Images added through GUI not serialized as Blob (Sitecore 7.5/Unicorn)

Question

If we add an image through the Upload Media action inside Sitecore Rocks, the image will serialize completely with all the binary data it needs to be reproduced:

----field----
field: {40E50ED9-BA07-4702-992E-A912738D32DC}
name: Blob
key: blob
content-length: 46816

R0lGOD... /*Binary data here*/

However, when we try adding an image through the Sitecore GUI, the image is not stored as binary data and cannot be given to others. It simply holds a path:

----field----
field: {40E50ED9-BA07-4702-992E-A912738D32DC}
name: Blob
key: blob
content-length: 46816

/static/files/media_files/2/2/4/{22481B01-4210-413A-AABB-5A7EE3387D7F}some-imge-file.png

How do we get the Sitecore GUI to store it the same way as Rocks?

We are one 7.5 using Unicorn.

Answer 1

That looks like your config is set to store images as files rather than in the database. Check the following setting to see if it is true or false:

<setting name="Media.UploadAsFiles" value="false">

See this post for more information: http://firebreaksice.com/storing-sitecore-media-in-the-database-vs-the-file-system/

Alternatively, do you have any customization in the media upload dialogs?