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In an effort to keep the volume of threads in IP at a reasonable level, and to encourage creating threads that address genuine problems, we need to make some notes about when to request a thread and what constitutes valid reasons for a thread. These have been mentioned in some of the other IP procedure threads, but they're being listed here for quick reference.

    open/close all folders 

    Screening of new threads 
  • New IP threads don't require approval by the staff to be opened. Still, the staff can and will lock threads with improper reasoning and warn the troper if needed. Please take time to review the guidelines below and make sure your request is solid before submitting it.
  • A thread started within two weeks of the closing of a previous thread on the same page that doesn't have a concrete suggestion will be summarily closed.

    General notes 
  • Also refer to: About Images and Copyright, How to Pick a Good Image, and Images On Wiki Pages.
  • Going through IP for a page that doesn't have an image or an IP tag isn't obligatory, but it is strongly recommended. Otherwise, the image you put up may end up coming to the forum for work or replacement.
  • Pages that have gone through IP should have a commented-out tag showing the relevant thread(s) and any related information. Always check for these before adding a pic or requesting an IP thread for a page. If a page does have a tag, please note its information when you start a thread.
  • It's recommended to discuss image concerns and thread reasons in the threads that are pinned at the top of the forum before starting a new thread. They may be able to address the issue(s) without needing to start a dedicated thread.
  • Keep the quality criteria listed below in mind when making an image suggestion.
  • Work pages that don't have an image generally don't require an IP thread to upload one, but feel free to start a thread if you have multiple ideas.
  • Animated GIFs can't be uploaded as page pics, so don't bother trying. (The pic on Creepy Changing Painting is a bit of HTML magic and not a true GIF, in case you're wondering.)
  • In threads for specific pages, you may see people casting votes by referring to a post number and (if applicable) the number of the image in a given post. For example, "2" would refer to "the image in the second post", and "3.2" would refer to "the second image in post 3".
  • We try to operate on "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality, and we try not to change an image just for the sake of changing it. In reference to this, someone might call a suggestion a "lateral move". If the image on the page is not otherwise problematic, consider if your suggestion is a clear improvement before pitching it.
  • It usually takes 5-7 [tup] votes for a pic to be considered to have consensus in a thread; pics can be put up with less than this, but usually only at a moderator's discretion.
    In crowners:
    • An option has consensus if it has a minimum of a 2:1 vote ratio.
    • If a crowner ends with no options having consensus, the crowner and thread are considered to be failed and the thread will be closed unless there is significant ongoing discussion.
    • Crowners normally run for 5 days, but can go longer if more time is needed, and can be closed early for the following criteria:
      • At any point, if the leading option has a vote balance of 10 or more and no other options have consensus. This is considered "super-consensus".
      • After 3 days, if the leading option has a vote balance of at least 8 and no other options have consensus.
      • After 4 days, if the leading option is the only one that has consensus.
    • Crowners can only be made by moderators and engineers, usually after discussion has stalled for a few days. Crowners can be requested by regular users by compiling and linking options in a post and hollering for it to be made into a crowner.
    • Non-moderators can add crowner options to an ongoing crowner, but cannot edit options they didn't add, nor can they call or lock a crowner. If you add an entry to an ongoing crowner, please note this in the thread.

    IP thread reasons 

High-priority image issues

  • A pic has been changed or removed from a page for a reason that may not be valid, or no reason at all, especially if the pic was chosen by a previous IP thread. These changes can sometimes be simply reverted by a moderator without a need for further discussion.
  • Not Safe For Work (NSFW)
    • If you're unsure on whether a pic fits this or not, bring it up in the IP Discussion thread.
    • Classic works of art containing nudity, such as Michelangelo's David or Botticelli's The Birth of Venus, don't necessarily fall into this, but appropriateness for the page in question is the key factor, and SFW options should be considered whenever possible.
  • The image is a spoiler. The age and/or infamy of the work the image originates from may prevent this from being considered a valid issue.
  • Watermarking. A TV channel emblem on a screencap is a "bug", not a true watermark, and is permissible as long as it's not obtrusive.
  • Meme-based images are not permitted as page pics. The sole general exceptions are Image Macro (for obvious reasons) and a work's Memes page, where they should only be considered if there are no better options.Other exceptions 
  • A page has an image that is obviously from the wrong work / programming block / network / etc.
  • Copyright issues:
    • The pic implies TV Tropes is claiming the copyright.
    • The pic has been taken from a site that deals in copyrighted images or videos, especially if a watermark has been removed and/or the site is selling their content. Screencaps from videos from these sites are not permitted, either.
    • The image is the entirety of a product for sale, such as a t-shirt design.
    • Images from illegally obtained materials, such as leaks or camrips, are not allowed.
    • Using an entire work:
      • Basically, if it's copyrighted, we have to get permission to use it. This covers single-panel cartoons, photographs, entire comic strips and webcomics, and similar works. If permission is granted to use a work, it's always noted on the page in some fashion, usually in the caption and/or with the page tag. If an artist requests a specific way to display their connection to the pic, we'll do our best to honor it.
      • The creators of xkcd and Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal have given us carte blanche to use entire works as needed. Permission notices for such cases aren't required.
      • Entire cards from card-based games like Magic: The Gathering are impractical but can be used. Using the art from these cards is fine.
      • Any such work that's in the public domain is free to use.
    • Some creators do not want their work used outside their control at all, but fair use means that we are not legally bound to honor this for the wiki's purposes, aside from the aforementioned restrictions. We'll honor a take-down request, but it's up to them to send it. We're not obliged to chase them down and ask them what their policy is. Fair use also allows us to use excerpts of works without seeking permission. In this case, the minimum needed to get the trope across should be used.
    • Due to its dubious legality in regards of copyright, AI-generated artwork will not be allowed as options in IP discussions. See this Wiki Talk thread for reference on the decision.

General reasons

  • Multiple suggestions for a page without a pic. Single suggestions are currently being filtered through the Image Suggestion thread instead of getting their own threads right off the bat.
  • The current pic doesn't adequately demonstrate the trope. Examples of this include:
    • Just a Face and a Caption (JAFAAC)—the pic shows an example of the trope but relies on familiarity with its subject(s) to make the connection to the trope evident.
    • A pic that is nothing but text, or one where the text overwhelms the imagery. "May/Might as well be a page quote" is often used to describe this. There are exceptions (Spoof Aesop, for example), especially for dialogue-based tropes, but generally we want to have actual images as page pics with just enough text to support the expression of the trope.
  • Poor image quality. Graininess, motion blur, and compression artifacts are three of the most common problems. Before starting a thread for this reason, see if the Quality Upgrade thread can help find or create a nicer version of the image. Replacing images with a better-quality version is a free action, i.e. can be done without starting a thread.
If the size value in a pic's coding is larger than the actual size of the pic, it will stretch the pic to that width which will introduce artifacts. Check the image's properties before starting a thread; if this is the issue, a change to the coding will fix it.
The age of some works may make getting a truly high-quality image from them difficult. This will be taken into consideration when deciding on a pic.
  • The current pic is taken from a multi-panel work such as a comic strip or webcomic and uses more than half of the source material.
  • Fan-art on a work page instead of an image from the work itself.
  • The current pic is overly fanservicey, especially in the Creator/ namespace. In the case of Fanservice tropes, pics should be as low-key as possible while still getting the trope across.
  • Two trope pages have the same pic.
    • While it's preferred that they be separate, a trope page can have the same image as a work page or a character image from a Characters subpage. In these cases, a thread should have at least one replacement suggestion for either page.
    • Similarly, graphics can generally be reused among a work's subpages. Threads that address these will still be accepted, but should also have at least one replacement suggestion.
  • You believe you have a suggestion that better illustrates the trope than the current pic (by Image Pickin' standards, not "This is a cooler pic.")
  • A page marked as No Real Life Examples, Please! has a Real Life pic.Exceptions 
  • A YMMV or Audience Reaction page has a pic that is not In-Universe.Exceptions 
  • A page has an unusual image arrangement not chosen by an IP thread and you don't think it works well, e.g. having two images on a trope page or an image that's a janky collage. Some pages may have multiple pics for a reason, so check for an IP tag before starting a thread in this case.

Invalid reasons

  • Trying to solicit ideas for an image. IP has a cap of 60 threads and is usually at or near capacity on any given day, so space can't be allotted for threads whose only purpose is to brainstorm.
  • Not liking an image's art style, layout/design, or any Photoshopping or similar alterations that may have been made, provided they don't impact the pic's quality.
  • Claiming that a particular work is over-/under-represented. This can have some impact on deciding on a pic, but should never be the main gist of a thread.
  • Trying to argue that a pic you liked wasn't chosen in a previous thread, especially if it lost in a crowner, or trying to make an invalid argument that a pic doesn't work for a page even though it was chosen by a thread. Repeatedly doing this is considered griefing and is grounds for suspension from the workshop forums.
  • Some trope pages feature Visual Puns or other jokey pics rather than something that actually demonstrates the trope, usually because these pages have been very hard to find a better pic for.Example  Don't request a thread just because you don't like the joke; if you've got an actual example, that's fine. Also, see the "Don't change the pic" section on the page mentioned below.

    Special cases 
For a list of pages that have unique statuses, see Image Pickin' Special Cases

General cases:

  • Pages within the FanficRecs/, Fridge/, Haiku/, Headscratchers/, ImageLinks/, Laconic/, PlayingWith/, Quotes/, Trivia/, WMG/, and YMMV/ namespaces and disambiguations default to no pic; YMMV.Home Page and Headscratchers.Home Page are the only exceptions. Pages in the Analysis/ namespace default to BUPKIS status (meaning they won't have a pic unless a really good one is found; see Image Pickin' Special Cases for more details)
  • Due to their exceptional subjectivity and persistent problems with images being poor quality and/or not illustrative, Moments pages (Awesome/, Funny/, Heartwarming/, NightmareFuel/, Shocking/, TearJerker/) are limited to one image.
  • Pages for unreleased works shall keep the first image that is uploaded to the page when it's created, with further pre-release images relegated to an Image Links page. Once the work is released, a thread may be created to decide which image is to be officially used on the page. See this Wiki Talk thread for details. Note that the first image may still be removed if it falls afoul of any of the aforementioned guidelines.

    Image Pickin' flowchart 

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ip_flowchartdrawio_8_transformed.png

Text version:

Is the page on Image Pickin' Special Cases?

  • If yes, start a thread.
  • If no, does it already have an image?

Edited by Willbyr on Jan 20th 2024 at 9:11:31 AM

Lymantria Tyrannoraptoran Reptiliomorph from Toronto Since: Apr, 2015 Relationship Status: Historians will say we were good friends.
Tyrannoraptoran Reptiliomorph
#2726: Apr 21st 2019 at 10:05:15 AM

Bugs/watermarks are an issue not just for copyright reasons (note that not all of them mean the pic is a stock photo or whatever), but because they're distracting. The Other Wiki has a similar policy.

Edited by Lymantria on Apr 21st 2019 at 1:05:37 PM

Join the Five-Man Band cleanup project!
rjd1922 he/him | Image Pickin' regular from the United States Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: Love is for the living, Sal
he/him | Image Pickin' regular
#2727: Apr 21st 2019 at 11:30:03 AM

Is the image on Static Electricity too much of a spoiler for Steven Universe? Also, why is the image on VeggieTales not transparent even though Willbyr said he put up the transparent version?

Edited by rjd1922 on Apr 21st 2019 at 1:32:01 PM

Keet cleanup
Willbyr Hi (Y2K) Relationship Status: With my statistically significant other
Hi
#2728: Apr 21st 2019 at 12:38:19 PM

[up] I ran that pic through an online background remover, but it took the filling out of one character’s eyes and another’s mouth. I used Paint to fill those in, but that may have stripped the transparency when I saved it.

Brainulator9 Short-Term Projects herald from US Since: Aug, 2018 Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
Short-Term Projects herald
#2729: Apr 21st 2019 at 12:42:16 PM

[up] Microsoft Paint doesn't support transparency. GIMP, however, supports transparency and is free.

Contains 20% less fat than the leading value brand!
rjd1922 he/him | Image Pickin' regular from the United States Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: Love is for the living, Sal
he/him | Image Pickin' regular
#2730: Apr 21st 2019 at 4:16:47 PM

Yeah, I always use GIMP to make images transparent. It usually ends up looking a bit sloppy, though; Primis does it a lot better than me.

I still think the Static Electricity image is too much of a spoiler, and the image on Magic Music is of terrible quality. Also, Canon Immigrant just had an image picked by crowner alone, but I thought BUPKIS meant it had to get its own thread. However, I disagree with the reason it was made BUPKIS in the first place (is it really necessary to show that the character wasn't in the work before?)

Edited by rjd1922 on Apr 21st 2019 at 7:38:52 AM

Keet cleanup
Willbyr Hi (Y2K) Relationship Status: With my statistically significant other
Hi
#2731: Apr 21st 2019 at 8:27:08 PM

For Want Of A Nail has been added to the "multiple threads" list.

Lymantria Tyrannoraptoran Reptiliomorph from Toronto Since: Apr, 2015 Relationship Status: Historians will say we were good friends.
Willbyr Hi (Y2K) Relationship Status: With my statistically significant other
Hi
#2733: Apr 22nd 2019 at 12:56:53 PM

[up] Good question...that means I probably didn't copypaste a correct trope into the list *sigh*.

Lymantria Tyrannoraptoran Reptiliomorph from Toronto Since: Apr, 2015 Relationship Status: Historians will say we were good friends.
Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#2735: Apr 22nd 2019 at 1:04:59 PM

Sound Stone threads: 1 2 3 (with multiple threads call)

Lymantria Tyrannoraptoran Reptiliomorph from Toronto Since: Apr, 2015 Relationship Status: Historians will say we were good friends.
Tyrannoraptoran Reptiliomorph
Willbyr Hi (Y2K) Relationship Status: With my statistically significant other
Hi
#2737: Apr 22nd 2019 at 2:19:21 PM

The thread search function really needs to get fixed. I'll update the tag and note those threads later.

rjd1922 he/him | Image Pickin' regular from the United States Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: Love is for the living, Sal
he/him | Image Pickin' regular
#2738: Apr 22nd 2019 at 4:06:59 PM

Shouldn't the image on F is for Family be zoomed-in to see the characters better?

Keet cleanup
Willbyr Hi (Y2K) Relationship Status: With my statistically significant other
Hi
#2739: Apr 22nd 2019 at 6:03:32 PM

[up] Definitely needs a closer crop.

I fixed the tag on Half-Identical Twins to note its threads.

Edited by Willbyr on Apr 22nd 2019 at 8:13:11 AM

rjd1922 he/him | Image Pickin' regular from the United States Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: Love is for the living, Sal
he/him | Image Pickin' regular
#2740: Apr 22nd 2019 at 9:00:21 PM

I replaced the F is for Family image with a similar vertical poster.

Keet cleanup
rjd1922 he/him | Image Pickin' regular from the United States Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: Love is for the living, Sal
he/him | Image Pickin' regular
#2741: Apr 23rd 2019 at 7:53:17 PM

I thought the image on Chocolate-Frosted Sugar Bombs was a bit too light, so I found a darker version here, but it has a copyright notice on the left edge of the third panel. Should I just leave it, or can I remove it? I think the last panel could work on its own.

Keet cleanup
Willbyr Hi (Y2K) Relationship Status: With my statistically significant other
Hi
#2742: Apr 24th 2019 at 4:21:37 AM

[up] It's fine; we're still only using half the strip.

rjd1922 he/him | Image Pickin' regular from the United States Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: Love is for the living, Sal
he/him | Image Pickin' regular
#2743: Apr 24th 2019 at 7:43:57 AM

Does that mean I should replace it with the one with the copyright notice?

Keet cleanup
Willbyr Hi (Y2K) Relationship Status: With my statistically significant other
Hi
#2744: Apr 24th 2019 at 9:05:41 AM

Yeah, go ahead; it's a quality upgrade so it won't need a thread.

rjd1922 he/him | Image Pickin' regular from the United States Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: Love is for the living, Sal
he/him | Image Pickin' regular
#2745: Apr 25th 2019 at 10:59:43 AM

Could someone please find a quality upgrade for the Depth Perplexion image? Should I start a dedicated thread about it?

Keet cleanup
Willbyr Hi (Y2K) Relationship Status: With my statistically significant other
RamenChef Since: Dec, 2017 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#2747: Apr 26th 2019 at 11:08:25 AM

~Willbyr, there are two threads that you forgot to actually lock.

rjd1922 he/him | Image Pickin' regular from the United States Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: Love is for the living, Sal
he/him | Image Pickin' regular
#2748: Apr 26th 2019 at 2:06:04 PM

In addition to Depth Perplexion, which everyone seems to be ignoring, Easy-Mode Mockery should be in its native resolution.

Keet cleanup
Primis Since: Nov, 2010
#2749: Apr 26th 2019 at 2:49:02 PM

[up] I upgraded the image on Easy-Mode Mockery.

As for Depth Perplexion, we can't just conjure up higher-quality screenshots. I don't own that game, I can't find any sprite sheets or higher-quality screenshots of it online, and I'm not about to go through the hassle of setting up an emulator just to get a single screenshot.

It'd probably be better to just start a thread for it.

rjd1922 he/him | Image Pickin' regular from the United States Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: Love is for the living, Sal
he/him | Image Pickin' regular
#2750: Apr 26th 2019 at 9:28:22 PM

[up]Sorry if I came across as too demanding.

Why is Karmic Death still on the "multiple threads" list when its image was moved to The Dog Bites Back?

Characters.Shin Megami Tensei Forces Of Chaos says no image of Mara will be shown; should this be added to the "no pic" list?

Edited by rjd1922 on Apr 26th 2019 at 12:37:10 PM

Keet cleanup

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