Wikipedia talk:What is a featured picture?

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[edit] Thanks for this

I'm glad that this page has been made. I'm reasonably new here, and I found it quite odd that there was no clear guidelines page for featured pictures, like there is for articles and lists. I agree with all the suggested criteria, and I can't think of any major ommisions. This was my understanding of what a featured picture should be, but it's nice to have them laid out. Raven4x4x 11:24, September 8, 2005 (UTC)

thank you for the comments This link is Broken 20:14, 8 September 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Pleasing to the eye

While I find this to be an almost essential aspect to FP's, some people seem not to. Is it fair to include this in the definition of what a featured picture is? As evident in some of the recent voting, some people claim to only be looking at what the image does for the article, and not necessarilly how nice, beautiful, striking, etc, the picture looks. I'm amazed anyone would not see this as essential as a requirement of being an FP, but since we can't seem to agree on this, is it fair to include this "pleasing to the eye" aspect as part of the definition of FP's? --ScottyBoy900Q∞ 03:25, 6 October 2005 (UTC)

To your first question, Yes. To your second, Yes. My opinion on this is based on the criteria that states the image should be an example of wikipedia's best. All of the rules seem to be based off the best goal. HighInBC 22:37, 6 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Sufficiently high resolution

Are there any specific numerical guidelines for sufficiently high resolution? --Christopherlin 00:03, 8 March 2006 (UTC)

  • Nowadays, 1000 pixels or more is generally required for support. I also added some other, more general quality criteria to the list. Feel free to add, edit or expand as fit, as per past image & voting discussions. --Janke | Talk 14:28, 26 March 2006 (UTC)

What does "images under 1000 pixels are seldom supported" mean? Is the text trying to say 1000 x 1000 pixels? abelson 11:57, 10 April 2006 (UTC)

  • I've always understood it to mean 1000px on the longest edge, but in any case, it's a very rough guideline and individual circumstances are always taken into account. 1000px is too small for a modern cityscape, but it's big enough for a unique photograph of a historic event ~ Veledan • Talk 23:45, 10 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Copyright

I think which tags can be submitted and which can't should be explicitly listed, or at least spelled out more. Anyone agree? -Ravedave 17:31, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

N/m I was bold and figured out how to fix it. -Ravedave 19:04, 3 April 2006 (UTC)
Works for me. This needed to be clarified. --PS2pcGAMER (talk) 20:08, 3 April 2006 (UTC)
I disagree that the changes have clarified it. The situation can be stated fairly simply: any image whose license is acceptable for Wikipedia is allowed, except for Fair use images. I admit the old wording could have made that clearer, but your new version implies that people have to go and study WP:CF before they'll know whether an image can be nominated, which I reckon overcomplicates it ~ Veledan • Talk 18:19, 4 April 2006 (UTC)
In the absense of further comments, I've had a go at making it unambiguous without sending anyone to read WP:CF. I've changed the links on public domain and Fair use to the pages which explain those concepts, and added a new link at the end to the list they both pointed to before. Feel free to revert if you think I'm off track ~ Veledan • Talk 16:41, 7 April 2006 (UTC)


[edit] Gallery of "bad" examples

I added an explanatory line above the examples - feel free to edit or add to it! --Janke | Talk 05:14, 11 April 2006 (UTC)

I personally don't think the off center image is suitable, as off center can look good sometimes, and I don't think it's correct to limit composition to centered subjects. --Fir0002 www 04:26, 28 May 2006 (UTC)
Thats true, although providing an example of what DOES look bad doesn't suggest that all photos exhibiting off-centredness look bad. Eg, showing an example of an image being overexposed doesn't mean that any image with overexposure looks bad. I'm sure its going to confuse newbies regardless though, as composition is notoriously subjective and can take a trained eye, which some people just don't seem to have. Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 08:50, 30 May 2006 (UTC)
May I suggest that you also add a well known copyrighted photo to the "bad" examples list to remind people that liscense is a factor for FPC-nominated photos? TomStar81 04:46, 3 June 2006 (UTC)
Can we do that? WP rules forbids "fair use" on any page not direclty related to the subject of the copyrighted image. --Janke | Talk 07:22, 3 June 2006 (UTC)
Impossible to do, the text should be clear enough as to what is accepted.-Ravedave 17:29, 3 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Proposed adjustment of criteria

I would like to propose an adjustment of point 8. A featured picture should not only "have a good caption" in the thumbnail inside the article, it should also have a decent extended caption covering the topic directly illustrated and (where appropriate) the means of production, for the image page and also for the Main Page on the day it is "Today's featured picture". Without some reasonable background information in a couple of lines of prose alongside it, I think we are depriving FPs of their full potential. For details, please see Wikipedia talk:Featured picture candidates#Mainpage caption as part of candidate nomination. Thanks.--Pharos 04:45, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

  • Someone, maybe you, put it perfectly: The Main Page FP entry is just another Main Page FA entry: about a topic, not about the picture. Of course, not all pictures are going to have much more to say than the topic itself, but photos of historic importance, or paintings, or maps, or diagrams, should not simply have generic text that does nothing to highlight the picture. Should a diagram like Haeckel's get to Featured status just to have some generic text about how "Frogs are amphibians"? I'd rather the text focused on the frogs in the picture, and what was different about them. Bottom line: every main page FP entry should use the phrase "In this image" or "As shown here", or something along those lines. Right now, the text seems like it was written without the picture in mind, and the picture was stuck in at the last minute. — BRIAN0918 • 2006-06-15 04:53
  • Can I ask that you please comment on the FPC talk page, as that's where the discussion is most ongoing. Thanks.--Pharos 05:14, 17 June 2006 (UTC)
    • I'm glad that someone has been bolder than I on this point. I hope this issue will be raised in future on WP:FPC discussions.--Pharos 10:36, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] New criteria added

I've added a new criteria to the list: Neutrality (borrowed from WP:WIAFA). This applies specifically to maps. I've noticed that some maps do not show the distinction between claimed regions and undisputed regions. This loophole has to be plugged. =Nichalp «Talk»= 08:50, 17 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] New Example Image

I destroyed an image and uploaded it to serve as a new JPEG artifact example. Anyone so inclined is welcome to examine the old and new images and offer their input as to which is better. –ArmadniGeneral (talk • contribs) 06:40, 23 June 2006 (UTC)

I have added the old image back in. The old image's strength was that no zooming is required. I think they can co-exist. -Ravedave 18:00, 23 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Use of Maps as FP

I can't deny this is influenced by todays FP (map of india). Unless its for historic purposes - maps demonstrating how something was im very much against the use of maps as FP. It leaves the entire process open to abuse and will invariably result in contributors from most countries/regions including regionalised maps of their areas with vote stacking to promote (which id say happened in this instance). Today's FP tells me nothing of value about india beyond its geographic divisions, saying its purpose is as a locator map (re its discussion page) is an admission the map in itself is of little value until it has context put on it. A pictorial representation has been nominated to FP status (#5 Add value to an article) with the acceptance the map will be used in the future as a means of adding value. There is an inherent acceptance in that logic that it adds less value as it is than it will when its used properly.

A featured picture is meant to add value in itself.

Im dissapointed with bcasterline's decision and rationale, but its done now.

Does the rest of the community believe in a map exemption clause for future pictures? unless

  • a) Its historically informative (maps of historic fiefdoms/nations etc)
  • b) Adds value in itself rather than as a possible template in the future

As the decision stands it would be seemingly acceptable to include not only a blank template map of the UK but of every region within the UK and every county there after. What possible value would that add?

Zaq12wsx 06:23, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

I didn't vote on this particular image either when it was promoted or now. But in general terms, if it's an excellently-drawn map, I don't see any problem with making it a featured picture. I also don't see why it matters if we have a hundred of them, though I doubt that would happen. I certainly don't think we should make exceptions for specific types of image. Stephen Turner (Talk) 08:46, 18 August 2006 (UTC)
I have faith in consensus to allow the good maps through and others not. I am very opposed to a map exemption, a featured picture is a featured picture. To apply special standards to an entire genre of images is not an option I would endorse while existing policy exists that can be used to prevent the type of abuse you speak of, namely, WP:NPOV and WP:Verifiability. HighInBC 22:29, 6 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] JPEG images

Are all jpg images not allowed to be FP? Because I believe Image:Solar sys.jpg should be FP, but I am wary about it being jpg due to rule number one of this page. I am trying to find the source to see if it is not jpg, but have not been able to find it yet. --WillMak050389 17:01, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

The page is referring to artifacts caused by excessive jpg compression, not all JPGs. As far as I can tell the image you linked is free of them. IT s a good image, I would for sure submit it. -Ravedave 20:13, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Is 1000 pixels enough?

I agree that if we are setting a minimun that 1000 pixels is fine. But, I have seen too many times people objecting to decisions made based on low resolution by yelling But it has 1000 pixels on one side! It meets the standards..

Perhaps we can reword this to say that while 1000 pixels along one edge is needed, that higher resolutions are prefered? Simply adding that higher resolutions are prefered stops people from claiming unfairness when someone objects based on image size.

What do other people think? HighInBC 22:23, 6 September 2006 (UTC)

Here is what it said:

  1. Be of a high resolution. The picture should be of sufficiently high resolution to allow quality reproductions. Generally, images should be at least 1000 pixels in resolution in width or height to be supported, unless they are of historical significance or animated. Information on image size can be found here

And I have changed it to:

  1. Be of a high resolution. The picture should be of sufficiently high resolution to allow quality reproductions. While larger images are generally prefered, images should be at least 1000 pixels in resolution in width or height to be supported, unless they are of historical significance or animated. Information on image size can be found here

HighInBC 23:48, 8 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] (For Maps) Be neutral,

It says: (For Maps) Be neutral

Should this not say(spelled properly of course):

(Especially in the case of maps) Be neutral,

If an image is clearly not neutral, this it violates WP:NPOV, the way the rule is worded seems to imply that only maps require neutrality. My understanding is that all images fall under WP:NPOV if they are being considered for FP or not. HighInBC 22:39, 6 September 2006 (UTC)

It should just be "Be neutral" someone added that recently if I remember. -Ravedave (help name my baby) 01:59, 7 September 2006 (UTC)

I have changed it a bit, I have left the mention regarding maps as it seems appropriate. If this is against consensus, please revert me after discusing the matter here. HighInBC 02:03, 7 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Maximum size

Ok, there is some talk about not choosing an image for FP because it is too big at Wikipedia:Featured_picture_candidates/Orion_Nebula_mosaic.

The concern of some seems to be that very large images cannot be loaded well in a browser by people or at all by people with slower computers.

My response to this is:

  1. Large images are not meant to be viewed in a browser, the wikipedia software automatically scales the images for use in a browser.
  2. A warning at the top of the image page is enough to warn people
  3. The Download high-resolution version button should do just that
  4. A featured picture should be the best wikipedia has to offer and more detailed images are better than less
  5. It is arbritrary, an old enough computer will crash on a 2000x2000 image, while the better computers of today can handle a 18000x18000.
  6. Not making the larger picture FP will not stop people from clicking on it, only deleting the larger image will accomplish that.
  7. The maximum size of files on wikipedia was increased from 8mb to 20mb, this coupled with the text of Wikipedia:Image_use_policy#Rules_of_thumb point 5 seems to indicate that the bigger the image the more prefered it is.

Please give your opinion on this matter. Do you think that a very large image should be scaled down and then used as the FP instead of the large one? Or do you think the highest detailed version of the image should be used? If such a limitation is to exist it should be in this criteria page. HighInBC 15:27, 13 September 2006 (UTC)

We should make both a full-res image and a scaled version available. Very few of our users can handle 20,000px images, so we need to have something available for them. Which one actually gets the FA star is silly, since they're just scaled versions of the same image. Night Gyr (talk/Oy) 20:48, 27 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Commons

Should we not strive to have featured pictures and FP candidates on Commons? I'd like to see a note added to the guidelines suggesting to nominators that their images are better uploaded to Commons than Wikipedia. –Outriggr § 06:44, 23 September 2006 (UTC)

I usually send them to the commons. But really anyone can move an image to the commons, just make sure it passes commons guidelines, upload it, catagorize it and put {{nowcommonsthis}} on the wikipedia version. Some admin should come by, check it is done right, then remove the original. HighInBC 13:39, 23 September 2006 (UTC)
My interest is in educating the user, not whether or not there is a way around the problem. –Outriggr § 21:13, 23 September 2006 (UTC)
Sounds good to me. HighInBC 21:18, 23 September 2006 (UTC)
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