User blog:Atvelonis/Character Image Standard

Hi all, Atvelonis here. I'm writing this blog to clarify the all-too-common confusion about the wiki's policies on character images. For the purposes of this blog, I will be speaking mainly about the more recent games, such as, , , and ; many older titles, such as and , cannot conform to these standards. Images from such games are considered exceptions to the following rules.

Size
We do not have a specific requirement for the resolution of a character image, as long as the height of the image is 720 vertical pixels or greater. Formerly, the requirement was that all character images in applicable games must be exactly 600×1000 pixels. However, we decided several months ago that this rule prevented editors using lower-resolution (yet still high-definition) displays from uploading quality character images.

To solve this issue, the rule was amended so that all character images must conform exactly to a 3:5 aspect ratio. A 600×1000 image, for example, falls under this category. Notice that its horizontal component is 600 pixels, and its vertical component is 1000 pixels. If you simplify this ratio, you will end up at 3:5.

If you ever need to quickly determine if a resolution you've used fits this, divide the smaller number (horizontal) by the larger number (vertical), and if your answer is exactly 0.6, then the aspect ratio of that image meets this standard. The decimal may vary slightly if you use a resolution that does not divide evenly into 3:5, but should still round to 0.6. On the table below, find your monitor's resolution and choose one of the recommended image sizes corresponding to it:

There are other resolutions that can be used in place of these recommendations and still meet the 3:5 requirement, but these ones are the easiest sizes you can use when cropping your images.

Dimensions
All character images must show the character's entire body whenever possible. While this is generally feasible, certain character in ESO do not move out from behind a desk or other object, making a full-body image impractical to achieve.

It is possible to take a screenshot displaying such a character's full body from the side, but it is generally preferable to instead line the photo up as if there were no object blocking their lower half, and take it from the front.

Some other things to keep in mind are that images of characters are most easily viewed by readers when they are taken during the daytime. If the image is taken during the night, a reader may have to strain their eyes to distinguish the character from the background. Furthermore, try not to have something distracting anywhere else in the screenshot, such as players in ESO. Renders of characters are also not permitted; the screenshot must be taken in-game.

HUD
Character images cannot show any indication of the HUD, crosshair, or quest markers in the screenshot. In Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim, you can disable the HUD entirely with the command  (toggle menus). Hostile characters can be frozen by targeting them with the mouse and using the command  (toggle AI).