One Piece Wiki:Guidebook/Image Guidelines

Image usage
Images are used on this wikia to depict what often is hard to describe in words. To this extent, all images on this site are being used for illustrational purposes only. If images are used for anything more, they can be considered going agaisnt copyright laws. To keep the wikia healthy, avoid questions of "misuse" of the wikia and to generally avoid sensitive image arguments we have certain guidelines and rules that should be note. Unacceptable images can be considered Vandalism just as text can be considered if it is spam, offensive or flame.

Unsuitable or unused images can be deleted at any point without warning by an admin or a member of the wikia staff.

Acceptable

 * Single cell or single pages from the manga
 * Screen shots of a single scene from the games.
 * Screenshots of a single frame from the anime
 * Animations showing a single event from the anime, such as a single fighting move.
 * Fanart showing a single symbol (such as a pirate flag) used with premission of the orginal maker, used where the manga/anime could did not provide a decent enough image.
 * File extensions: .JPG, .GIF or .PNG, this is standard requirement for the wiki system and many file extension types (such as .BMP) are not uploadable.

Unacceptable

 * Porn or nude images
 * Fanart art of any form - from fan colour images to full character depictions, though there is one exception (see "Acceptable").
 * Doctored images of any form.
 * Images unrelated to this wikia, we're not an image host, sites like Photobucket exist for this purpose.
 * Images showing multiple pages from the manga.
 * Animations showing more then one event e.g. showing a full fight scene between two characters.
 * Images of people with no involvment with the making of One Piece at all.
 * Watermarked images, these are claimed by an owner as their property and they may be offended if the image was taken without premission.

Image Advice
Generally, while images enhance the usefulness of a page, they likewise can lower its quality. The following are examples of past editor mistakes, made by both experienced and inexperienced editors alike.

Image Overload
Overloading a single area of text with multiple images can lead to layering issues. The most common form of layering problem is the rendering of a mass white space due to conflicts with either other images already on the page or page templates. You can Preview all edits using the "Preview" option next to the button "Save page". Please use this to check you have no caused a layering problem. Images that cause layering problems will be removed from the page when spotted, although they may not be completey destroyed as experienced editors may find other uses for them on the page or another page.

If you wish to fit many images in one space, the code

Image Replacement
All images can be replaced on a page either by uploading a new image with the same name, or altering the coding of the image to a different image on the page. Editors do not need premission or explaination to replace an image on a place. However, take note what you consider a better image may not be considered a better image by other editors. Please also take note that replacing an image from the manga with its counterpart is acceptable, however you should not replace a manga image with another manga image of less quality. Likewise, do not replace an anime image with another anime image of less quality.

Image Wars
This is when editors are constantly changing images on a page from one version to another for a variety of reasons. In the event of constant reverting between two revisions of the same image, the most useful or related image to its intended use will be choosen, or in the event of neither image being of satisfaction, both images may be rejected for another image. If you feel the the other editors are making a bad choice, there is a choice to argue the point of the image, backing it up with support from the guidelines listed on this page.

Mass Uploading
Mass uploading is when a editor uploads a number of images within the span of a short amount of time (usually within an hour). Often the intentions of the user are in the right place, however mass uploadings cause problems. Other editors cannot keep up or check on what images were uploaded if a mass upload happens too fast. In the case of mass replacement as well as uploadings that means other editor may be left with 20+ pages to look and compare the images of. On top of this, if the source of the images is deemed unsuitable (i.e. they were taken from a single site where every image was watermarked), then those images would have to be removed causing time wasted.

It is advisable that if a mass upload is intended that the uploader seek out help beforehand, if the images ARE coming from a single site it is important you investigate the site or ask another more experienced editor to check out the site for you.

Unused Images
All images are intended for use on the wikia and unused images can be found via the Unused files page. Please note that an image may ALREADY exist on the wikia and one can check using this page the image isn't already uploaded by this wikia. If you upload an image, but do not add it to a page, or it was deemed unsuitable/unneeded by another editor and removed, then that image can be deleted without question. Images take up memory and space and unused images serve the wikia in no way. If you do not wish your image to end up deleted, make sure you put it on a page straight away. If a editor removes it, check the history of the page to check why is was removed, failinf that, ask the editor to explain. If no explaination is provided you can revert, however please remember it is more important to avoid a edit war then it is to get a suitable picture.

Duplicate Images
Like with unused images, duplicate images are also at risk to be deleted at any point, like with unused images, without question. If the image already exists, there is no need for a copy, it simply takes up space. Check the page and related pages to make sure the image doesn't already exist. Also note images can be used on several pages, not just one. Also, likewise check the Unused files page to see if the image exists there.

Profile and Identification Image Advise
Aside from standard images uploaded to support text, images can also serve the page in two other ways. The first is by the profile image and the second is via a thumbnail used in identification templates.

Profile Images
On every character page, there may be a infobox section on the page acting as a "quick reference" for viewers. The images in the infoboxes should show at least the two following things:


 * 1) A character's face and features must be clearly seen in an image
 * 2) An image of a full body pose is preferable unless the image uploaded is less in quality than the older face only image it's replacing
 * 3) The character's full body pose in the image must not distort the character's features regardless of quality.
 * 4) The clothes the character in the image have to be at least the ones that they are most commonly seen in. A good example would be Luffy's red vest and blue pants. They do not have to be the most up to date, however if the standard clothes the character wears changes, then the new style may replace the old in such an occurance.
 * 5) For characters that constantly change clothes like Nami and Robin, just a good image of them is acceptable. However, the image should at least show their features.

If a new image covers more of these points then the previous image, then it is fine to upload and used as a replacement image. In addition while the games such as the Grand Battle! series offer dramatic poses of the featured characters, they should be seriously thought about before used. Equally, filler arc pictures should be avoided as the wikia prefers canon-based over filler, unless the character itself is filler.

Dramatic Poses, What To Avoid
Temptation is to use the most "awesome" image of a character you can find. Dramatic poses can be found across the border in regards to One Piece itself. They are present in the manga, the anime, games, etc. It is advisable however that you think before using such an image. While they can be indeed "awesome" to the eye, they may also be arkward or clumsily posed. Sometimes in the artist's attempts to impress the looker(particularly with the games) they end up creating a image that is unsuitable, at the very least for the wikias needs.

A common problem with poses is hidden body parts, particularly of the front, though in cases such as Portgas D. Ace whose tattoos best identify him this can be ignored to a degree. To create a pose that is dramtic, the illusion of distance needs to be demostrated, this leds to another common problem; warping of body parts. That is, when a foot or arm ends up far too small, giving the character an appearance that his or her foot is very far away. This is most noticable when other body parts may seem up close, often resulting in a very long, thin looking limbs. However the reverse can also happen wherein the body parts are depicted as being too close, resulting in the opposite occuring, that is the body parts are too big and bulky. Finally, to create these dramatic poses, sometimes feature distortion occurs (e.g. the face becomes arkward, in a few cases abnormal or even unreconnisable) as often the head ends up being in the wrong place or at the wrong suitable angle for the pose itself.

In this case the dramatic pose has left his coat covering most of his visible body and part of his lower face. On top of this, as this is a rear view pose, most of the possible details have been lost. His pose is arkward, with feature distortion occuring to create an effect of limbs posed at an angle. The end of his hook is hidden from view and could easily be mistaken for a hoop rather then a hook. Overall, while this is an impressive game image, it does not depict his character very well. On top of this, someone new to One Piece would be slightly confused as to what is going on with his right hand.

In contrast, the image of the Luffy, while again a dramatic pose is occuring, the full body is visable and there are no hidden parts of the body or his outfit. While the Crocodile image offers little in the way of a quality image, the Luffy image covers most of the guidelines.

Anime Vs. Game, what is best?
While it is true games are filler, they can also be based off of the current storyline. So while games are indeed non canonical, so long as the character image matches their canon self (i.e. has the right clothes),a game image can be used as a profile image. As the previous example pointed out, the poses used for the games may not always be suitable to add to this, however that does not mean they are to be completely dismissed entirely. In fact the only downside (aside from dramatic poses) to the games is that some of them may have the wrong colour scheme on, such as the Keimi image from Oceans Dream given above on this page wherein her hair and tail are both the wrong colour.

In the above example we have a previously used anime image Vs a image from one of the Grand Battle games. Take note that the most noticable problem with the anime image is that Usopp's foot is blocking at least 40% of the image. While Onion is indeed a full body pose here as well (which is preferred), he is rather small. At the very least, this image should have been cropped to remove unneeded imagery from the scene, focusing on just Onion. However, even if this was done, another problem is the image has a quality lack, enlarging results in pixelation, a common problem with image expandsion. Also, even if this particular image was cropped, much of the foot remains and Onion's own left leg is hidden along with his left hand.

While the game image misses the color match just slightly, it however is much better for the profile image useage. Here, a full image is visible, with no distractions, something very hard to find outside of the One Piece games.

Quality Check
As previously mentioned, quality can be a reason for one image being used over another. Quality in itself means many things, but in this context it means the grade of the picture. A notable effect of files Types such as .JPG is their habbit of lowering the grade of the image, making the fize size smaller. Pixelation, compacting and dithering can led to detail being lost, limiting the useage of the image.

On top of this, another problem exists in relation to RAW copies of the manga; it may have yet to be cleaned up by anothe person. There means the image will have odds things like many shades of grey, the manga itself is orginally black and white, meaning only 2 or so shades of grey are intended to exist. When scanned, bending pages and other occurances may add new shades to the black and while image that alreay exists. The RAW itself also depends on the quality of the scan made by the person who scanned the image, quick scan groups will scan a manga in Low Quality resulting in a manga scan that will appear faster then any other scan being released, while a High quality scan may not appear until up to 72 hours later.

Identification Images
These are a standard 120 x 120 px image used for templates designed for speedy identification due to the sheer number of characters in the series. They are found on pages such as Red-Haired Pirate Crew, Straw Hat Pirates or locations such as Alabasta. Colour is preferred once again, however in many cases it is impossible to get such an image and often these images must come from Data Books and the Manga directly itself. None of these images are being used for avatars for sites, so why a good representation of the character is important, quality of the image may not be an issue. Also, the image should not be anything more then the characters head, unlike the infobox image which it is preferred that a full character image be used.

Example
In the Luffy image, his head is angled so he is facing slightly behind him, this has left Luffy with a strange expression on hi face and the appearance of a babyish character. In contrast, the Crocodile image is facing straight on, with no distractions or objects blocking any part of the face.