding-media-pictures-video-clips-etc-in-a-post/1020852/17 "2025-07-28T00:19:11Z")
> [@peedin](#): > > There also is no option to open an image by itself in a new tab. Right-click on the picture, select “Open image in new tab”, then copy the URL from said new tab. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2025, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embedding-media-pictures-video-clips-etc-in-a-post/1020852/18 "2025-07-28T00:42:07Z")
Not on a mobile device. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2025, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embedding-media-pictures-video-clips-etc-in-a-post/1020852/19 "2025-07-28T00:46:19Z")
[![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/jFCWJ3C.jpeg "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/jFCWJ3C) ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2025, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embedding-media-pictures-video-clips-etc-in-a-post/1020852/20 "2025-07-28T01:05:17Z")
It works fine on my mobile device. [![](https://i.imgur.com/ucohccM.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/ucohccM.jpeg) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embedding-media-pictures-video-clips-etc-in-a-post/1020852.md?page=2)