Images

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Revision as of 07:12, 16 July 2011 by Mysticat (talk | contribs) (→‎Image filetypes, filesizes)
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To use this code, you may have to go into edit mode. Please take care not to delete functioning code on this page and don't add any code that hasn't been proven to work on this version of Wiki. To test code, use the Sandbox.

Image filetypes, filesizes

Getting a Photo: If you don't have a camera, try taking a still from your monitor's built-in camera or your scanner (but be mindful of scratching your glass). The scanner is particularly useful for taking base photos en masse. Try to avoid busy, patterned backgrounds (a piece of plain paper (coloured or not), folded or bent gently under and behind the figure works well. Consider also those who would print off the page for personal use: dark backgrounds use more ink (and this is a good reason why you should cover any scans with a piece of Bristol board before scanning, as scanning with the lid up is not only harmful to your eyesight, but also produces a black background). If you don't have any means for taking pictures, you can still help by snagging catalog graphics or obtaining permissions from online sellers (auctioneers or manufacturers) for rights to use their photos (with proper credit of course). If you prefer not to deal with photos, you can always help by writing page code (which is as easy as copying and pasting code from these QuickCode pages and modifying them to suit.

Scale: If you have a scale stick (such as the Mississinewa Miniatures Scale Stick)to place beside any figs that are oversized, you can use it in the photo, but take the photo at mid-figure or eye height level with the stick beside the figure (not in front of or behind). Regardless, it is always helpful to specify the mm in the code, within parentheses (photos without the scale stick are prettier); specify whether this is top of head height or eye height. Some prefer to use grid paper as a backdrop to show scale, but this is problematic, since viewers won't know if this is metric or imperial measured graph paper (and it also distracts from the photo). For prostrate figures (corpses, etc.) a commonly known coin may be used for scale, but this is culturally-dependant. Very large figures like dragons and giants may be photographed beside a human figure for scale.

Filetypes: Use jpgs on this wiki.

Naming your Pictures: Please observe the File Naming convention here.

Filesize: "A file size warning will prompt you if your file exceeds the recommended 153600 bytes. Larger figures like dragons or box sets may justify exceeding this size limit, but for regular sized figures the recommended file size should be more than large enough to show the figures in all their detail. Over time large files accumulate a lot of unnecessary disc space, which eventually increases the monthly hosting fees." Admin

Leaving unoptimized oversized files is an unnecessary burden on administrators. A general rule of thumb: if, after cropping out extraneous background, you have to go below 80% quality on a jpg to get to a reasonable filesize, consider first reducing the size of the photo in pixels, keeping the aspect ratio the same. (File size and photo size are two different concepts: the former is measured in bytes, the latter in width and length pixels (in a raster image such as a jpg).) If you're not certain what to do about this or if you don't have a graphics editor, play around with your jpg on an online tool such as this one. If your photo must be reuploaded by an administrator, be advised that your credit and your image data (from your camera) may be lost, as this is extra (and should be unnecessary) work. To ensure your credit remains, consider putting a small watermark on your photo in a place that does not obscur the figure.

Simple Image Insertion

Partha.jpg [[image:partha.jpg]]

Galleries

Many codes do not work in galleries. Here are some that do, including a break code that puts in an empty pic spot. This wiki is set up to have all gallery rows composed of a maximum of four images. Don't worry about making new rows - just keep adding image lines within the bracketing gallery code. The following gallery row is not intended to show this wiki's format preference - just a little of what code can be used within a gallery.


Here's the actual code for the gallery row above. You can copy and paste from it to get what you want. The & nbsp; code is useful when you want to manipulate the gallery to keep multiple-figure blister pack photos in the first position of the row to introduce their individual photos (which often come in three-fig packs). (For some reason the & nbsp; code doesn't show even with the nowiki instruction, so we've inserted a space after the ampersand - just remember to remove the space after you paste it into your code.) Generally speaking, photos on non-topical pages are ordered by product code, but in order to keep some semblance of visual order, a single (non-pack) figure may be used to affect visual continuity of packs through intentional displacement in that ordering (if it's not too far away from where one would expect it to be). When writing the code, it helps to add extra line spaces every four lines (not code breaks) to easily see how the images will be grouped in rows. These extra line spaces will not affect the code, so keep them in your save for the sake of future edits. Note that fontface changes (such as the Times New Roman example here) will only be viewable to those with that font installed. Other color codes are to be found here.

<gallery>
image:RP-01-001v1.jpg|<center>❏ 01-001<br>{{gr|v1}}<br>''Evil Wizard, <small>casting spell''♥</small><br>(¾"w×1¼"h)<br>[[:Image:RP-01-001v1.jpg|<span style="font-variant:small-caps">Alt Views</span>]]
image:g-cn-8501a.jpg|<tt>8501a</tt><br>'''Zombie'''♂<br><span style="color:#009000">CH7</span><br>[http://www.mirliton.it/ <font face="Times New Roman">(Now at Mirliton)</font>]
& nbsp;
image:g-coc-6502f.jpg|<center><span style="color:#008080">6502f</span><br><u>Mi-go</u><br>[[John Dennett]]<br>{{smg|Release: 1979}}
</gallery>


Special Characters that may be wanted within a gallery:
† dagger ‡ double dagger Footnotes (normal asterisks (*) may be problematic with the code)
™ trademark © copyright ® patent Intellectual Properties
× (for listing measurements or the number of copies of sculpt originals in a set - don't use "x")
½ ¼ ¾ ⅓ ⅔ ⅛ ⅜ ⅝ ⅞ fractions (for listing measurements)
★☆✦♦◊✱✽❋ (used very sparingly, and with a legend, to single out a group of figures with special characteristics - one symbol per group)
♥ (could be used to designate a classic favorite, as evidenced by sales - and not by you, the editor) ❏ (Checkbox for collectors, perhaps placed just before the product code)
→↓↑→← (for directing the reader to a very nearby photo)
♂♀ (designating the gender of the figure, though wording is preferred for the Search engine)
✉✆☞℅ (perhaps used in piped links to shorten a contact line in a caption - the hand can direct to a more recent manufacturer)

Administration Format Preference

Now that you know what can be done within a gallery, here's an entry done to this Wiki's format preference.

  • In our example, RP1 represents the base marking code of the figure if different from its product code (in this case the PC is 01-001).
  • "v.1" represents the version number.
  • "Merlin" within the square brackets indicates that this is a popular name given to this figure. If "Merlin" preceeded the brackets, becoming part of the title of the piece, then it is a formal name of the figure. If followed by "[sic]", this means anything that looks like an error is an error on official manufacturer's documents or packaging. It's important not to correct such errors.
  • "Alt views" is only used to link to an alternative image, such as a backview or painted figure. If this is a catalogue scan, it should read "(Catalog Scan)". If it is a base photo, it should read "Base Markings."
  • The © statement here indicates that the rights are currently held by Iron Wind; this does not mean it's in production. If in production, this line could read "(avail. @ Iron Wind)".
  • The information in "[in robes & w. arms up]" is solely the coder's words to differentiate figures - and not part of the official name of the fig. For the figure shown below, this was not necessary or desirable, but we used it for purposes of explanation for other figures that might require it.
  • Use of "w." for "with" and "&" for "and" are encouraged in order to keep the length of the caption as short as possible.
  • If any part of the information is in doubt, a question mark should be added (as in the release date in our example, which is an educated guess, or perhaps a common rumour.) In the case of our example, "1978?" is more informative than "197?," which would be used if no rumour of the last digit were available.
  • Ltd. Ed., Premium, Special Ed., and so on are to be used as per the manufacturer's description whenever possible.
  • Where necessary, the <br> code should be used to make the text look better.
  • If there are extensive notes, use a footnote dagger to instruct the reader to look at the footnotes that follow (which are to be ordered by product code.
  • After the gallery (and its footnotes section if there is one), there should be inserted a <br> to give some line spacing before what follows.
  • Although we do include the sculptor link here, we do not credit painters on photo captions in the gallery view. Such credit, along with the photographer credit is given on the image page (click the thumb to get there).
  • Base marking statements should be clearly stated as such, eg. <small><span style="color:#008080">Base: "1259 BISSETT"</span>

[Stand by...awaiting modification or verification of this code by Colin, and until then, this is only a suggested format, based on what has been seen on pages here. Once approved, the nowiki copy and paste code section will be added.]

† Footnotes:

01-101 This was the very first sculpt produced by Ral Partha, and was immortalized later as the first gold-plated Collectors Club premium figure for members only.


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