Uploading images to the wiki

Mini how-to

The Upload File Screen, which you will find at Special:Upload, has three fields:

• The Source Filename field has a browse button that lets you choose a file on your computer.
• The Destination Filename field will contain the filename that links to your image from a Wikipedia article. If JavaScript is enabled, it will be set automatically to the filename that you entered in the Source Filename field, but it may be changed to any valid name you wish; see Wikipedia:Image file names for guidance on choosing a good name. For the convenience of non-JavaScript users, if the destination field is left blank, the Source Filename will be used.
• The Summary field is where you enter the text that will appear below the image on its image page. You can use Wiki markup within it. In this field you should write a brief description of what the image is, its source, and the license under which you are uploading it.

{{Information
|Description = What can you see/hear?
|Source = self-made or URL, if existent name of institution and such things as catalog numbers or similar
|Date = date image was created and/or released; to avoid misunderstandings with different date formats, spell out the month (e.g. created 2. Oct. 2099), use ISO 8601 notation (e.g. 2099-10-02), or for new self-made works, use ~~~~~ (5 tildes) to insert the current date
|Author = first and last name of the author (in case of self-made works additionally ~~~ ) and/or the name of the institution
|Permission = Short quote of the permission of the copyright owner (if too long shortened with link to long version).
|other_versions = Wiki link to other versions if they exist within the Wikimedia Commons (e.g. a black and white version of a color image)
}}

As for the description of the content, if it’s an artwork, please provide brief historical background; in case of scientific data, a brief scientific abstract of the file. If you have detailed information about the image, for example the name of the species or the size of the object, please add it. Especially with mineral images, including the size is helpful.

Reminder: If you create images to upload that need to show the size of a depicted object, images with a ruler are better than images with a coin or similar item, since not everyone has access to the same type of item. It will also help you enter the correct size in the description.

Submitting the information

After entering the information, submitting it will upload the image and save the summary. There is no preview, as there is for editing articles. Nevertheless, a user page can be used to view and edit summaries before the image is uploaded, and after uploading, you can still click the edit button and make changes to the summary and the license, if you have made a mistake.

If there is already a file that was uploaded with the Destination Filename you chose, then you are given the options to save anyway and overwrite the old file (although it will remain in the image history) or returning to the upload form and entering a different filename.