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Unable to upload Image to StoryMaps

SaraJL

Hello all!

I'm a little confused about where else to check for this - but I have an image with these properties:

But I'm still getting this message:

I've tried anything I can think of - closing out of the program, clearing out the browser cache, trying a different browser (I'm currently in Chrome). It's a PNG file, which should be compatible. I even tried copying the file and uploading the copy instead in case that was the problem. But now I'm not sure what else to try.

The only thing I can think of is 5000 pixels means a total count between height and width (instead of 5000x5000) OR even though it says the file size is 9.61 MB, the byte size is still registering as high (10,084,264). I'm trying to avoid reducing the picture visually as much as possible because it has a lot of colorful details.

Any advise is welcome!

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BobBooth1

I suspect that the the image is just a bit too big. Try reducing the resolution a bit, or cropping it slightly, to get a smaller image.

evtguy

You don't have to upload it- you can host it elsewhere and then link it using the URL to the image.

SaraJL

I could do that - but it won't work if it's adding the image to the StoryMap cover (the cover only allows for direct file uploads) or if I want to create an interactive image to annotate (add as a media layer to a Web map to annotate in StoryMaps).

SaraJL

I reduced it from 9.61 to 9.48MB and that seemed to work (thank you Microsoft Paint!) I wonder if there is some type of background process that is adding the extra information.

I was trying to create this StoryMap example for a class tech training session that I'm teaching next week - my example is an illustrated map with map actions tied to it, so I was trying to keep it as high res as possible so it doesn't look too pixelated when you zoom in. (this is the example)

evtguy

Oh, right. I ran into this with a video this weekend while trying to begin to re-build a Classic Story map with the current toolset- it couldn't be linked, and then the file was "too large" etc. I was really frustrated & disappointed that I could not just rebuild my old story map since the new design tools just don't support the old design options (full screen video playing on the cover, header with a background image strip, etc).

I gave up and will wait for the UC to address specific things at the ESRI product islands..

PeterKnoop

In my experience, StoryMaps does not correctly enforce the 10MB limit. Instead, it appears to checking to see if the bytes value is greater than 10,000,000. (10MB does not equal 10,000,000 bytes, but rather is equivalent to 10MB x 1024 kB/MB x 1024 bytes/kB or 10,485,760 bytes.)

oevans_storymaps

@PeterKnoop @SaraJL -- Thanks for the feedback on this. The main thing we are doing to help here is working with the ArcGIS Online team to increase these media file size limits. They have a project underway to drastically improve the image processing capability that we hope will be rolled out late this year or early next year. In the meantime, we can look into how the current limit is enforced, to see if we can adjust that.

@SteveCole -- Can you share more info about what you are looking for related to having a full screen video playing on the cover? ArcGIS StoryMaps has six different cover styles, including a full-page layout. They all support video. Please let us know how these are not meeting your requirements so we can take a look at future enhancements!

Screenshot 2025-04-03 at 11.25.19 AM.jpg

evtguy

Owen- I now see what you're talking about. I would suggest moving that "Design" button functionality into the Story Map Settings inside the three dots. It wasn't intuitive to me to click on that, for that functionality, when I was looking for options.

Also, I want to replicate the classic story maps design where section headers exist WITH an image background. Is that possible in the new system? It's not jumping out at me, as a possibility.

oevans_storymaps

@SteveCole - The "title section" from the classic Cascade template was not included in ArcGIS StoryMaps in favor of having the ability to include a custom separator image as part of the theme. You can add separators between story sections right before each heading to provide some visual interest and consistency across a story. This version is a bit simpler than the classic feature, but offers improved accessibility and readability. For more info, see this tutorial.

Screenshot 2025-04-03 at 4.47.06 PM.jpg

Screenshot 2025-04-03 at 4.53.04 PM.jpg

If you'd like something larger, or a different image for each section, you could create your own wide, thin banner images and add them to a story using the LARGE block size so they go from edge to edge. There isn't a way to add text on top of them (and I would not recommend burning text into an image since that is not accessible), but this would otherwise look very similar to the classic title sections.

Screenshot 2025-04-03 at 4.51.35 PM.jpg

If you'd like us to consider something more similar to the title sections, feel free to submit that as an idea on our Ideas board so others can vote for it for future consideration.

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