 | This help page is a how-to guide. It explains concepts or processes used by the Wikipedia community. It is not one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, and may reflect varying levels of consensus. |
This page explains how to request images from other Wikipedians for Wikipedia articles. To request an image from a specific Wikipedian photographer, see Wikipedia:Wikipedians/Photographers and Category:Wikipedian photographers.
For an object that has a location, you should ensure that it has Wikidata geocoordinates so it will appear on maps such as Wiki Shoot Me.
Using this page
editNote that the words image, diagram, photograph and picture are sometimes interchangeable, and when making a request you should not take the wording too literally. You may want an image of something from a time before cameras were invented but the request can be fulfilled via a photograph of a picture or scanning or creating a diagram or a screenshot of a computer image.
Posting a request
editBefore posting, please perform the following steps:
- First try to find an image on your own. For tips, see the Finding images tutorial.
- Avoid making blanket requests, as in: "need pictures for all women in the Lists of women".
- Request images only for existing articles, i.e., if there is no article yet, then please write one first before requesting.
There are two methods for requesting an image:
- Add the {{photo requested}} template to the talk page of the article that needs an image, and/or
- Add an option imageneeded=yes or needs-photo=yes to a project template on the talk page of the article that needs an image (Note the syntax will vary with project template and does not always exist.)
Note: Either or both methods together can be used for a request; however, using the {{photo requested}} template is the preferred method, as that is better monitored and managed.
Adding a template onto a talk page
editYou may add one of the image request templates, such as: {{photo requested}} - {{map requested}} - {{diagram requested}} - {{video requested}} or {{audio requested}} to the article's talk page. This will automatically place the article into Category:Wikipedia requested photographs. Additional templates are available at Category:Image request templates.
Please note that the main template to request an image is {{photo requested}}.
Photographs and scanned images
editTo add articles to subcategories of Category:Wikipedia requested photographs, use {{photo requested}}
with the following format: {{photo requested|subject|in=location}} .
Categorizing your request
editAlthough it is possible to add just the template {{photo requested}} to a talk page, it is strongly advised that you add at least one category parameter. If you don't categorize your request, it will not receive attention from subject/regional photographers, and it is more likely to be deleted by other editors.
For example, if a picture of a specific car is required, then the following should be added to the talk page: {{photo requested|cars}} - this will place the page into Category:Wikipedia requested images of cars. Pictures of places should be sorted by location, for example: {{photo requested|in=Norway}} .
Adding more than one subject to the list of parameters will bring it to the attention of more people. For example, if the subject is found in a location (or predominantly is in one country), then you can add an additional category, like so: {{photo requested|computer equipment|in=Russia}} .
If you want a specific image of the article subject, it is possible to add detailed text. For example, on the talk page of a specific building: {{photo requested|architecture|in=London|of=main entrance hall}} .
For a full list of categories being used, go to Category:Wikipedia requested photographs. When selecting a category, please click down to the most relevant subcategory, and select the most appropriate to the topic of the article requiring a photograph. Adding more than one subject category in the template is recommended.
Explaining your request
editIf the subject matter isn't perfectly obvious, such as an article about a physical object, please explain your request on the talk page. It is very helpful to give photographers your ideas, particularly for abstract items, such as legal and philosophical concepts.
If you have a specific idea for another image, then use the |of= parameter to name the specific picture that you would like. This is particularly helpful if there are already images in the article.
Unexplained and uncategorized templates may be deleted by any editor.
Media request templates
editThe following templates may be used on article talk pages to request the addition of particular types of media files. See the individual templates for usage notes. Specific templates are indented under the more general templates, and wherever possible, the most specific template should be used.
Audio
edit- {{Audio requested}} – general audio
- {{Music requested}} – music
- {{Musical instrument requested}} – musical instruments
- {{Animal requested audio}} – animals and other nature
- {{Spoken article requested}} – spoken article text
- {{Pronunciation audio requested}} – article text or language pronunciation
- {{Pronunciation requested audio}} – article title pronunciation only
- {{Captions requested}} – to request captions like lyrics or a transcription of a speech.
- {{Music requested}} – music
Fulfilling a request
editIf you want to contribute an image you have taken yourself, either on film or with a digital camera, please make sure it looks optimal. Consider using graphics software such as the GIMP to enhance saturation, contrast, and sharpness (sample tutorial). You do not need to provide a thumbnail image. Please see the image use policy for more advice on working with images. You can also contribute pictures not taken by yourself, if they are in the public domain or available under a free license like Creative Commons Attribution or Attribution-ShareAlike. Requested images can be found by viewing Category:Wikipedia requested images, and add images to articles that link to these pages.
- Ensure that the picture is properly licensed as shown in the "Copyright warning" section below.
- Upload the image. If the license so permits, please upload the image to Wikimedia Commons[1] instead, so that all the different Wikipedias can use the image.
- Add the proper image copyright tags and a description to the image description page.
- Link the image to the corresponding article. Larger images should be linked as thumbnails. For a good tutorial, see Picture tutorial.
- After you have added the requested image, remove the request from this page, and the template from the talk page.
- You can also add your contribution to fulfilled picture requests.
Copyright warning
editWikipedia can only accept photographs and pictures that are freely licensed or in the public domain. The most common free licenses are Creative Commons Attribution and Attribution-ShareAlike (BY and BY-SA) and CC0. The GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) is less common and for many instances not allowed on Wikimedia Commons since 2018. Licenses that are compatible with both Wikipedia and Commons are preferred. Non-free content (fair use) images are sometimes also acceptable, but only locally on Wikipedia (not on Commons). A complete guideline of what is acceptable can be found at image use policy.
- The simplest way to ensure that the image is free, is to make them ourselves and explicitly release them under the CC BY(-SA) license by adding {{Cc-by-4.0}} or {{Cc-by-sa-4.0}} to the image description page.
- It is also possible to put your own pictures into the public domain by adding {{Cc-zero}} to the image page.
- Other copyright options and tags can be found at image copyright tags.
- If you're asking someone else to release their image with a free license, see example requests for permission.
Photographs requested by subject as categories
editUse {{photo requested}} template to add articles to these subcategories to post requests for images that you would like to be used on a Wikipedia article. Others can then upload the image(s).
See also
edit- commons:template:Captions requested, to request video subtitles and commons:Category:Videos needing subtitles, in Commons.
- Meta:Wikipedia Pages Wanting Photos