WiKirby:Image standards

Kirby knows how to get the best images. So can you after reading this page!

Images are a great way to illustrate article content, and some pages may be mostly or entirely devoted to them. However, not all images are equal, and obtaining a good quality image can be tricky, particularly if the editor is attempting to manually capture said image. While the following image standards are not absolute rules, following them will invariably lead to better quality images that are more likely to be deemed worthy of featuring on the main page, and less likely to be deleted.

Images by type

Firstly, it is important to know that different types of images have different standards set. This section will outline each important type of image and the guidelines for each:

External artwork

Given how the Kirby franchise is publicized, it is typically the case that external (i.e. not from within the game) artwork will be made to promote a release. This artwork can typically be found on promotional material such as game covers (box art), game manuals, T.V. advertisements, posters, websites, merchandise, and other material. When an editor wishes to upload a piece of external artwork to WiKirby, it is important to keep in mind the following criteria whenever possible:

  • Is the artwork from an official source (i.e. directly from Nintendo and/or HAL Laboratory or related developer)?
  • Is there a higher-quality version of that artwork somewhere else?
  • Is there a place on WiKirby where that artwork can be applied?

Once these are considered, the uploading process may begin. When uploading a piece of artwork, it is important to specify the correct type parameter in the {{Aboutfile}} template ("artwork" in this case) to automatically place the image into the Category:Artwork category. Additionally, it is important to specify the source of the image in the file summary, so that viewers know the image is official, and not potentially a piece of fan art or other modification. Finally, it is important to categorize the image by the game/other piece of media it was made for. (i.e. a piece of art promoting Kirby Star Allies should have "Kirby Star Allies" (no quotes or other formatting) typed into the game parameter)

Generally speaking, external artwork should not be modified before being uploaded excepting simple operations like cropping out unnecessary elements. If the image is set against a blank background, it is generally advised to leave it as is rather than attempt to remove it manually. If a version with a transparent background is found later, that version should generally take precedence over the previous image. The MIME type of the image (.jpg, .png, etc.) should be kept the same whenever possible when uploading.

Game screenshots and internal artwork

In most cases, uploaded images will consist of material obtained from within a game or other piece of media. In this case, it is usually up to the editor to determine the content that is captured and uploaded, and it takes a degree of personal taste/judgment to capture the appropriate images for display on the wiki. While this page will not attempt to specify exactly what screenshots should contain in terms of content, the following metric should be used:

  • Is the content appropriate-for/relevant-to the subject matter?
  • Is the content free of distracting elements (such as obscuring in-game visuals or external distortion)?
  • Is the content distinct enough from similar material?

When uploading a game or website screenshot, the type parameter should read as "screenshot" or "officialscreenshot". Generally speaking, users should only upload screenshots that they either took themselves (source=self) or retrieved from an official source (type=officialscreenshot and a link to the source in the source parameter, more information on sourcing standards can be found on this page). Additionally, users should avoid taking "indirect" screenshots, such as screencapturing a YouTube video of a game, as this almost universally results in poor-quality images. In the rare event that an appropriate image can be taken from a YouTube video, permission should be retrieved from the uploader first (unless it's a public channel or mirror of a public video).

Screenshot resolution

When uploading screenshots, care should be taken to ensure it is the appropriate resolution (dimensions in pixels). The following guidelines should be heeded when uploading screenshots based on the type of game it comes from:

Sprite-based games

Screenshots of sprite-based games must be "pixel perfect"; meaning the pixels are rendered at a 1 to 1 ratio from game to screenshot. It does not matter what is used to capture the screenshot (native console, Virtual Console, emulation, etc.), as long as this is the case. In addition, these screenshots must be clean (no visual distortions and precisely cropped for full screenshots) and originally rendered in lossless format (PNG in our case). Sprite-based screenshots that are in .jpg format are not considered to be good quality, and should be replaced with .png captures (under no circumstances should a .jpg image simply be converted to .png).

Sprite-based games (along with full screenshot resolution in parentheses) consist of the following:

Non-sprite-based games, native, or unofficially emulated

Screenshots of non-sprite-based games that are not being played on Virtual Console should ideally match the native resolution of the console they were originally made for. In addition, they can be in a file format other than PNG as long as they are clean with no significant distortion.

Non-sprite-based game screenshots should generally follow the standard native resolution of their home consoles, as follows:

  • Nintendo 64 (320x240px or 640x480px, certain games may differ in what is considered "native")
  • Nintendo GameCube and Wii (640x480px or 854x480px for widescreen, certain games may differ in what is considered "native")
  • Nintendo 3DS (400x240px for upper screen, 320x240px for lower screen)
  • Wii U and Nintendo Switch (1280x720px or 1920x1080px)
  • Wii U Game Pad (854x480px native, 800x450px for Miiverse screenshots)
Virtual Console games

Screenshots of games emulated using Virtual Console or any other official Nintendo emulation method are valid if and only if they match the native resolution of the console they are being played on, are clean, and are not sprite-based. They must also all be marked with the VC template. For the sake of clarity, games that are being played on backwards-compatible devices with higher resolution (such as Wii games on Wii U) are also treated as Virtual Console.

Upscaled images

WiKirby allows upscaled images (those which have a resolution greater than what the game allows natively) to be uploaded and used in articles, granted they meet the following conditions:

  • They are marked on their file pages with the Upscale template.
  • They are not being used as the default representative image for a subject (i.e. in place of a native equivalent in main article space).
  • They are described as upscales in article text (preferably in the image caption).

These rules follow for any images that have had their resolution increased using emulation, image editing, or other forms of modding. They do not apply to external artwork or ripped in-game models. They also do not apply to images that have been stretched by various display schema (which should be marked as low quality instead).

Game sprites

When uploading game sprites, they should be scaled 1 to 1 (1 pixel per "block") unless they need to be upscaled for display purposes. The same applies to internal artwork ripped from games.

When uploading sprites to the wiki, use the type parameter "sprite". When uploading internal artwork that is not sprite-based, use the "artwork" parameter instead. Similarly to sprite-based screenshots, all sprites must be captured in png format. Any sprites not self-captured need to be sourced. Common sources include The Spriters Resource or the Sprite Database (include a specific link to the sheet you use). Be sure to verify that the sprite is correct if using one of these sources. Do not take sprites from non-NIWA wikis, especially Kirby FANDOM.

Official screenshots

Often, Nintendo or HAL Laboratory will release screenshots demonstrating their media. When uploading these, they should not be tampered with in any way, and the type parameter "officialscreenshot" should be used. A source should also be provided when uploading these to confirm their authenticity. Even if the official screenshot is low quality by our standards, it is perfectly acceptable to upload if it is unaltered from the original source.

Other images

When it comes to images of things that do not quite fit the above categories, rules are generally more lenient, though there are a few special cases:

Game covers

When uploading a game cover (a.k.a. box art), use the "boxart" type parameter and provide the source.

Ripped model images

When uploading an image of a 3D model from a game that has been isolated from its source, use the "model" type parameter and specify the source.

Wiki-specific images

When uploading images meant primarily for use in the wiki's interface, use the "wiki" type parameter. This includes things like navigational buttons, logos, textures, and the like.

Screenshots of non-game content

When uploading a screenshot of content not from a video game, do not use the "|game" form (use "|media" instead if appropriate) and provide a source.

Photographs of real world subjects

When uploading a photograph that is copyright protected, use the "photo" parameter and provide a source. Do not upload photos that have not been publicly released by the original owner.

Personal images

Main article: WiKirby:Personal content policy

Each user may have up to five personal files on WiKirby, including images. Personal images may only be used on the user's own user-pages. They must be marked with the "user" type parameter followed by the user's name in the user form. (ex. |type2=user |user=Moydow)

Other image procedures and details

  • When uploading, keep in mind that the current upper limit for image file size is 64 MB (megabytes), but that smaller file sizes are always preferred when possible (generally you should avoid uploading things larger than 5 MB). As such, images that approach or surpass the 64 MB limit may not be uploaded. If an editor wishes to upload such an image, it may be necessary to scale it down or optimize it. If this cannot be done, use an external link to link to the image instead of uploading it.
    • It is possible to hotlink an image from another site up to 100 MB, but this should not be done without the original site's permission.
  • When replacing an image, use the "Upload a new version of this file" function wherever possible. If this cannot be done, upload the new file separately, replace the links to the old file, and mark the old file with the {{Delete}} template. Be sure to include a reason for deletion such as "replaced with new image (link to image here)".
  • When uploading, make sure the file name chosen is descriptive of the subject matter. A good name would include details such as the name of the entity/place being shown and the source game/media from which it was taken. Files with bad names will be moved or deleted as appropriate. For specific guidelines on naming files, see the naming policy.
  • All images must belong to at least one category, and must be licensed as appropriate. Use this page to find and correct any uncategorized files and correct them. This issue typically results from the aboutfile template being used incorrectly or not at all.
  • Transparent images should in almost all cases be cropped to be as small in width and height as possible. This allows them to be displayed properly in articles.
  • While not a strict requirement, using external optimization programs to minimize a file's size is strongly encouraged, as long as the compression is lossless— that is, no image quality is lost. Some examples of such programs can be found on WiKirby's "Recommended Downloads" section at the bottom of the front page.