User talk:MECU/Image FAQ

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This is a work in progress. Please feel free to edit/modify/add/change/replace any item here. If you think something is very wrong, please discuss with me. Hopefully the provided links will help clarify why the answer given is correct.

If you are new to Wikipedia or new to using images here, you may find Wikipedia:Ten things you may not know about images on Wikipedia educational and helpful and a more appropriate start than this FAQ. This FAQ is expected and intended to provide more detailed answers to specific common questions about some nuances of images and licensing here at Wikipedia. This only covers freely licensed images, not images that deal with fair use or our WP:NFCC.

1. Why can't we use "for educational use only" or "for Wikipedia" or "for non-commercial use only" images?

   Yes, Wikipedia is for education. Yes, Wikipedia is a non-profit organization. The short answer is that the Wikimedia Foundation (who is the organization that oversees Wikipedia and sister projects) said we can't (link pending). The long answer is that we're building a free encyclopedia for anyone to use. That anyone includes you, your neighbor, someone in Africa, Mars, NBC, Wall Street, GM, ESPN, LA Times, your website, and more. This means commercial users as well. We want the information to be free. This includes the images along side the article text.

2. I put "Federal Government" or "<Insert Federal Agency Here>", and the tag says it's the US Federal Government, what's the problem?

   Sourcing information must be able to be verified. Just stating "US Navy image" (for example) is not sufficient. We need to be able to verify the image source and thus the license. Once you know this, it doesn't take any extra work when uploading images. You should check your past images to ensure that the sourcing information verifies the license. In short, if you got it from a website, provide the (HTML) page you got it from. It's that simple.

3. I gave the image source URL link to the image, what's wrong with that?

   Links to websites should link to a HTML source page, not directly to the image. Links should look like http://www.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=55880 and not http://www.navy.mil/management/photodb/webphoto/web_080301-N-5487R-006.jpg The latter, although the image does exist on a Navy server, may have restrictions or other information provided that make it non-free. Plus, HTML pages typically give more information about the image than just a picture. In this case, we also learn: U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) members from several west coast units served as the Navy's Fleet Honorees for the race. From left, they include EOD2 Christopher Eicas, EOD2 John Christmas, EOD1 Adam Coleman, EOD1 Daniel Hatfield and EOD Donavan Trost. U.S. Navy photo by Lt. j.g. Andrea Ross just be linking to the HTML page. This expands possible usage on Wikipedia and folks searching for information or a picture to help find it.

4. The source website doesn't have static HTML pages. Now what?

   Give instructions on how to find the image. An image ID #, search terms, search location(s), more information is typically better. Even if you can link directly to an image (discussed above), you should still provide more information along with that link.

5. Why do you keep leaving me these messages? I don't want them! Please stop.

   I use a script to assist me with the more redundant tasks of what I do. The script does not (yet) have the capability to prevent notify users that don't wish to receive the messages. It would be too much work for me to keep a list otherwise of people not to notify, manually check the list, and then continue (and perhaps have to edit pages manually). It is not personal. You should check out Template:bots and incorporate it with your talk page so if/when bots and scripts do become compliant, you will already have this feature. MECU≈talk 20:39, 4 April 2008 (UTC)

6. Why do you do this?

   Free images should be on Commons. This allows all Projects to use them as if they were uploaded here. Commons is much more strict on licensing and sourcing information than Wikipedia, and in order for me (or anyone) to move the images there, the sourcing information needs to be better. In reality, any image that is used in an article here (aka, it's encyclopedic), should exist on Commons (only). Commons does not accept Fair use images or other non-encyclopedic images (your user self pic for example).

7. Where can I get help? I don't understand and it's all confusing and my image is about to be deleted and I don't know what the heck I need to do to save it.

   You can ask me (hopefully you're nice about it too). But you can also ask at (General questions) Wikipedia:Media copyright questions and for help with using images: Wikipedia:Village pump (assistance).

8. You're a jerk.

   That's not a question.

9. How can I help?

   Check all your own images. Imagine that you know nothing about the image or where it came from. By looking at what you see on the image description page, can you find the source? If the source is a website, does that website validate the license tag?

   Watch list all images that you care about (even your own). If there is ever a problem with an image, an editor will tag the image in some fashion and it will then showup on your watchlist.

   Look at others images. You can start with the articles you care about. Do they have a source? Do they have a license tag? Is it a free tag? If not, does it have a rationale for each use? Can the image be improved? (see below) Does everything "make sense"? ("makes sense" is a complex topic discussed below.)

   Go through more images. Good places to find images are categories.

   Move free images (and only images that can be proven they are free) to Commons. See Wikipedia:WikiProject Moving free images to Wikimedia Commons.

   Contribute to discussions at WP:IFD, WP:PUI and answer questions (or just read through questions and answers to learn more) at [Wikipedia:Media copyright questions]].

   Help cleanup images at Wikipedia:Images for cleanup.

   Read Wikipedia:Image use policy.

   There's still more...

10. This image has <x> problem, but I can't fix it. Can you?

    Not likely. I'm not an artist or very good with image editor programs. I can do a simple crop or resize, but other than that, I'm useless. Fortunately, like must of Wikipedia, someone else is good at these things. You can mark it with templates listed at Category:Image quality templates.