[CrystalClear]

Hello, thanks for your help.
I read up a bit on Featured Images here your site. I still don’t get exactly what is the overall function of the “featured image.” Since it’s extra work I’d like to know why I should (or shouldn’t) choose one for each page and post.

(1) Is it possible to have a default of whatever photo is embedded in the content to be the featured image?
(2) Is there something wrong with NOT choosing a featured image?
(3) Can the size of the cropped featured image as it appears in the abbreviated blog-snippet of a post be adjusted?
(4) Is there an SEO advantage to setting featured images on things like Pages that are not showing up in blog-scroll summary?

Regarding possibly using the Slider:
(5) Can the Slider use JUST the Featured Images and not include words from the posts?

Also:
(e) Are there any options within the theme for disabling download of images? (and watermarking?)

(f) Also, for all of the above, do these all function the same in Pro or does Pro have any other options with regards to these items?

Thank you.

[CrystalClear]

Also – if I switch to Pro, does everything I’ve done with the free version smoothly/easily transfer over to pro version?

[Sakin]

@Consciousness: Wow such as long questions for free support.

As you can see in the theme instruction page at http://catchthemes.com/themes/catch-evolution/. We recommend you adding Featured Image specially in your post. The most important is for your Free version Featured Slider. As the free version don’t have Image Slider to upload independent image in your slider. So, you need to create post and add featured image, which will be used for Featured Post Slider. See this http://catchthemes.com/blog/videos-blog/video-series-adding-featured-post-slider/

For pages, it doesn’t matter much if you add or remove featured image.

(1) There is no default image. If you add featured image then it will display. Otherwise it will not display featured image. So, it depends on your choice where you need or not.

(2) Nothing wrong. It’s your choice and design.

(3) You can use Thumbnail Editor to edit it. Also you can use plugin to edit your thumbnails.

(4) Not necessary

(5) To use just image, you need to use Featured Image Slider which is there only in pro version. http://catchthemes.com/blog/videos-blog/video-series-adding-featured-image-slider/ . To hide text in the slider in free version, you can add the following css in “Appearance => Theme Options => Custom CSS” box.
#slider-wrap .featured-text { display: none; }

5(e) This falls under plugin territory and we are not allowed to add these featured when hosting theme in WordPress.org. So, you need to search for plugin and install it. http://wordpress.org/plugins/

5(f) Pro version has additional features. Some of these has been highlighted in theme instructions page at http://catchthemes.com/theme-instructions/catch-evolution-pro/

6 If you switch to pro versions. Yes it will be smooth and easy transfer. We also have free support for upgrade if you want us to do that for you. But make sure you have not edited or add any files inside catch-evolutions theme directory. As this files will be reverted back to original when you update or upgrade the theme. But all the changes made through Theme Options panel will remain intact.

[CrystalClear]

Thanks for all your help as it will likely mean that I switch to the Pro version at some point due to the excellent free support you have given.

Regarding (3) where is the “Thumbnail Editor” you mentioned?

Thank you for your clear, prompt, effective communication and the theme itself and I will research more the Pro version via the info you’ve given since it looks good.

[Bouncedancer]

Consciousness, you’re asking questions I have been wondering. At first I didn’t use Featured Image — it just seemed like extra stuff I didn’t need, like u said. But when I set up my blog to just show excerpts, only text showed, no pics, and the page looked kind of dead. When I added the Featured Image, it shows above the excerpt and makes the page more interesting-looking.

[Bouncedancer]

For some reason the link to my site doesn’t show in my answer:
easyhealthblog.net

[CrystalClear]

Thank you for the validation, @Bouncedancer : }
This is my site I’m working on: http://www.DareToBePresent.com

[Sakin]

@Consciousness: You can use either WordPress in-build editor where you can click on edit when you upload the image or from media library at “Media => Library” from your WordPress dashboard. Or you can plugin like “Post Thumbnail Editor”.

@Bouncedancer: Yes if you are working with Excerpt Mode then, featured image is almost necessary as it will just display the excerpt text without any image. But if you choose “Full Content Display” layout then it will show the content and image before <!--more--> tag. See this on more tag http://en.support.wordpress.com/splitting-content/more-tag/

[CrystalClear]

Thank you very much for all your help Sakin.

It took me awhile to figure out how to use the built-in WordPress thumbnail editor but I finally did. It adjusts the region of the thumbnail, but not how big the overall thumbnail is in the theme-provided blog-snippet. I’m assuming there isn’t a ready-made way to do this. It is a small detail and not a big deal so I’m not going to pursue that further.

[Author]

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