Wikipedia contains millions of illustrative images and other electronic media. This page gives a very brief overview of how images are used in Wikipedia; for more information, see: Image use policy and Help:Images and other uploaded files on how to include an image.
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Image preferences
Logged in users can set their default viewing size of thumbnails in the "my preferences" area under "files". The default size for users that are not logged in is 180 pixels. Logged in users can choose from widths of 120px, 150px, 180px, 200px, 250px or 300px.
Also under "files" in the "my preferences" area, one can set the size limit of images shown on image description pages. By default, if either the width or the height exceeds 800px or 600px respectively, then the image is reduced in size until it fits within those dimensions. This can be changed to the default size of 320x240px, 640x480px, 800x600px, 1024x768px, 1280x1024px or 10000x10000px, if preferred. The last choice will effectively display all images at 100% resolution.
Using images
Images uploaded to Wikipedia are automatically placed into the file namespace, formerly known as the image namespace. This means that names of image pages start with the prefix "File:". To incorporate an image into an article, you will need to use image syntax. As an example in a simple form, in order to reproduce the image at the top of this page, insert the following text into an article:
[[Image:Example.png|thumb|alt=Example alt text|Example caption]]
- The first parameter is the full name of the image, (i.e., Image:Example.png).
- The second "thumb" parameter forces the creation of a thumbnail.
- The third parameter, "alt=Example alt text", can be modified to specify suitable alt text.
- The last parameter, "Example caption", can be replaced with any suitable caption.
Alt text is meant for readers who cannot see the image. It summarizes the image's appearance, not its meaning, and typically has little in common with the caption.
The full set of options is more complex; however, the vast majority of images should be able to be displayed by using the above format.
If the image does not show up and you are sure the syntax is correct, it may have been blacklisted. See MediaWiki:Bad image list for a list of such images.
Note: The "File:" prefix may be used interchangeably with "Image:":
[[File:Example.png|thumb|alt=Example alt text|Example caption]]
Inline linking
Inline linking of images on external sites for display on Wikipedia is disabled for several reasons:
- inline linking to images on other sites is often considered "leeching"; content sites where the image is stored and from which it is retrieved may not like the new placement
- allowing inline image linking makes it easier for vandals to post images from shock sites
- allowing inline image linking makes it easier to introduce copyrighted images without obtaining an acceptable free license
- inline linking to an image stored on another site increases the bandwidth use of that site, even though the site is not being viewed as intended
Instead, to place an image on Wikipedia, you will need to upload it.
Forced image size
As a rule, images should not be set to a larger fixed size than the 180px default. If an exception to the general rule is warranted, forcing an image size to be either larger or smaller than the 180px default is done by placing a parameter in the image coding in the form |XXXpx
, where XXX is replaced by a number of pixels, for example:
[[Image:Example.png|thumb|120px|alt=Example alt text|Example caption]]
Forced left justification
In most cases, images should be right justified on pages, which is the default placement. If an exception to the general rule is warranted, forcing an image to justify on the left side of a page is done by placing a parameter in the image coding in the form |left
, for example:
[[Image:Example.png|thumb|left|alt=Example alt text|Example caption]]
Obtaining images
All images on Wikipedia must comply with the image use policy. This means that they must be free for commercial use and alteration. However, some fair use of non-free content is allowed in limited circumstances.
Making images yourself
You may take a photograph with your digital camera, scanner, or integrated mobile phone, draw an image or graph digitally, perhaps with a graphics tablet, or scan drawings and photos taken with a camera and then upload the image.
Finding images on the Internet
An extensive list of free image resources by topic can be found at: Public domain image resources. In addition to Wikimedia Commons, the Wikimedia Toolserver has a Free Image Search Tool (FIST), which automatically culls free images from the Wikimedia sister projects, Flickr and a few other sites. Several other useful, general purpose image search engines include: Google Image Search, Picsearch and Pixsta. Creative Commons licensed images with Attribution and Attribution-ShareAlike as their license may be used on Wikipedia. Images with any license restricting commercial use or the creation of derivative works may not be used on Wikipedia.
If you find an image on the Internet that is not available freely, you can email the copyright owner and ask for their permission to release it under a suitable license, adapting the boilerplate request for permission. If you cannot find a suitable image, you may also list your request at Wikipedia:Requested pictures, so that another contributor may find or create a suitable image.
Uploading images
Logged in users with autoconfirmed accounts (meaning at least four days old and at least ten edits) can upload media to Wikipedia. It is recommended that only free licensed media, not fair use media, be uploaded to Wikimedia Commons. Media on Wikimedia Commons can be linked to in the same way as media of the same name on Wikipedia. To upload media to the English Wikipedia, go to special:upload and for Wikimedia Commons, go to commons:special:upload. For preferred file formats see Wikipedia:Preparing images for upload.
Each image has a corresponding description page. On that page, one should document the source, author and copyright status of the image, using one of the pre-defined image copyright tags. It is important to add both descriptive (who, what, when, where, why) and technical (equipment, software, etc.) information at the time of creating the page, which will be useful and highly informative to later editors and readers. Also, WikiProject Sexology and sexuality has a very important guideline on WIP images, that should be reviewed before uploading.
Image choice and placement
Beyond the basics of copyright and markup, editors face choices of image selection and placement. Some editors maintain that photographs are preferable to paintings and sketches. Notable exceptions exist. Bird identification guides have traditionally used sketches. Other editors dispute giving any preference to photographs.
Articles that use more than one image should present a variety of material near relevant text. Three uniformed portraits would be redundant for a biography of a famous general. A map of a battle and a picture of its aftermath would provide more information to readers.
Images should be large enough to reveal relevant details without overwhelming the surrounding article text. Similar types of images within an article often look appealing if they appear at the same pixel size. Poor quality images (too dark, blurry, etc.) or where the subject in the image is too small, hidden in clutter, ambiguous or otherwise not obvious, should not be used.
Contributors should be judicious in deciding which images are the most suitable for the subject matter in an article. For example:
- An image of a White-tailed Eagle is useless if the bird appears as a speck in the sky.
- Gloria Steinem looks best as a portrait photograph of herself alone, not with other individuals.
- A suitable picture of a hammerhead shark would show its distinctive hammer-like head, to distinguish it from other species of shark.
- A map of Moldova should show its frontiers with Romania and Ukraine, so people may know where the country actually is, in relation to its neighbors.
- Rice is best represented with an image of plain rice, not fried rice.
- Intangible concepts can be illustrated; for example, a cat with its claws out portrays aggression, while a roadside beggar juxtaposed with a Mercedes-Benz shows social inequality.
Pertinence and encyclopedic nature
Images must be relevant to the article that they appear in and be significantly related to the article's topic. Their origin must be properly referenced. In the case of an image not directly attributed to its creator, (e.g., in the case of reproduction of ancient artwork or artifacts) it is not sufficient to merely indicate the image's immediate source, such as an URL, but the identity of the image's content (author, manuscript, museum id) must be given. Images that are not properly identified, (e.g., images with descriptions such as "a cuneiform tablet", "a medieval manuscript", etc.) are unencyclopedic and hence, not useful for Wikipedia.
Life cycles of images
Eventually, some of the images reach the end of their life cycle. They may be superseded or replaced by an image with a friendlier copyright policy. If you come across an image that needs to go, list it on Files for deletion.
Conversely, if you have contributed or found an image that stands out from the crowd, you are invited to nominate it for inclusion on the Featured pictures list.