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Here's a simplified list of our image policies. It's designed to give you a way to understand our policies at a quick glance, not to replace more detailed policy pages.
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The following cheat card gives you a handy index of the major issues surrounding image use on this wiki. It is a simplification of policies at T:IPER and our more detailed image use and user image policies.

Of course, the first and most obvious rule is that all pictures must have one of our copyright templates attached. If you don't know how to do this, please see our tutorial.

It is not an attempt to give you every single rule that we have about images. The absence of a rule in the following chart does not mean that it's not a rule. This is merely a more convenient listing of the major image use rules.

The chart below summarises our important rules regarding images, and gives you a link to additional reading about the subject. In most cases, a link is provided to the original forum discussion where that particular policy was decided by the community.

Contents

Quality Value Read more at:
What should be the shape and size of my pictures?
Minimum width of any uploaded image 500px or more preferred, 420px minimum Forum discussion establishes that minimums are tied to infoboxes
Width of infobox pictures 500px or more preferred, 420px minimum T:IBOX PICS
Thumbnail widths Should generally not be defined at all. To place a thumb on a page, use language like this:

[[file:Name.jpg|thumb|right|caption]]

Please do not specify a width or height for a thumbnail.

tech note
Preferred aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios, and anything in-between. But sometimes a square or "tall" image is still the best solution.

Uploads of covers, and promotional images on gallery pages, should be left uncropped, and have no margin.
Forum discussion
Total file size Keep your files under 10 Mo, as that's FANDOM's technical limit. Most images are completely fine under 2 Mo.
Forum discussion
Acceptable file formats We only allow: .jpg (sometimes called JPEG), .png and .svg. That's it. There are no more; .gif and other files will be summarily deleted.
  • only .jpg or .png for photographs, telesnaps, and comic images
  • .png and .svg preferred for line drawings or when you need transparency, e.g. logos
Wikipedia's discussion of the virtues of .jpg, .png, and .svg, forum tech note, Forum discussion
What kinds of pictures are acceptable?
Sexual or violent imagery Any image which has been presented in a licensed DWU episode may be posted to our wiki, regardless of its content.
Forum discussion, T:NOT SFW
Publicity images
on in-universe or story pages
Never allowed. This means: no wallpapers, no images of characters or objects unless you personally take them from the body of a valid source.
Note, however, that in some cases, images from trailers or DWM illustrated previews are considered to be illustrations of the relevant story, rather than mere promotion.
Additionally, publicity images can and should be lifted on a given element's gallery subpage.
Forum discussion, T:IUI, Forum discussion
Publicity images
on out-of-universe pages
Acceptable, but not preferred. Generally, we want to be able to see what the actor looks like in their everyday life Implied as the converse of rule agreed at Forum discussion
In-universe images
on out-of-universe pages
Discouraged; we want the actor looks like in their everyday life. However, sometimes, a picture of an actor in a non-DWU part, in a "life-like" costume, is the only available image of a minor actor. T:OOUI
Concept art Unacceptable in in-universe sections of articles, but acceptable in "Behind the scenes" sections and on gallery pages. Concept art is specifically considered out-of-universe imagery, and so cannot illustrate in-universe concepts.
Forum discussion
Cover art Acceptable as illustration.
Forum discussion
Fan-made images
Not allowed in the main namespace at all, either on in-universe or real world pages. An exception to this ruling is simple act of combining two or more screenshots into a representative collage.
Naturally, "fan-made" images that have received an official release can be documented, e.g. FanArtFriday, Devious (home video)
NO FANFIC (for the rule); archives of Talk:The Master (for the exception)
Photos from Loose Cannon reconstructions Unacceptable in any situation. No non-BBC reconstruction materials allowed at all; only official reconstructions, telensaps, and, failing that, officially-released promotional or set photos from the missing episode.
Forum discussion
Animated .pngs and .gifs Unacceptable. Animated .gifs aren't allowed because .gifs aren't allowed, and animated .pngs aren't allowed because they are rendered properly for only about 20% of internet users.
Chart showing apng compatability
Are colourised pictures allowed?
Official colourised photography Not allowed on in-universe pages, unless it's specifically part of a new valid source
By extension, colour images converted to monochrome are also not allowed in articles, except for those few Third Doctor episodes or parts of episodes which are missing in colour.
Forum discussion
Official colourised comic images Allowed; in cases with multiple colourisation, all are interchangeably valid. But colourised versions should not be universally preferred to the original black-and-white versions.
Forum discussion
User images
Number of images
for your personal use
3 total at any one time in all namespaces prefixed by the word "user" (sandboxes for pages intended to eventually be released in the main namespace notwithstanding). So, 3 images total to use on user, user talk, and user blog pages.
user image policy
Total file size allowed
for your personal use
~ 500kb. All three images combined should be no more than 500kb. We aren't a file hosting service.
user image policy and T:NOT HOST
Allowed type of user images
Generally unrestricted. However, images which advertise products, philosophies, or anything (even things related to Doctor Who) are not allowed. Equally, pornography and/or excessively gory or violent imagery is forbidden, unless it is an un-retouched image taken directly from a DWU source.
user image policy
Your own art on your own user pages Allowed, but you should consider the implications carefully. All submissions to the wiki are released under the CC-BY-SA 3.0 license. It may damage your own financial interests to upload your own work here.
user image policy
Other notes
A character's eyes
(applies to in-universe articles)
If the image is in an infobox, or simply the first picture on the page, it's preferred, but not required, that the subject's eyes are looking left. This will direct readers' eyes to the article.
Forum discussion 1, Forum discussion 2
Captions
on in-universe pages
Captions must be written in an in-universe way but in the present tense. A source for the picture is required at the end of the caption, in the format ([[Prefix]]: ''[[Story name]]'')
Forum discussion
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