Image templates and Image Policy FAQ

[rbarenblat]

Hi everyone! We've been hard at work on refining our proposed Image Policy FAQ, and at long last, here it is -- below the cut. We hope that it answers your questions about images on Fanlore (ranging from "How do I add an image to a Fanlore page?" to "What kinds of images on Fanlore can I expect to have warnings?") Along with this FAQ, we're debuting a set of image templates which we hope will make the uploading of images (along with their meta-data) easier.

We welcome questions, comments, and feedback on the FAQ and on the image templates. Members of the wiki committee and members of the Board will be keeping an eye on this post and we'll do our best to answer questions in a timely way. RL does occasionally keep one or another of us offline; thanks in advance for bearing with us.

With no further ado...



QUESTION: How do I add an image to a Fanlore page?

There are two steps which you can do in either order. You need to upload the image, using our image template and then you need to link it in the appropriate page. Probably the easiest way is to edit the page you want to include the image on and add the link first. It should look like this:

[[Name_for_your_image_with_no_spaces.jpg|thumb|This is a caption for my image!]]

When you save this edit, you will then see a red link for the image name. When you click on this, you will be taken to the upload form.

QUESTION: What information should I include when uploading an image?

When you are uploading an image, you will see a small form like this:



Please include as much information about the image as you can in the *Summary* field. Please edit the image page itself (i.e. access 'edit' on the page that you are on after uploading an image) to add the following information if you have it:

Creator: who made the image

Description: a text description of what's in the image (helpful for people using screenreaders or browsing without images)

Copyright: whether this image is in the public domain or if the copyright is owned by you or someone else.

Source: where you got the image from (eg, the URL if you found it online, "I scanned this from a zine I purchased in 1997 at Escapade," etc)

When you're editing the image page itself, please use the following template: http://fanlore.org/wiki/Template:ImageSummary

QUESTION: Do I need to add anything else, or can the image stand on its own?

When you upload an image, you'll be prompted to offer information which will go in the image's summary box (e.g. creator, description, copyright, source.) Images go on their own pages; article pages can link to those image pages, and that's how the image will come to appear alongside some text. Remember to use our image summary template to describe the image (it's here: http://fanlore.org/wiki/Template:ImageSummary)

If you're uploading an image for a specific article page, please include some text about the image you've uploaded within that article: explain why the image is important or interesting, tell readers what trends it illustrates or represents, write about why you wanted to preserve the image in the first place.

QUESTION: Can I upload copyrighted images on Fanlore without the permission of the creator?

Yes, as long as doing so would be a fair use! Here are some key aspects of fair use of images:

First, please make sure you give credit to the creator! (It’s also helpful for future editors if you make a note where you obtained the image.) Attribution is very important; we want to give honor to the fanartist(s) who created the work in the first place.

Second, the images should there to illustrate a point. Please consider whether putting the image on Fanlore adds new meaning or message. If you're going to upload an image, please also include some commentary on why the image is noteworthy. Fanlore is not an archive, so it's not appropriate to upload all of the artwork created by a given fan artist just to create a gallery of that artist’s work. Instead, we might upload a selection of images to illustrate that artist’s style or range, alongside some text about that artist and their work, and then link to the artist’s personal website instead. Or an image might be used to illustrate a particular fannnish trope, or a particular trend in fanart. Or, if the page is about the artwork itself, the article should make note what is interesting or important or beautiful about it.

Third, you should use the resolution/image quality you need to make that point. For instance, if you were working on a Fanlore article talking about illustrated borders on zine covers, or a particular artistic technique in icon-making, you might need a very high-resolution image to make your point. If you were writing a page about the details of a particular artwork, you’d want a good enough copy to be able to show those details. In other cases, a lower-resolution image will be enough.

QUESTION: How do I know what resolution is appropriate?

This is a very good question, and the answer is: use what resolution you need to make your point. Please use your best judgment! The OTW Legal team will review cases if a complaint is made.

QUESTION: What about images I've already uploaded? Do I have to go replace all of them with low-resolution versions?

You do not! If a complaint arises, and a review by the Legal team concludes that a lower resolution image would be more appropriate in a given case, it can be replaced then.

QUESTION: I am a fan artist and low-resolution images of my work are posted on Fanlore. They look bad! I want my work displayed in better quality.

If you give permission, we will be happy to upload higher-resolution images of your work to replace the low-resolution ones as quickly as our editing resources allow. (You are also welcome to do this yourself, of course, but we will make an effort to do it for you if you are unfamiliar with wiki editing.) We can also arrange to make sure that low-image versions are linked to higher-resolution versions on your site or elsewhere, if you provide us with the links.

QUESTION: I am a fan artist and I don't want any of my work displayed on Fanlore. Will you take it down?

As described above, some uses of images without permission are fair use, and as such we don't remove images automatically on request by the creator. Protecting fair use rights is hugely important for the benefit of all fan creators -- these are what give fan artists the right to make their work in the first place.

However, we are all fans here and want to respect your concerns as well. We will gladly work with you to ensure that your work is being used according to fair use rules. We will also make sure that your work is credited appropriately, link back to your own site, and if you wish use higher resolution versions of your work.

QUESTION: Wait! Someone uploaded my image without permission and it's not being used in any article. What should I do?

You have options! One option is to add text which contextualizes the image, or to ask the person who uploaded the image to do so. Another option is to leave a note on the talk page asking for the image to be deleted because its use doesn't fit fair use parameters.

QUESTION: What kinds of images on Fanlore can I expect to have warnings?

Images that are sexually explicit, depict rape or sexual assault, or depict people or characters who are underage engaging in sexual activity should have warnings on Fanlore. Users are responsible for reading and heeding the warnings provided by the person who loaded in the image. Risk-averse users should keep in mind that not all content will carry full warnings and consider whether they should set up filters for viewing images, as described below. If you think an image should have a warning, feel free to add the warning; bear in mind that other users may edit the page.

QUESTION: I just saw a disturbing image with no warning! How do I add a warning?

We have templates for Sexually Explicit Images, Images Depicting Non-con and Sexual Assault, and Underage Persons in Image. They can be found in the Templates section of the wiki, and here are direct links:

http://fanlore.org/wiki/Template:SexuallyExplicitImage

http://fanlore.org/wiki/Template:ImageDepictingNon-conOrSexualAssault

http://fanlore.org/wiki/Templates:UnderagePersonsInImage

You can add a warning by editing the page and adding the appropriate template.

QUESTION: Can I filter out all images when I am browsing on Fanlore?

Yes, you can. We have detailed instructions for how to filter out all images when browsing Fanlore. You can find them here: http://fanlore.org/wiki/Help:Filtering_images

QUESTION: I have other questions about images which aren't covered here.

Contact us and ask, and we'll do our best to answer promptly!

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Template:ImageSummary

What's the difference between "source" and "location"? One field that's missing and that I've used/needed for most of the fanart I've uploaded is "notes". Notes include information like that it's an illustration for story/zine X or was created for challenge Y and sometimes commentary the artist included in their header when they posted the art, etc.

QUESTION: I just saw a disturbing image with no warning! How do I add a warning?

1) The most disturbing image I've seen on fanlore is one that doesn't fit any of the warnings (I don't find sex particulary disturbing). It's on a Sentinel zine page and I feel sorry for the zine when I see it. :( http://fanlore.org/wiki/Image:2.jpg

2) The options on how to deal with content that might need warnings are very limited. All warning templates say "To link to this image on an article, please use a pixel size of 100." This is very small and only makes sense when the image is a close-up of a sexual act. Everything else is already quite small in a normal thumbnail version of the image. Also, if the page is about a kink, trope, pairing, it makes sense to include these images in a reasonable size and someone clicking on BDSM shouldn't expect tiny safe pictures. Also, this directly contradicts this part: "QUESTION: How do I know what resolution is appropriate? This is a very good question, and the answer is: use what resolution you need to make your point." I would wish for more flexibility and a warning text that says something like "Only link to this image in a normal thumbnail version when it's used in articles where this kind of content is appropriate and expected, otherwise please use a pixel size of 100 (or wikilink to it using a text link)." (You can wikilink to images without displaying the image on a page by adding a colon at the beginning, for example [[:Image:imagename.jpg]]) Another way to deal with this would be to create categories for these warnings and add something like [[Category:Explicit Content]] to article pages with explicit content and/or [[Category:No Warnings]] to other pages...

QUESTION: Can I upload copyrighted images on Fanlore without the permission of the creator?

I understand and support some of the reasons behind this policy but IMO this is far too broad to apply it to a fannish context. Of course it's much more convenient to say "it's fair use!" than to have a long list with explanations and exceptions and examples, but sometimes in fandom it's better to be more specific.

For example, there is a difference between copying and reposting online art and taking a picture of a physical object like a zine. I can accept the latter as fair use (there are several good arguments for this), the former, however, is more complicated. Personally I use the "Schöpfungshöhe" (don't know the English expression, something like "individuality"?) of the artwork in question as a criterion.

If it's a screenshot/photo with a caption, I wouldn't ask for permission. If it's a screenshot from a vid (vids often feature manips or other art) I wouldn't ask for permission either.

If it's a complex photo manipulation, I would check the artist's policies (some give blanket permission, etc) and usually ask the artist for permission. There may be exceptions when the art isn't online anymore but the artist and artwork had a certain kind of mainstream exposure (for example The Theban Band).

If the online art is drawn or painted, I almost always ask for permission. There may be exceptions when the art is explicitly created as a cover for a story or a promotional banner because then using the artwork on the wiki would be using it for its intended purpose.

I think situations where only one particular piece of online art can illustrate a point that no other art by an artist who doesn't object to this use can illustrate as well are pretty rare. It probably can be argued that fair use is more important in these rare cases than the artist's wishes (after all, we use screencaps of blog entries when the entries were deleted in the middle of a flamewar or wank, so it's not that fandom doesn't go occasionally against the wishes of the creator), but IMO that doesn't make it alright to extend the fair use argument preemptively to all artwork.

~Doro (frogspace)

Template:ImageSummary

[aethel]

regarding the first point, the information you described as needing a notes field--illustration for story/zine X or was created for challenge Y--could go in the description field (though I'm not sure about the "created for a challenge" bit). I think we'll need to add a key to the template page to indicate what should go in each field...

Re: Template:ImageSummary

[frogspace.livejournal.com]

Check out this image for an example of notes: http://fanlore.org/wiki/Image:Miscmerlinonedge.jpg :)

I just noticed, also missing from the template is "title".