Good Clear Pictures make the Wiki shine.
Good pictures of items help the Wiki better than almost anything. A picture is worth a thousand words--and the better the picture, the easier the words.
No Pic? Problem!
Several articles on the AG Wiki do not have pictures--likely because they came out before AG had a dedicated website, and so we must rely on catalog scans and personal pictures. And we want pictures. We want them bad. Use {{PictureNeeded}} at the top of a page to alert everyone that there's no picture, and it will drop into a category called "Picture Needed" so editors can know that a good picture is needed.
And don't forget to take it off once a picture has been added.
General Guidelines
Filenames should be descriptive and relevant to the contents of the picture, i.e. File:KitTypewriter.jpg. A randomly-named file or a file with gibberish/checksum characters, like File:727f2a590028b2bcd20de972d99b1d3a.gif or File:Image1.jpg would be too much of a hassle for administrators and other users as it leaves them guessing for what the image looks like and increases the probability of duplicates.
Pictures need to be large enough so as to be used on articles, which is generally about 300px on the shortest side. Bigger may not always be better; images should not be too large, or they will load slowly on pages.
Pictures cannot have any sort of watermarks.
Pictures need to be categorized and described; descriptions at minimal need to link to the article for the image.
Do not even think of uploading leaked images. We don't want any legal trouble from American Girl for having images of unreleased, beta or prototype items on the wiki, especially if there are images about an upcoming character/dolls. The only exceptions are if American Girl decides to release images for upcoming products in any capacity - on their official Facebook page, or attached with a press release - or through online merchants (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.) for any unreleased books and other media.
Catalog for the Win
Online catalog pics are likely going to win out.
A Catalog--or in this day and age, website--picture is almost always going to trump any other picture around. They're clean, crisp, and with only the data needed. Most items released after this Wiki started will get online catalog pictures, and older ones may be able to be located using such resources as Google Image Search or the Internet Archive Wayback Machine, where it's possible to pull up older catalog pictures.
The main thing with catalog pictures is that they must be large enough to display on pages.
Pictures should have few if any artifacts (messy little bits in the background) and of high quality. A small blurry picture is not better than no picture.
Clear Scans
Catalog scans are good too.
If a catalog pic can't be found, and you have old catalogs, scan them in! Scans are a little trickier than Catalog pictures. Scans are also the best bet for all book illustrations and covers if needed, since pictures can be reduced down to just the scan. Don't take photographic pictures of book illustrations. They often come out terrible.
Try and clean up the scanned image as much as possible. Remove any background bleed through using photo editors. GIMP and Paint.NET are two open source/freeware photo editing programs that can help in cleaning up scanned images.
Scans of catalog pictures need to focus on one product at a time if at all possible; illustrations should only have one illustration at a time. Pictures of white backed pictures--much like a catalog picture--are best.
Pictures should have few if any artifacts (messy little bits) and of high quality. A small blurry picture is not better than no picture.
Personal Touch
Personal pictures, personal touch.
Sometimes, the only thing we have are personal images to get good closeups and information. This isn't bad--but it means that the pics have to be very, very on point, and the quality must be almost at the best you can give it.
The main thing is that personal images need to be the Three Cs:
- Clean.
- Clear
- preCise.
Pictures should only be of the item or doll discussed. This means no pictures of yourself, extra dolls, dolls holding items or standing near them if not needed, extraneous accessories, etc. Exception: If a doll has pierced ears or other permanent modifications, these do not have to be removed; however, they must not be overly distracting from the image. Glasses are allowed if not obtrusive.
Outfits need to be displayed on dolls. Not on dress forms, laying flat on the floor, hanging loose on hangers, etc. There are very few reasons to display an outfit off a doll; find someone and dress them up. Exception: Accessory sets, by nature, are best shown off a doll and neatly arraigned unless they are supposed to be matched with a specific outfit, and then only as much as needed and only with the outfit they are matched to. The doll should be facing forward as much as possible, not in profile.
No mix and match. If you are taking pictures of say, the First Day Outfit, only take pictures of it. The only exception are shirts or articles that didn't come with complete sets, such as shoes, socks, and t-shirts. In which case, try to make the item the focus. Simple jeans and shoes are best for t-shirts.
Items need to be extremely complete. A picture of just a jacket doesn't show the whole outfit. Hats, jackets, socks, shoes, all of the items need to be included. Exception: If you don't have tiny books or small accessories (earrings, hair clips, necklaces) that came with an outfit set, then that's okay.
Pictures of full outfits need to be head to toe. A shot from the waist up is not enough. Exception: If the item is just a shirt, then take a picture of just the shirt if possible.
Dolls need to be fully dressed--no naked from the waist down or up. If you're taking a picture of a skirt, have the shirt with it; if it's a shirt, have some simple jeans.
Time periods/lines need to stay lined up. Kirsten might look cute to you in a modern outfit, or a modern in Addy's Birthday outfit, or Bitty Baby Clothing on Bitty Twins. But we only want modern dolls in mod clothes, historical dolls in historical clothing, and lines on lines. Exceptions: A slightly modified or customized doll may display modern clothing and only modern clothing. This does not include a Historical Character that has purchased and customized into a modern in a personal collection. Girls of the Year may display clothing outside of their line but not Historical Clothing. Full shots of outfits for Girls of the Year must be on the character they were released for, and no one else.
No off brand items--no Battat, Our Generation, Little Sister, homemade replicas, etc. Just AG things.
Make sure that images are crisp. No blurry messes. Digital cameras have an auto-focus feature--use it! Also, make sure that they're very well lit, but not washed out.
Make sure backgrounds are clear, non distracting and uncluttered. A solid color wall/drop cloth/lightbox is the best option. Pictures should focus on the item, not on anything else.
Don't remove backgrounds or backdrops with photo editors--in fact, don't digitally edit article personal pictures other than to remove something like personal information or data--which, if you're taking a picture right, shouldn't show up!
Personal images should be labeled as owned/taken by the photographer or sourced.
Do not take personal pictures from alternate sources such as eBay Auctions. Pictures must be taken by the uploader or clearly approved for use and sourced. Images found to be sourced to non-personal means or not taken by the uploader will be removed. The only noted exception is the image on the American Girl 25th Anniversary Shirt as the item was given only to employees and so is quite rare.
Pictures taken of dolls on display at an American Girl Place are subject to all the same rules.
If a good, crisp catalog image is located for a personal image, it will be removed as unneeded.
Closeups of items not seen in catalog pictures (linings, shoes, necklaces, individual items opened, angles not shown, etc.) are super appreciated.
Bad Pictures
Improper or violating images will be removed without warning from any page they're on that's not a personal page. If too many violations are done, uploaders may be blocked for short periods.