Help:Images

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Lotro-Wiki uses icons and images to document the visual elements of the game. We distinguish between icons and images in that

  • Icons are small and usually found on in-game "tooltips" representing various aspects of the game such as items, skills, etc.
  • Images display such as cosmetics, creatures, NPCs and locations.

Icons should always be uploaded using the PNG file format. It is recommended to use a lossless method to capture images meant for icons.

Images should always be uploaded using the JPEG (jpg) file format. The main reason is their smaller file sizes. JPEG is a "lossy file format", a trade-off between image quality versus smaller file size. The in-game "screenshot function" will use the JPEG format.

Note: Wherever "Windows" is mentioned in this text it symbolises any operating system on which Lotro can run.

Icon Guidelines

  • Icons must be in the PNG file format
  • Icons should be 32x32 pixels (more uncommonly 40x40px)
  • If the icon has transparent pixels in-game, it should also have transparent pixels on Lotro-Wiki; see suggestions
  • If possible, use a generic icon instead of uploading a new one; see Category:Icons

Image Guidelines

  • Images must be uploaded in the JPEG (jpg) file format
  • Images should be larger than 400 pixels on at least one side
  • Images should not be resized; Lotro-Wiki will resize images as needed
  • Images should if possible be free from UI elements such as floating names or icons, selection rings, attack effects, floating damage, etc.
  • Images should be captured using the highest quality graphics when possible
  • Images should have good lighting
  • Location images should not have player characters in them, and, in most cases, be centred and fairly close up
  • NPC images should be head to toe, and taken at even eye height
  • Creature and mob images should be as "full featured" as possible – a raging dragon is much more impressive than a sleeping one
  • For images that should be replaced (for example due to poor resolution), use {{Image Stub}}

Capturing an Image or Icon

Capturing a Lossless Image

Capturing lossless screenshots is for icons. But also for image editing before upload, the quality will be better if saving as JPG as late as possible.

While playing Lotro the "Print Screen" (PrScr) button does two things: Lotro will save an image file on disk in JPG file format, and Windows will copy the screen contents to its clip-board. For lossless capturing it is the clip-board we want.

  1. Compose the scene and click on "Print Screen"
  2. Open an image-editing program
  3. Paste from clip-board (e.g. Ctrl+V)
  4. For an icon, zoom in, crop the image to correct size, and save as PNG file
  5. For an image, edit away (save as PNG until ready editing), and finally save as JPG file

For images that do not need any "photo-shopping" the JPG files saved by Lotro will do perfectly.

Prepare for Great Images

Remove all UI stuff

  • Turn off floating icons: Options and "search" for "icon"
  • Turn off floating names: Press "N" (default) or Options and "search" for "name"
  • Toggle off the UI: Press "F12" (or Ctrl + U) – toggle on the same way
  • Deselect the object: Click any "empty area"
  • Enter first-person-player mode: Scroll/Zoom to make your character invisible

Composition
For really good info, see How to Take a Great Screenshot by Devonna @ LotroStylist
Here follows our editors' best tips:

  • Short or sitting NPCs are best captured by dwarf or hobbit characters for best perspective
  • Pets and movable objects should be placed on a table or walls for best perspective
  • Location images should show the key features of the place
  • Interiors should have images of the interior first, and secondly of the exterior

Lighting
Daylight is the preferred light source, always. However, within Lotro the following tricks may help:

  • Increase "Ambient Light": Options ⇒ Graphics
  • Toggle on "personal light": Click Alt+F10 repeatedly to cycle through strong, normal, and off
  • Try turning the subject toward a light source by interacting with it
  • Try mousing over the subject to highlight it, without capturing the mouse pointer
  • Avoid making the subject too bright with these techniques

Tips for capturing an icon

  • Option A: See Capturing a Lossless Image
  • Option B: Use e.g. Windows' "Snipping Tool", select a small portion of the screen, capture, and save in PNG format
  • Turn off post-processing filters that may affect the quality
  • To save icons from multiple tooltips: Click "H" to lock a tooltip on-screen, drag it somewhere, open next tooltip, line them up (max 20 though), and capture all at once

Using Lotro Skinning Packs


Capturing Lotro Store images

Best tips is to open the store in an external browser and right-click the image and save the image full-size.

Editing screenshots

For editors and tips about them, see Image Editing.

  • Until editing is completed, save using the lossless PNG file format to preserve quality
  • Do not resize a screenshot, Lotro-Wiki will adjust the displayed size automatically and without loss of quality
  • Do not overwork it, quality may decrease and/or the result may look unnatural; see Lighting for some tips though
  • Icons may have transparent pixels which should be removed manually, usually in the corners; for example has removed corners

Uploading an image or icon

  1. On your system, provide the image or icon with the correct filename (see "Names" below for more detail) using the techniques described above.
  2. Navigate to the Lotro-Wiki Upload File page.
    • If from an existing article with a place-holder for the image or icon (usually a red link), click that link which takes you to the Upload File page. Or...
    • In the wiki toolbox (at the bottom of the left-hand column on every Lotro-Wiki page) click on 'Upload File'.
  3. In the "Source File" box, click "Choose File" to browse your computer, find and select the file of the image or icon you wish to upload. (This requires Java Script to be enabled in your Browser.)
    • In the "File Description" box, the "Destination Filename" should appear automatically and need no further editing. However, you may need to add Special Characters or the -icon part of the filename (see "Names" below for more detail).
  4. In the "Summary box", place a brief description of the image or icon and the wiki-category where the icon or image belongs. For example:
[[Category:Armour Icons]]
or
[[Category:The Shire NPC Images]]

If you need help figuring out in which category your icon or image belongs, please check the following:

For images but not icons, view Category:Images
For all icons (not images), view Category:Icons
For icons belonging to items, view Category:Item Icons

If you are still uncertain which category to select, leave it blank and it will appear in the uncategorized images report for someone else to take care of.

Naming icons and images

Image and icon names must reflect the correct spelling, punctuation, and special characters as it is shown in game.

If a name should have special characters and you do not know how to reflect that when saving the file (on your system), just save it normally. Then, in the "upload file" page replace the appropriate letters in the "Destination Filename" using the Special Characters addon below the edit area of the screen.

Icon file names must be in the following format, with -icon appended to the end:

Icon Name-icon.png

Many icons also have disambiguation in their file name, for example, to distinguish between icons that are basically the same except for the item quality:

Icon Name 1 (incomparable)-icon.png

With the exception of maps used in the {{Tooltip Coords}} template, images have few naming restrictions. A map image, however, should not contain the article the at the beginning of its name and should end with map.jpg. For example, the map for The Great River is:

Great River map.jpg

Renaming/moving files

Should you happen to upload an image or icon with an incorrect name, it is possible to rename the file, however, only administrators can do that with uploaded files. Other contributors can use the {{Move}} template which notifies an administrator of the wish:

{{Move|The New or Correct Image Name.jpg}}
or
{{Move|The New or Correct Icon Name-icon.png}}

Edit the uploaded image and insert the above wiki command into the edit box.

Note: Using the "Upload a new version of this file" option will not allow you to change the spelling of the filename.

Deleting files

If you believe that an image should be deleted from the Wiki because it is a duplicate, it does not belong, or it violates copyright usage, mark the file for deletion by adding the following code to the page so that a user with deletion rights can take care of it.

{{Delete Page|Please write here the reason for deletion}}

Syntax for displaying images

Capture text for x 1
Description for x 2
Description for x 2

Our templates take care of mandatory images, such as item icons, NPC images, location articles, etc. You just need to provide the image as such.

However, sometimes you want to add to a gallery, illustrate something with an image rather than words, etc. Then you may use any of the following formats. However, embedding remote images is disallowed and prohibited; you may add a link for them though.

Example 1: [[File:Arador's End Outpost.jpg|250px|thumb|Capture text for x 1]]

Notice the frame and capture text. This is from the thumb part of the syntax.

Example 2: [[File:Arador's End Outpost.jpg|250px|right|Description for x 2]]

This is the same image without the thumb but then you also must specify "right" (or "left" or "center").

To include a file in a page, use a link in one of the following forms:

  • [[File:Somefile.jpg]]
    for the full size version - this should usually not be used
  • [[File:Somefile.jpg|250px|thumb|left| Capture text]]
    for a 250 pixel wide rendition in a frame to the left with 'Capture text' as its capture.
  • [[File:Somefile.jpg|250px|left| Description text]]
    for a plain 250 pixel wide rendition with 'Description text' as its alternative text.
  • [[Media:Somefile.ogg]] for just creating a link to a file.

Note that several boilerplates have a preferred way of displaying images. See, for example Landmarks, under "Gallery".