Guidelines:Files

Overview

Uploading
Before uploading any images, it's almost always a good idea to run them through a compressor. Image editing programs usually have built-in features that compress images when saved, but there are several free programs which compress much more efficiently. These should be used whenever possible.

Screenshot Retrieval
There are various methods to retrieve screenshots from games. Screenshots are usually taken from capture card hardware, but some modern consoles offer built-in screenshot capture features. It is also possible to take screenshots from videos, though there are specific standards to follow when going about this. Additionally, various games often require their own screenshot conditions to be met for files. Please refer to each game's guideline for these conditions.

If you are interested in retrieving screenshots, please visit the Image Retrieval page.

Wii U Screenshots
To take screenshots from your Wii U, set up your desired shot on your TV (do not set the screen to the GamePad, doing so will make the screenshots smaller). Once everything is in frame as desired, hit the Home button and open the Internet Browser. Go to the Wii U Image Share (i.nintendo.net/wiiu/) and select your preferred social media account (Twitter, Facebook, or Tumblr). This will upload an image to the account you link your Wii U to when prompted.

After linking, you will be directed to the upload form. Select the "Browse" button and you will receive a prompt on your GamePad to choose between two images, which are snapshots of what is on screen for the game that your Wii U is presently running. Pick the top image, and optionally enter text in the comment field (if you need to remind yourself what subject the shot is of). Afterwards, click the orange Post button and wait for it to publish to your account.

Nintendo Switch Screenshots and Videos
Though it is possible to take both screenshots and videos from a built-in feature on Nintendo Switch controllers, video files extracted from this feature provide the best clarity and are therefore preferred over standard screenshots. However, it is not possible to capture videos with some software, so guidelines for standard screenshots have been included here as well.

You can take screenshots by pressing the Capture button at the bottom of the left Joy-Con (or between the Left Stick and Home button on a Pro Controller). To take videos, you can simply hold down the Capture button for a short period of time. For shots that have a short time-frame and cannot have video captured, consider rapidly pressing the Capture button to increase the odds you Capture the right moment.

Go to the Album. Select a screenshot or video, press A to open the Editing and Posting menu and select Post. Select a desired social media account (either Facebook or Twitter) and enter your account details. From there, tailor the text in the post to your liking and post.
 * Upload Method 1:


 * Upload Method 2:
 * Note: this requires an SD Card reader and a microSD to SD adapter.

Turn off your Nintendo Switch, insert the microSD Card (the slot is under the stand on the back), then turn on your Switch. For individual files, go to Album, select a screenshot or video, press A to open the Editing and Posting menu and select Copy. Repeat for all images wanted. For bulk transfer, go to System Settings > Data Management > Save Data/Screenshots and Videos > Manage Screenshots and Videos > System Memory > Copy All Screenshots and Videos to microSD Card. Wait for the process to finish.

Once you've copied the desired files, turn off your Switch and remove the microSD Card. Transfer it to your PC.

Filename
It is important for us to name files consistently so that they are easy to find and use. Filenames should follow the following format:

Do separate each word with a space. Do not separate words using hypens or.

Artworks and Renders
are official 2D illustrations released for promotional purposes. are similar, but different in that they are official 3D models created for much the same purpose. Official artworks and models that are not released for use by press or on official merchandise are referred to as  and , respectively.

Icons, Sprites, and Textures
Icons, sprites, and textures are fundamentally the same, but how and when they're used determines which they are called. are used for 2D games and can refer to any isolated subject in a 2D game, such as items in the HUD (Heads Up Display) and in UI (User Interface) menus such as the Series:, or characters and objects in the world. are sprites and textures used in the HUD and in UI menus for 3D games only. (Backgrounds used in these would constitute textures.)  are used exclusively for 3D games to refer to any graphical sheet that is not used as an icon and is not affixed to a 3D model (in which case it would be a  ). Textures taken from 3D models can be treated as such provided they are the actual texture sheet and not a cropped screenshot of a 3D model.

Special Characters
Special characters should be avoided unless the subject depicted uses a special character in its name. In this case, the special character should be used in the filename. If it is not possible for a file to use a name with that special character, the fullwidth equivalent, shown in the table below, should be used instead (example: BotW Ancient Battle Axe＋ Icon.png should be used as the subject is the Ancient Battle Axe+ but + is not an allowed character). A redirect can then be made from page using the special character to the page with the fullwidth equivalent (example: BotW Ancient Battle Axe+ Icon.png redirects to BotW Ancient Battle Axe＋ Icon.png). The redirect should then be used when linking the file.

Subject
While uploading an image, you should almost always include a comma-separated list of the image's depictions, in alphabetical order. This should include every subject that appears in the image, even if the subjects are not the main focus of the image. A commonly missed subject that should be placed in the subject are the Series:. These are the clothes that Series: wears and should be placed in the subject along with Series:.

Summary
Files must include a short and descriptive summary. Fields included in the FileInfo template such as the type of the image (e.g. sprite, model) and the media (e.g. game, manga) are not to be mentioned in the summary as this is deemed tautological. The mention  must be added at the end of summaries of images whose depictions are directly took from in-game (e.g. sprite, model) with the exception of screenshots as this is tautological.

Summaries are to be treated as short captions of the subject(s) depicted, and should ideally be kept as a single "sentence". In the case that a longer summary is required, you should consider placing the necessary text elsewhere on an article and that text should be accompanied by the image. In cases where this is not possible, longer segments of text may be separated with semicolons. As captions are rarely complete sentences, you should not use periods to close them.

Sourcing
All images should make use of the Source field if possible. Occasionally, we derive images from social media or official sites which have made them publicly visible, in addition to sites which may rip assets from the games themselves, such as The Spriters and The Models Resources. Some users also carry out the retrieval process all on their own, and there are also special conditions in the case of images retrieved from books. In each of these cases, it is important to properly cite the source for the file so that they can be properly attributed. The source for most images can be implemented using the  template. For examples of how to cite these, please refer to the tabs below:

If you find an image that does not include any source at all, you should add the template  in the source parameter. This will provide a message stating that the image needs a source, prompting other editors and/or the original submitter to add one, as well as placing the file in the Images Lacking Sources Category. If you find an image that has a source, but the source only links to a general area of where they found the image instead of directly to the page where they found it, you should add the template  in the source parameter. This will provide a message prompting for a replacement of the source, and will also place the image in the Images with Vague Sources Category.

Promotional Media
Screenshots and certain images taken from official sources should be added to the Promotional Media category and subsequently protected to ensure that the file is not overwritten.

Artwork and Renders do not need to be placed in this category, nor do they need protected.