nic
04/25/16 09:52 AM
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Hello everyone!
I've just released a new look for the site -- the last time VGT had a visual refresh was over two years ago. The latest design is another evolution, but it also brings with it some pretty sweet visual updates and usability features.
Here are the major changes:
1) Open Sans 14pt is the new font! This font is larger than the old one (Verdana 11pt), and I find it a lot easier to read. Open Sans is a rather popular "modern" font right now -- you've probably seen it on other sites. I'm hoping it's not too controversial, but I know everyone has their personal font preferences. Would love to see what everyone thinks about the larger size.
2) The entire site has been updated to be responsive. This means whether you're viewing it on a desktop, tablet or mobile phone, it should be readable and easy to use. On the smaller-width screens (e.g. phones), the site starts "collapsing" things such as the menus. I've spent a lot of time testing every page on a ton of different screen resolutions, but there's bound to be some layout problems, so if you see anything funky, let me know.
3) Thumbnails should now be uploaded at 500x500 px. This enables the Info page to show larger thumbnails if both thumbnails are big like this: http://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/the-kardashian-jenner-house/
4) Yahoo has been removed completely from the site.
5) In the search bar, you now get autocomplete for places (cities, states and countries).
6) There's a new site logo.
7) New icons that also look good on Retina displays. I'm using flat icons from flaticon.com.
8) From a performance point of view, I've made several perf improvements so the site loads faster.
I'm sure there will be a few bugs from this update. When you see things, please post here.
Thanks!
Edited by nic (04/25/16 10:22 AM)
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chaswatson
04/25/16 10:16 AM
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I like the new logo but am still thinking about the new layout but I am sure I will get to love it.
One problem I did have was creating a new map. I used a 150 x 150 px thumbnail which was rejected and was told that 500 x 500 px is needed. Tried one that size and it worked fine but you may need to rethink "Thumbnails are now accepted up to 500x500 px." in your message above.
Cheers.
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nic
04/25/16 10:22 AM
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Thanks @chaswatson. I realize design changes can be dramatic and it might take a while for you to get used to it. I hope that after you're used to it, you'll enjoy it 
You're correct, for now we're requiring all thumbnails to be 500x500 instead of 150x150. I'm hoping that won't be an issue for anyone -- the larger thumbnails really look better.
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Fab
04/26/16 12:47 AM
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Some maps don't work. There is the 500 error.
Two examples:
http://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/an-2r-4/
http://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/dusty-rose-lake/
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nic
04/26/16 12:25 PM
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I think these are fixed now, can you verify?
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Fab
04/26/16 12:35 PM
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After clicking on thumbnails.
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nic
04/26/16 03:03 PM
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@Fab: Thanks! I can't reproduce it on my own, but I see the error in my log and was able to fix a related issue. Can you try one more time please and let me know? Thank you.
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Fab
04/27/16 12:14 AM
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Fixed, thank you.
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jdubble07
04/28/16 08:55 AM
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In the meantime while the AutoSubmitter issue is being fixed, are there any suggested programs or sites that convert thumbs to 500x500 that are recommended? The ones I've used in the past seem to have a max of 450x450.
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nic
04/28/16 12:14 PM
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@jdubble07: What apps are you using right now?
On Windows, I often take a Print-Screen screenshot and paste into the Paint.net app, where I can trim it to 500x500px.
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jdubble07
04/28/16 02:10 PM
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I found resizenow.com which is pretty simple and seem to have worked for the maps I submitted today.
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gordonhigh
04/28/16 08:32 PM
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Try resizepic.com. It's the simplest and easiest one I've encountered so far.
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jbottero
04/30/16 07:26 PM
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Woo ho! Especially for the 500px thumb size. But is that a *requirement* or an *option*?
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jbottero
04/30/16 07:33 PM
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Folks,
The "Auto Submit" function is nice, though I have never used it, but let's be honest: If you are on windows, Paint and several *free* "open source" programs exist that are easy to use for thumbnails, if you don't have the cash-ola for PhotoShop.
If you are on Linux, GIMP is workable, though from a professional standpoint, no even in the same ball park as PhotoShop.
Really, making thumbs is a non-existent issue.
- Jake
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nic
04/30/16 08:40 PM
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We've decided to make 500px a requirement for now, unless it becomes a burden. Please let us know if 500px doesn't work for some reason!
I just really love seeing the larger size thumbnails for new maps now.
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milwhcky
04/30/16 11:20 PM
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I'll vouch for Paint.NET. It works very well for thumbnails and gives you photo editing features. It's free to download at getpaint.net (not the URL "paint.net").
I used it for thumbnails and photo editing for a long time until I got a basic-level version of Photoshop for Xmas a few years ago.
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jdubble07
05/02/16 09:04 PM
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For those of us who use the AutoSubmitter, are there plans to update it with the new requirements so that it auto-sizes the thumbs as it used to?
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nic
05/03/16 08:31 PM
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@jdubble07: Yep, I'm working on fixing it so it ensures you have at least 500x500 thumbs.
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