Here is the text of the greeting:
Hello, and welcome to Image Pickin'! This is the forum for all issues regarding images used on the wiki. The first thing you'll need to know is that we have some pretty definitive criteria for what constitutes a "good" image. About Images And Copyright, How To Pick A Good Image, and the first post in this thread
are where the guidelines are spelled out in detail, so make sure you check them out. Here are some quick starting points:
are where the guidelines are spelled out in detail, so make sure you check them out. Here are some quick starting points:
- Threads tend to come in three flavors: asking to remove a image, suggesting a replacement image, or suggesting an image for a page that doesn't have one.
- The most central guideline is that for an image to be used on a trope page, it must demonstrate the trope as clearly as possible; exceptions exist but are very rare. The vast majority of threads in IP deal with trope pages.
- Work pages generally use cover art, title screens, posters, and the like.
- The following are not allowed for use: NSFW pics, spoilers, watermarked pics, meme-based pics (demotivators, LOLCats, etc.), and animated GIFs.
- Crowners — These are polls at the bottom of threads where suggested images or captions are voted on. They generally run for 3-7 days, and the winning image or caption is used for the page. Threads marked with a medal icon in the thread list have a crowner attached, or "hooked".
- Clocks — A thread with a clock has a 3-day deadline to produce results of some sort or the thread will be locked. Clocked threads show up with a clock icon and the deadline date in the thread list.
- Final work — A thread with a big yellow asterisk in the list is in the final stages of its process and is needing some work performed before closing the thread.
- Once someone creates a thread, any problems with the current image (if there is one) are discussed and alternatives are suggested. In the case of a page without an image, the merits of the suggestion(s) and any alternatives are discussed. If a page's image is deemed too poor to keep, it is often removed before a replacement is decided on.
- If one suggestion is heavily favored, it can be put on the page without a crowner. Otherwise a crowner containing the suggestions is created and hooked to the thread.
- Once the crowner finishes, if it results in selecting an image, that image is added to the page along with a pothole to the work it's from (if such is the case), a caption (if one is suggested), and a commented-out link to the IP thread, which is then closed. Many times other images suggested in the discussion are then placed on an Image Links page for the thread.
- Sometimes threads end up deciding to leave a page without a pic for whatever reason, or end up being locked due to sitting for too long without producing results. Crowners can also stall out with no consensus among the suggestions.
- IP threads are not final, in the sense that if you find an image that works better than what the thread decides on, you're allowed to start a new thread for the page. However, "griefing" (arguing a thread's results just because you didn't like how it turned out) is not tolerated. We also try to discourage making threads simply to make a good pic better, as they take away space in the queue for threads about actual problems. Making or adding to an Image Links page is a good idea for these images.
