First, the image has to be an image file such as a JPEG. It must be stored or "hosted" somewhere else, such as a site like Photobucket. That accomplished, you use a simple HTML instruction to tell GardenWeb where to find the image and to display it inline. If you search the whole site (not just the lighting forum) I think you'll find a detailed explanation of how to do it.

Need help right away. Some holes cut and electrician is coming soon but we are stuck on final details. I wanted to post earlier but just figured out how to insert image.

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Most kitchen decisions have been made and some holes cut. We have just a couple of questions for the kitchen, but we really need help in the family room. Our original plan had many more recessed cans than I show in my drawing, but it began to look like too much light, so we took out several cans. Now we have too little light in that room, but I would like advice before adding anything back into the plan. In particular, we need help lighting the dining area and the seating area.

Ceilings are less than 8. Floors are light natural red oak but other surfaces are medium to dark. Cabinets are natural cherry, countertops are dark uba tuba granite, appliances are all black. Window over sink and sliding doors to deck both face east and will not have window coverings. Wide window in family room faces south with leafy shade and probably will have shutters in a light natural wood. Peninsula has a normal height countertop facing the kitchen and a 42 inch high bank of shallow cabinets facing the family room.

Kitchen

Feel free to comment or ask questions about my kitchen drawing, but for this thread I will focus on my family room.

Family room

1) We are not sure how many general recessed lights are needed in the family roomÂhow many and where to put them? Dining table will sit at an angle on an 8Âx8Â rug. We think we need a couple of recessed cans in the "walkway" between the half-wall and the rug leading to the sliding door. This should throw some light onto the cabinets in the half-wall plus throw some general light into the dining area, but I am not sure how often I would turn them on.

We also plan to put a recessed can in front of the pantry to wash the cherry doors when they are closed and to illuminate the contents of pull-out shelves. I also will probably put a recessed can in the little cubby beside the panty. This is a place to catch clutter out of sightÂa place for storing phonebooks, sorting/shredding mail, tacking up notes, etc. I donÂt plan to sit/work there, but I will need a little light to find things back in that corner. I assume these two cans will throw a little light into that end of the room.

Along the west wall of the family room we will have a bank of low base cabinets to house file cabinets and shelves behind cherry doors. We will have upper cabinets along most of this wall with a cut-out space for TV. There will be "mantle" across the top of it all about 1.5 to 2 feet down from the ceiling. This end of the room is currently very dark and cave-like. We are hoping to use up-lighting along the top of this wide wall unit to bounce light onto the upper wall and ceiling.

2) We want a soft, warm light that will make this end of the room glow. Do you recommend strip lighting or fluorescent tubes? If fluorescent, what kind of bulbs would be best for up-lighting in this situation?

We plan to use some of the upper cabinets for books, but we also want to light several shelves for art objects.
3) What works bestÂlights shining down from the top through a series of glass shelves or strip lighting along the front of each shelf?

We will have file cabinets inside the base cabinets. I donÂt plan to spend a long time looking into these files; but when I am there, I will need to see what I am doing.
4) Do we need to put in recessed cans in front of the cabinet in order to see into the files and shelves? I really donÂt think I would turn on recessed cans in this area very oftenÂare there other alternatives?

A directional accent light will shine on a large tapestry on the south wall next to the entertainment unit. We also would like some light to shine on our red oriental area rug between the chairs and the entertainment wall.
5) Can we get light into this space without interfering with the TV?

6) What kind of lighting should we have near the chairs facing the TV? Do we want any down lights in this area? Should we look for floor/table lamps instead? I donÂt want tall lamps, however, that will block the line of sight to the entertainment wall or to the tapestry. Suggestions?

7) Most challenging is the dining table. We think we want to put the table at an angle as this feels more open to us, but I am not sure that the table will always remain in this location. I worry about cans or ceiling fixtures that will lock us in to one arrangement. Track lighting would be more flexible, but I am not sure it would look right with our low ceilings. Also, as people look from the kitchen toward that end of the room, I want them to see the pendants and the art on the wall beyond the table. I am afraid a hanging track or fixture will interfere with that view.

At the same time, I want to put good quality light onto the table and the people sitting there. I am reluctant to attach a fixture on or a little below the ceiling, but I am afraid recessed cans alone would be either too bright or produce too much shadow. There is no good place for a sconce or floor lamp near the table.
8) Do you think that we could get enough ambient fill light if we were to shine wall-washing lights onto light wood shutters over the south window? Do we need more general recessed light all around the table? Any other suggestions?

Oops! I did not mean to actually post my image and lighting questions in response to this thread.

Jon, thanks for advice on how to upload images. Using your suggestions, my husband was able to figure it out and now I should be able to do again in the future.

I have posted the image and questions again on a new thread and will welcome lighting suggestions there.