Help:Uploading files

To use an image or sound file on a wiki, you should upload the file to the wiki where you want to use it. You must be logged in to do this.



How do I upload a file?
Click "Upload file" in the sidebar of your local wiki. Browse to the desktop or directory where the file is stored on your computer. You may use the same filename as the copy on your computer, or change the "destination filename" to something new -- this is usually a good idea if the filename is vague, cryptic, or very common.

In the "summary" box, write a description of the image, who took it, and what license it is available under (GFDL, Public Domain, etc -- see Help:Image copyright tags for more details). If you got it from another internet site, please include the URL.

This information will be placed on the image description page, along with a history of modifications to the image. Automatic image meta data will also appear on this description page. This is automatically extracted from uploaded images.

Uploaded images can be used inline on a page, linked to, included in a gallery, or automatically thumbnailed. See Help:Displaying images for full details.

When a file is uploaded with the same name as an existing one, the old one is replaced.



What file types are allowed on Wikia?
File types that can be uploaded include are .png, .gif, .jpg, .jpeg, .ico, .ogg, .pdf, .xcf, .svg, .mid, .jl, .odt, .ods, .odp, .odg, .odc, .odf, .odi, and .odm.

Some Wikia may be allowed additional file types on request. For example, .wad and .lmp files can be uploaded on the Doom Wiki since these are level and demo recording files for the Doom game engine. For security reasons, many file types may not be uploaded and will not be added to the whitelist. This includes HTML and ZIP files.



What size files can I upload?
The maximum size of uploads on Wikia is 5Mb. But it's always a good idea to keep your file sizes as small as possible. Remember, if you upload a 5Mb file, then readers have to download it when the view the page!

If a particular wiki wants a different value for the maximum upload size, then this may be possible. Please ask Wikia staff if you need this.

There is no limit to the number of files you can upload, but images and other files should be uploaded for use on the wiki. Wikis shouldn't be used just as file stores!

How do I copy files from other Wikimedia sites?

 * On a Wikimedia site, click on a picture that you want with the mouse. This will take you to the picture's information page. Below the copy of the picture will be a link with the pictures name.  This link leads to a full-size version of the picture, as the one displayed on the information page is often a reduced size.
 * Right click on this link, and select "Save as..." or "Save image as..." to save the picture to a convenient folder on your computer.
 * Click "upload file" on your wiki and upload as described above. Be sure to copy the source and licensing information from the source page to your summary box, as required by open content licenses.

Sometimes if you are working fast you get an error message saying you don't have access to the server. Wait, try again and it's usually OK. Another tip is to empty the picture folder on your computer after every page or two so you don't get confused with too many files. Once the files have been uploaded there is no need to keep them on your machine unless you want to.



How do I change the site logo?
Administrators can change the logo of a wiki by uploading a new image over Image:Wiki.png (for older skins) and Image:Wiki_wide.png (for the Quartz skin). Similarly, the favicon (the icon next to the URL in the browser's address bar, and used in many toolbars and bookmark/favorite lists) can be changed by uploading a new image to Image:Favicon.ico. It is recommended that administrators protect these files from unauthorized changes.

For more details on designing and uploading logo images, see Help:Logo.

Resize an image
When uploading an image, it is best to upload it at the largest legal size you can upload to the wiki. This is because MediaWiki can resize the image that people see to any size you want without making them need to load the large image. More instruction on this can be found here.