TaRapedia:Formatting/Images

This article outlines formatting guidelines that should be followed for images uploaded to.

Screenshots

 * JPEG format is preferred for screenshots as their compression rates are good in relation to image quality.
 * Names are case sensitive. Image filename should be exactly the same as the article of the object shown in the image, including capitalization, disambiguation identifiers, etc. This allows for easy automatic linking from the article. The extension should always be lowercase ".jpg", e.g. Image:Pistol.jpg
 * Avoid uploading images of the same subject under different names. If you have better version of a base image, overwrite the existing image. Images can be reverted back to previous versions if newer ones are deemed not to be improvements.
 * If you want to upload additional screenshots use the base article name and add descriptive suffix to the filename. Image:Pistol holster.jpg

General screenshot guidelines

 * Before taking screenshot you can use CTRL+U hotkey to hide the whole User interface. (Use the same CTRL+U hotkey to show it up again)
 * Crop the image to eliminate unecessary space and focus on the image subject. Users do not need to see your character's face and armor in a picture of the weapon they are holding. Maps may benefit from less cropping so that more points of reference are visible for users.
 * Images of creatures and objects should not have the target reticle text displayed and images of items should not have the mouseover text included as this will be in the article instead.
 * If possible, take screenshots in areas with bright, neutral lighting. This ensures that the image subject isn't discolored.
 * Images with reduced effects of image compression are more desirable. An image with a high level of compression artifacts will look pixelated and lose detail.
 * In general, images will be shown in articles with partial thumbnailing. There's no need to shrink the image yourself, and having the full image be highly detailed is beneficial for people who want to check out the full version. Example: armor preview images are shrunk to fit in a gallery, but the full image still needs high quality to show the details of the equipment.

Image size

 * Although files up to 16 megabytes can be uploaded, there is no need for any image to be that large. Any image that is larger than a few hundred kilobytes can cause issues for people trying to view the page that it is used on, so it is recommended that images be no larger than 500kb.
 * Larger images may be difficult for some users to download or view so it is recommended that you crop images to focus on their subject.
 * Certain programs have settings to save images "for web". This removes unecessary metadata and can reduce file size while retaining high quality.
 * It is not recommended to resize images in an editing program, as MediaWiki can scale images automatically. Uploading a large image that is cropped neatly means that higher amounts of detail can be seen if necessary. If you need to upload a full resolution screenshot and cropping is out of the question, consider resizing it to 800x600 or 1024x768 (whichever can be used without a huge loss of information).
 * If you wish to have a photo beside the text in an article then you may create a "thumbnail" by adding  after the image name (e.g.  ). If needed, you can also manually edit the size of the thumbnail by adding   at the end, where * is the width in pixels (200px to 250px is recommended). Larger images should generally be a maximum of 550 pixels wide so that they can comfortably be displayed on 800x600 monitors. You can also specify which side the thumbnail floats to by using   or   (right is the default value) or add a caption by putting   at the end too.

Icons

 * png format should be used for icons as it supports alpha channel and retains 100% quality.
 * Names are case sensitive. Image filename should be exactly the same as the article of the object shown in the imag, including capitalization, disambiguation identifiers, etc.This allows for easy automatic linking from the article. The extension should always be lowercase ".png" Image:Pistol.png
 * Avoid uploading icons of the same subjects under different names. If you have better version of the icon, overwrite the existing one. Images can be reverted back to previous versions if newer ones are deemed to not be improvements.

Licensing and copyrights
Images that violate the terms of use of this website or infringe copyright will be subject to deletion. Game images are covered by the below policy:

"Members are permitted to make use of Game Content in noncommercial contexts, including in connection with the creation of noncommercial fan fiction and fan sites and using game audio and video for creating noncommercial media.

Members are prohibited, however, from reproducing, preparing derivative works based upon, distributing publicly performing, or transmitting the Game Content for commercial uses without the express written consent of NC Interactive."

- NCSoft Ownership Policy

Free and open-source image editing software
DISCLAIMER: This section describes software written by a third party. TaRapedia does not endorse, explicitly or otherwise, the use of any third party tools. As with all third party software, the user should investigate the tool themselves and take precautions prior to installation in order to protect their privacy and security. These free and open source software packages have been recommended by Wikipedians for use in image and media manipulation:
 * The GIMP &mdash; General image editor. (Linux, Windows, Mac OS X)
 * ImageMagick &mdash; Image conversion and transformation suite. (Linux, Windows, Mac OS X)
 * GraphicsMagick &mdash; A clone of ImageMagick emphasizing consistency of the programming API and end-user command-line options. (Linux, Windows, Mac OS X)
 * Paint.NET &mdash; Image editing software based on the .NET platform. (Windows)