Help
Contact Us
Visions of Victoria welcomes any comments, concerns or appraisals.
About Visions of Victoria
Overview about this website, its collections and more.
Registration
How to register to access Restricted imagery.
Searching for Imagery
Detailed information about searching for imagery online.
Mini Collections
Information about imagery in Mini Collections and how to purchase them.
How to order
How to order imagery using the Shopping Basket.
Lightbox
How to use Lightboxes to form, organise, store and share your personalised collections of imagery.
Previous Purchases
Instructions on how to access your previous purchases.
Technical Help
Information about cookies, downloadable files, the plug-ins needed to interact with the website and the software required to view the files.
Registration
If you wish to access images that are classified as 'Restricted' you must complete the Registration form found on the Homepage. Your details will be sent to the Library Administrator for assessment. If you meet the criteria (see User Type Definitions under 'Useful Info') and your application is successful, you will be emailed a username and password so that you can login. The Login is located on the Homepage.
Searching for Imagery
Once you have logged in, you will be taken to the Search page. You can also go to the Search page from the top navigation bar of any page. A search can be conducted in a number of ways:
Quick Search
In the "Look for:" field, type the name of the item you are looking for, an adjective that describes its characteristics, or a word that describes your concept. Then press your computer's Enter key or the on-screen "Search" button. If you select "these words" it will return images related to the exact words you entered. If you select "similar words" it will look for words that contain related variations of your search term. The search engine is not case sensitive so it does not matter if you use caps or lowercase, or any combination of these.
You can click on a region on the map to show all images in that region.
Advanced Search
You can search for imagery by "Region". This option will only display imagery that is classified by the region you have selected. You can further refine your search by selecting a "Category" from the drop-down box. To obtain a specific result you can select one or more, or "All Keywords" associated with the Category you have selected. Every image in the Library has been assigned a selection of category/keyword pairs from these lists, which means you will always obtain a search result. You can combine your search and select a Region together with a Category and Keywords to obtain the best search results.
Search Results
Your search results will be displayed as small thumbnails. By default the display will show 15 images per page but you can alter this by selecting 10, 30 or 60 from the search display menu in the top right corner.
You can also choose larger thumbnails by selecting "Large" in the search display menu.
Beneath each thumbnail are three icons:
links to the Information page about the item
will add the item to your lightbox
will add the item to your basket
Mini Collections
A selection of the "best" copyright free images can be found on the Homepage for easy access. These images are grouped into "collections" and represent various themes. You do not need a username and password to view the collections.
How to order
Add imagery to Shopping Basket
If you would like to purchase imagery, you must add the item to your Shopping Basket. You can do this directly from the "Search Results" page or from the "Image Detail" page.
It is here that you must select the delivery format you require (only the available formats are displayed): Low Resolution Download (50kb - 100kb approx file size), High Resolution Download (5mb - 20mb approx file size), CD Rom (50mb - 100mb approx file size), A1 Poster print, A2 Poster print, Postcard print and Video. (see Useful Info for dimensions and formats)
Shopping Basket
The Shopping Basket contains a summary of the imagery you have selected to purchase. You can remove an item from your Shopping Basket at any time. To proceed with the purchase of imagery you must agree to the Visions of Victoria Terms and Conditions. You must 'select' the box next to the statement of every image you wish to purchase and "Place order". Please note, if there are any restrictions on any of the imagery you have selected, the request will be sent to the Library Administrator for approval. You will be notified by email if your request has been approved, and given a web address link that will take you to a page where you can resume your order.
Place Order
This page contains a summary of the images you have requested for purchase together with costs. If you have requested an image that must be approved by the Library Administrator the image will be flagged with a yellow triangular symbol. Additional information about how you intend to use the imagery, and alternate delivery details (optional) is requested here. Click "Continue" to finalise your order. You will be taken to the CommSecure e-commerce payment facility to pay for the imagery by creditcard. If you have been allocated a discount you may not be required to pay, and as such you will proceed to an online "Order Summary" page. If you have selected a download for your delivery format you will be able to download your imagery from here. If you have selected an alternative delivery format, your order will be delivered to you in accordance with the delivery instructions you have requested.
Lightbox
The Lightbox Function allows you to create your own mini collections. Lightboxes allow you to manage your imagery before you decide to purchase. You can organise your selections into groups (Lightboxes) and give each Lightbox a name. You can create multiple Lightboxes and add or remove imagery from each collection. Each Lightbox can be emailed to others for review. The recipients will not need a username and password to access the Lightbox. When you are satisfied with your collection you can add the imagery to your Shopping Basket for purchase.
Previous purchases
Once your order is complete, the details of your purchase(s) can be found in the "Previous Purchases" page from the top navigation bar of any page. If you have selected a download delivery format, the digital files are available to download from here for the next 48 hours. This is in case you lose a file or your connection failed during the download.
Technical help
Cookies
Cookies are small amounts of information stored on your computer by Internet sites you visit.
You must choose to accept the cookie when prompted, in order to log in to this site.
Please log in to the site again after changing the cookie setting.
How to setup cookies for MS Internet Explorer™
How to Download a digital Image file
You will require special software to view the downloaded files.
The materials available to download have been converted to a digital file. In order to minimise the time it would take to download a large digital file, the images have been compressed to a JPEG format.
If you are having problems downloading please check with your administrator to see if there are download restrictions in place with your network or ISP before contacting Technical Help tech-visionsofvictoria@me.com.au.
Using Zip, a public domain software product that uses non-lossy compression, the images are compressed so that they can be downloaded directly to your desktop in less time.
You will require software to unzip (expand) the images you have downloaded from the site. Using WinZip™ or StuffIt Expander™ you can expand the file back to its original file size. If you don't have WinZip or StuffIt Expander™ you can download the software from the Internet for free.
Click here to download WinZip™ for Windows™.
Click here to download StuffIt Expander™
How to expand a compressed file using WinZip:
How to preview and download a digital video file
Videos include a short preview movie that can be viewed directly from your browser. Simply click on the preview image to begin playing. This requires a QuickTime plugin.
Click here to download QuickTime.
Videos can be ordered simply by adding them to your basket and placing your order as described above.
Latest Browsers
Some areas of this site may not display correctly on older versions of your browser. You can get the latest version of popular browsers here:
Click here to download Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.
Click here to download Netscape 6.
Click here to download Firefox
For all technical enquiries please email: tech-visionsofvictoria@me.com.au
Printing
If your printer clips the side of the page when printing from this site (eg lightboxes) try one of the following:
* in Page Set Up, set margins to zero or the smallest size allowed
* in Page Set Up, choose landscape instead of portrait
* in Page Set Up, choose "shrink to fit" if that option is available. or, if the above techniques do not help,
* copy the web page (Control-A then Control-C) and paste it (Control-V) into Outlook or Outlook Express, Save the email and Print the email.
Visions of Victoria welcomes any comments, concerns or appraisals.
About Visions of Victoria
Overview about this website, its collections and more.
Registration
How to register to access Restricted imagery.
Searching for Imagery
Detailed information about searching for imagery online.
Mini Collections
Information about imagery in Mini Collections and how to purchase them.
How to order
How to order imagery using the Shopping Basket.
Lightbox
How to use Lightboxes to form, organise, store and share your personalised collections of imagery.
Previous Purchases
Instructions on how to access your previous purchases.
Technical Help
Information about cookies, downloadable files, the plug-ins needed to interact with the website and the software required to view the files.
Registration
If you wish to access images that are classified as 'Restricted' you must complete the Registration form found on the Homepage. Your details will be sent to the Library Administrator for assessment. If you meet the criteria (see User Type Definitions under 'Useful Info') and your application is successful, you will be emailed a username and password so that you can login. The Login is located on the Homepage.
Searching for Imagery
Once you have logged in, you will be taken to the Search page. You can also go to the Search page from the top navigation bar of any page. A search can be conducted in a number of ways:
Quick Search
In the "Look for:" field, type the name of the item you are looking for, an adjective that describes its characteristics, or a word that describes your concept. Then press your computer's Enter key or the on-screen "Search" button. If you select "these words" it will return images related to the exact words you entered. If you select "similar words" it will look for words that contain related variations of your search term. The search engine is not case sensitive so it does not matter if you use caps or lowercase, or any combination of these.
You can click on a region on the map to show all images in that region.
Advanced Search
You can search for imagery by "Region". This option will only display imagery that is classified by the region you have selected. You can further refine your search by selecting a "Category" from the drop-down box. To obtain a specific result you can select one or more, or "All Keywords" associated with the Category you have selected. Every image in the Library has been assigned a selection of category/keyword pairs from these lists, which means you will always obtain a search result. You can combine your search and select a Region together with a Category and Keywords to obtain the best search results.
Search Results
Your search results will be displayed as small thumbnails. By default the display will show 15 images per page but you can alter this by selecting 10, 30 or 60 from the search display menu in the top right corner.
You can also choose larger thumbnails by selecting "Large" in the search display menu.
Beneath each thumbnail are three icons:
links to the Information page about the item will add the item to your lightbox will add the item to your basketMini Collections
A selection of the "best" copyright free images can be found on the Homepage for easy access. These images are grouped into "collections" and represent various themes. You do not need a username and password to view the collections.
How to order
Add imagery to Shopping Basket
If you would like to purchase imagery, you must add the item to your Shopping Basket. You can do this directly from the "Search Results" page or from the "Image Detail" page.
It is here that you must select the delivery format you require (only the available formats are displayed): Low Resolution Download (50kb - 100kb approx file size), High Resolution Download (5mb - 20mb approx file size), CD Rom (50mb - 100mb approx file size), A1 Poster print, A2 Poster print, Postcard print and Video. (see Useful Info for dimensions and formats)
Shopping Basket
The Shopping Basket contains a summary of the imagery you have selected to purchase. You can remove an item from your Shopping Basket at any time. To proceed with the purchase of imagery you must agree to the Visions of Victoria Terms and Conditions. You must 'select' the box next to the statement of every image you wish to purchase and "Place order". Please note, if there are any restrictions on any of the imagery you have selected, the request will be sent to the Library Administrator for approval. You will be notified by email if your request has been approved, and given a web address link that will take you to a page where you can resume your order.
Place Order
This page contains a summary of the images you have requested for purchase together with costs. If you have requested an image that must be approved by the Library Administrator the image will be flagged with a yellow triangular symbol. Additional information about how you intend to use the imagery, and alternate delivery details (optional) is requested here. Click "Continue" to finalise your order. You will be taken to the CommSecure e-commerce payment facility to pay for the imagery by creditcard. If you have been allocated a discount you may not be required to pay, and as such you will proceed to an online "Order Summary" page. If you have selected a download for your delivery format you will be able to download your imagery from here. If you have selected an alternative delivery format, your order will be delivered to you in accordance with the delivery instructions you have requested.
Lightbox
The Lightbox Function allows you to create your own mini collections. Lightboxes allow you to manage your imagery before you decide to purchase. You can organise your selections into groups (Lightboxes) and give each Lightbox a name. You can create multiple Lightboxes and add or remove imagery from each collection. Each Lightbox can be emailed to others for review. The recipients will not need a username and password to access the Lightbox. When you are satisfied with your collection you can add the imagery to your Shopping Basket for purchase.
Previous purchases
Once your order is complete, the details of your purchase(s) can be found in the "Previous Purchases" page from the top navigation bar of any page. If you have selected a download delivery format, the digital files are available to download from here for the next 48 hours. This is in case you lose a file or your connection failed during the download.
Technical help
Cookies
Cookies are small amounts of information stored on your computer by Internet sites you visit.
You must choose to accept the cookie when prompted, in order to log in to this site.
Please log in to the site again after changing the cookie setting.
How to setup cookies for MS Internet Explorer™
- Go to Tools -> Internet Options -> Privacy -> Advanced
- Choose "Override automatic cookie handling"
- Choose "Prompt" for First-party Cookies
- Choose "Prompt" for Third-party Cookies
How to Download a digital Image file
You will require special software to view the downloaded files.
The materials available to download have been converted to a digital file. In order to minimise the time it would take to download a large digital file, the images have been compressed to a JPEG format.
If you are having problems downloading please check with your administrator to see if there are download restrictions in place with your network or ISP before contacting Technical Help tech-visionsofvictoria@me.com.au.
Using Zip, a public domain software product that uses non-lossy compression, the images are compressed so that they can be downloaded directly to your desktop in less time.
You will require software to unzip (expand) the images you have downloaded from the site. Using WinZip™ or StuffIt Expander™ you can expand the file back to its original file size. If you don't have WinZip or StuffIt Expander™ you can download the software from the Internet for free.
Click here to download WinZip™ for Windows™.
Click here to download StuffIt Expander™
How to expand a compressed file using WinZip:
- Click the 'Download image' button
- When the dialog box appears select "SAVE". DO NOT select "open".
- Locate the file on your hard drive and double click it.
- A WinZip window will appear. Click 'I agree'
- Highlight (one click only) the image file and select 'Extract' from the top menu bar
- Select the location to store the image and click the 'Extract' button
- The expanded file will be saved to the specified location
- Click the 'Download image' button
- Save the file to your hard drive
- Launch StuffIt Expander™
- Select 'Expand' from the menu bar
- Select the .zip file and click 'Open'
- The .zip file will convert to an expanded file that you can double click to open or simply drag and drop the .zip file onto the StuffIt Expander™ icon to expand it.
How to preview and download a digital video file
Videos include a short preview movie that can be viewed directly from your browser. Simply click on the preview image to begin playing. This requires a QuickTime plugin.
Click here to download QuickTime.
Videos can be ordered simply by adding them to your basket and placing your order as described above.
Latest Browsers
Some areas of this site may not display correctly on older versions of your browser. You can get the latest version of popular browsers here:
Click here to download Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.
Click here to download Netscape 6.
Click here to download Firefox
For all technical enquiries please email: tech-visionsofvictoria@me.com.au
Printing
If your printer clips the side of the page when printing from this site (eg lightboxes) try one of the following:
* in Page Set Up, set margins to zero or the smallest size allowed
* in Page Set Up, choose landscape instead of portrait
* in Page Set Up, choose "shrink to fit" if that option is available. or, if the above techniques do not help,
* copy the web page (Control-A then Control-C) and paste it (Control-V) into Outlook or Outlook Express, Save the email and Print the email.