TRK Database:Image Policy

The following outline the Guidelines regarding the uploading and usage of Images on the Marvel Database. Images created by Marvel contracted artists are used with permission (see our copyright policy page) and are perfectly legal for public display on this non-profit fan-site. If you have found an image that is offensive or violates our copyright policy, please notify an administrator.
==Uploading Images==
===Upload Form===
# All images used on the Marvel Database must be uploaded to this wiki rather than being hotlinked to a third-party site. Images must be uploaded through the Special:Upload form, the Summary field on which must contain the TRK Database:Image Template copied from the top of that page. Files uploaded without the Image Template will be deleted.
# All uploaded Fair Use images must have the Licensing-related fields of the Image Template filled properly. This means entering the proper source after "Source = " and the correct type after "License = ". Licensing options are (with possible short form in parenthesis):
#: Comic cover (cover) • Comic page (cp) • Comic scene (cs) • Comic single panel (csp) • Database • Fair use • GFDL • Merchandise image (merch) • Movie poster • Movie screenshot (film) • Novel • Promotional material (promo) • Public domain (pd) • Software screenshot (software) • Trading card (card) • TV screenshot (tv) • Video game screenshot (game)
# The Source will most often be an existing work that already has a page on this wiki, in which case it has to be entered exactly as the current name of that page, without brackets: Legends of the Celestial Protectors Vol 1 1, The Mars Season 1 1 etc. Images uploaded without the proper source listed will inevitably be deleted.
# Other fields of the Image Template are unrelated to the licensing, but are still encouraged to be completed to the fullest extent of the uploader's ability: 
#* "Reality = " field should contain the full name of reality to which the image belongs: TRK Universe.
#* "Subject1 = " and the following fields should contain the name of each subject in the image that has or should have an article on this wiki. Much like with the "License = " field, enter the current names of the subject pages as they appear on this wiki (Cairo Ilyas Draven, Shadow Sorcerer (Cairo Draven), Living Wolf etc.) and should only be left empty for non-subject images such as logos. If the five default fields are insufficient, more can be added manually as needed: "Subject6 = ", "Subject7 = " etc.
#* The artist attribution fields are only applicable for works which have the artists credited (mostly comic panels and covers, but concept or game art images may also be attributed properly if the artist is known). If the same artist filled more than one role in the respective issue, their names should be pasted into all of the respective fields. If several different artists are credited on the issue and it is unclear which of them worked on this specific panel, all of them should be listed using the additional fields added manually: "Penciler2 = ", "Inker3 = " and so on.
#* "ImageType = " field should contain one following options (with possible short form in parenthesis):
#: Cover art (cover) • Second printing cover (2nd printing) • Solicit cover (solicit) • Textless cover (textless) • Variant cover (variant) • Wraparound cover (wraparound)) • Indicia • Character (char) • Episode • Event • Item • Location • Logo • Map • Marvel staff (staff) • Non-Marvel • Organization • Race • Reality • Scene • Site • Team • Trading card (card) • User • Vehicle
===Image Quality===
All images should be uploaded with highest possible original quality, with no additional resizing or compression. Any watermarks or other additional changes made by third parties other than Marvel are strictly prohibited:
# For Comic Panels, use the digital versions whenever possible. This applies not only to all modern age releases, but also to a large number of classic comics re-released by Marvel in digital format.
#* If no digital version exists, try to obtain the highest possible scan quality - without pixelization, smears, signs of compression or other artifacts that greatly degrade the quality of the image.
#* Interior comic artwork can be edited to remove speech bubbles and other lettering elements as long as the modifications are as unobtrusive and seamless as possible. The original artwork must be respected, so elements from the artwork itself like characters, objects and backgrounds are not to be removed, only the lettering. Unless you are confident in your image editing skills, do not attempt to make this kind of edit. If an image is noticed to have been awkwardly edited, it will be deleted.
# For movies and TV series, use screenshots only from the officially released sources: Blu-Ray releases are preferable to streaming versions, which are themselves preferable to DVDs. Photos of screens and images from distributed released files are completely unacceptable and will be deleted on sight.
# For video games screenshots, try to use the highest graphic settings possible on your device.
===File Naming===
Several prominent wikis have no strict rules for naming uploaded files. Marvel Database is not one of them: we have strict rules for the proper filenaming that leave no room for improvisation and must be followed to the letter:
====Subject Images====
#Images of a specific subject (character, team, item, etc.) are named by the subject, the source material and an incremental number. For both the subject and the source, use the names as they appear on the respective pages of this wiki: Legends of the Celestial Protectors Vol 1 1, Shadow Sorcerer and so on. The incremental number should be three digits long to ensure there will be sufficient numbers for future use. If the full name of the source contains symbols restricted from filenames (most often, the colon), simply omit those symbols instead of inserting replacements.
#*One Subject: primarysubject_from_source_incrementalnumber.jpg
#**Example: Remy LeBeau (Earth-616) from Gambit Vol 5 9 001.jpg
#Full page interior images may be named by the comic pagename and an appended, incremental number. Keep in mind that uploading multiple pages of a comic strains the terms of Fair Use and should be avoided whenever possible.
#*Example: Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 233 001.jpg, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 233 002.png
====Cover Images====
#Comic Cover images are named with the following conventions. Volume number is required, even if it is Volume 1 and Volume 2 does not yet exist.
##Basic Cover: comictitle_Vol_volumenumber_issuenumber.jpg 
##*Example: [Legends of the Celestial Protectors Vol 1 1.jpg
==Image Usage==
All images must be placed onto the pages for which they are intended. Any Unused Files will be periodically deleted. Since this wiki allows and explicitly encourages Galleries for all notable pages, finding a place for your image should not be a problem.
===Article Main Image===
Almost every page on this wiki is build on one of the Templates, most of which feature a dedicates "Image = " field. This image should be that of the highest quality and the best available depiction of the subject:
#For Comics, the main released cover should be used (unless only textless cover is available for a yet-to-be-released comic). Textless cover, if available, should be added into "Image2 =" field with all the other variant covers added after it into "Image3 = ", "Image4 = " and so on fields (up to 200 images total).
#* Story arcs, storylines and events may use either the cover of the first issue of the arc or a promotional image for the story as a whole for the main image.
# For Movies and TV series, the main image should contain most prominent poster, which is usually the one used during the wide release. Alternate posters should be placed into the "Gallery" section of the page.
#* TV series that receive posters for individual episodes may use those as the main episode image. Otherwise, use a promotionally released photograph which best fits the nature of the episode rather than a screenshot, which are almost always of lower quality.
# For video games, the main image should contain the most prominent box art. Live games that receive periodic content updates may also feature the latest promotional image.
For in-universe articles (from characters and teams to items and vehicles) the main image should be cropped to focus on the subject when necessary:
# For teams, the main image should preferably depict the full current roster. If no such image exist, use an alternative that has the least amount of current members absent. As the most visible appearance of the team, textless comic covers and movies posters are preferred whenever available.
#* Organizations, both fictional and those originating in the real world, may use the official logo as the main image. This however should not be used for superhero organizations.
# For races, the main image should preferably depict several different members of that race or species, of both genders if possible. No members of other races should be present in the race main image.
# For realities, the main image should preferably depict an establishing or other wide shot of that reality. If the reality itself had never appeared, an image of the most prominent known character from that reality is also acceptable.
For character pages, the main image is of extra importance. Ideally, character pages should contain the highest quality image available that offers the best view of the character, but this is not always possible. When multiple images of similar quality exist, use the following guidelines to determine the one best suited for the main image, in order of significance:
# Higher quality images take preference. Generally that means that textless covers are preferred to comic panels, textless posters are preferred to film screenshots, clean renders are preferred to screenshots taken within video game environments and so on.
#* For characters who are Symbiotes, higher or similar quality image of a Symbiote bonded to a host is preferrable to an image of a host-less Symbiote.
# For characters with a costumed identity, an image of their latest costume is preferrable to an older one. For characters who used a costumed identity in the past but not anymore, the same principle applies, and their civilian attire is preferrable. Use common sense when dealing with a costume change in the middle of an ongoing arc: don't rush to change the image until it is made clear that the change is relatively long-term.
#* If the character had a prominent change in appearance at the end of the story and the only images of their new look are of significantly lower quality to their most common one, an earlier appearance may be maintained as the main image.
# It is preferred that main images offer as clear view of the character's body as possible. This does not necessarily mean a full head-to-toes shot: a detailed look of the face and upper body may be preferrable to a full-body image with a lower level of detail. 
It is trusted that members of the community can apply common sense when selecting the main image, but individual tastes may differ and sometimes there are multiple images available that all fit the same criteria. In these cases, a vote for a main image may be undertaken on the article's Talk Page or in the community's official method of communication (such as the Twitter Profile). Please avoid edit wars, in which two or more users revert the same image(s) back and forth, as this will force the Administrators to lock down the page entirely.
===Disambiguation Pages===
Disambiguation pages will by default use the current main image of the individual articles placed within it (except for the "Others" and "Related" sections, where images must be placed manually). However, the following changes can be made:
# For the main version of the character (usually those native to TRK Universe) a different top image may be selected. When possible, disambiguation pages should use images that showcase the character's various costumes (or other iterations) or otherwise invoke the character's legacy and history as opposed to their most current look. Other principles outlined above still apply, i.e. textless covers are preferrable.
# For alternate reality versions, a more representative image main image may be selected:
#* Because disambiguation pages crop all images below the top one to the square dimensions, images that are either very tall or very wide may end up cropped beyond recognition. In these cases, an alternative may be substituted.
#* For adaptations in non-comic media, a more familiar look of the character may be selected instead of the most current one to promote article recognition.
# Pages listed under "Others" and "Related" sections that link characters to aliases and vice versa should use the image of that character using that alias whenever possible. For example, both the link to Shadow Sorcerer on Kai Aswan's page and the link to Kai Aswan on Shadow Sorcerer's page should use the image of Monica as Captain Marvel as opposed to her most recent look.
===Gallery Pages===
:See TRK Database:Gallery Guidelines
Gallery pages can be created for any subject article that appears in more than one image, but should not contain every possible image of the subject: that's what Image Categories are for. Instead, the galleries should be used to showcase the best available images of the subject and the way it changed over the years: different artists, different costumes etc. Generally speaking, top-quality images (textless covers, promotional posters) where the subject is the focus are always welcome on the Gallery pages, while individual panels and screenshots should be selected sparingly: we don't want every panel in which the character was present in one issue nor a screenshot of every film scene they were in. Rather, select the images most relevant to the character (full body shots, high-detail close-ups) or to the story (action spreads, team shots, famous moments).
* Don't focus on the galleries to the detriment of the main page: generally speaking, for every 1-2 paragraphs of text in the main body of the article, having an image illustration to support the text is not only possible, but desirable. 
Category:Policies
Category:TRK Production Wiki