I get an error or white screen on photo upload

If uploading photos fails with a blank white screen, a 500 Internal Server Error, or an immediate upload failure, follow these troubleshooting steps:

---

1. Check PHP Memory and Upload Limits

When resizing high-resolution digital photos (e.g. 12+ megapixels), PHP must decompress the full uncompressed bitmap into memory. A 10 MB JPEG can require 80–120 MB of RAM during resizing operations.

Verify your server's php.ini or .htaccess configuration:

memory_limit = 256M
upload_max_filesize = 32M
post_max_size = 32M
max_execution_time = 300

post_max_size must always be equal to or larger than upload_max_filesize.

---

2. Check Image Processing Library (GD / Imagick)

NorrCompetition requires either the PHP GD or Imagick extension for thumbnail generation, cropping, and watermarking:

1. In Joomla Administrator, navigate to System > System Information > PHP Information.

2. Search for gd or imagick and verify it is enabled with support for standard formats (JPEG Support: enabled, PNG Support: enabled).

3. In Components > NorrCompetition > Options > Images tab:

   • Verify Image Library is set to match your server configuration (GD or Imagick).

   • Check Max File Size (KB) (default is 2048 KB / 2 MB; increase this value if allowing larger raw photo uploads).

   • Ensure uploaded files are valid standard formats (JPEG, PNG, GIF).

---

3. Reveal Exact PHP Error Message

If a white screen persists:

1. Navigate to System > Global Configuration > Server tab.

2. Set Error Reporting to Maximum.

3. Retry the photo upload to inspect the exact fatal error message (such as Allowed memory size exhausted or missing directory permission).

4. After diagnosing, set Error Reporting back to System Default.

---

4. Verify Folder Write Permissions

Ensure the upload directory (media/com_competition/uploads/ or your configured uploads directory) has write permissions (755 for directories, 644 for files).