RuneScape:Images and media policy

This policy is under development and has not yet achieved consensus.

The images and media policy describes preferred image source, content, and usage in articles and other pages. It applies to all images equally, regardless of uploader, format, and content.

Source
Nearly all images should be created by the wiki community. Other fansites generally request that their images not be used elsewhere; while they technically do not "own" the images, we don't want to get into an argument with other fansites over their content. Special exceptions may be made in cases where it is impossible to obtain a replacement, for example, a picture of how something looked before an update.

In this context, the Jagex Knowledge Base can be regarded as "another fansite"; we prefer to have our images taken by our community, instead of others.

Content
Images should depict their subject(s) clearly and without distraction. They must also have a valid subject, that is, the image must be used in the main namespace. Images that are not used in the main namespace are subject to deletion at any time. However, usage of images in other namespaces is still permitted, as long as the image is also in article space. Wiki resources are to be used to improve the wiki, not as a web host for your content.

Please try to omit player names from an image; if you cannot, at least blur out the name using image editing software. This rule prevents images that depict famous players from being used inappropriately. Additionally, players may object to the usage of their character names on a public website. Jagex moderator names are an exception, because they may be relevant to the image's subject; names can be difficult to remove from animations, so they are also exempt.

Captions
All images must have an appropriate caption. The caption should describe the image's subject(s), and any other information that may be useful to someone browsing the image. Credit may be given to the image creator as well as any others who contributed significantly to the image, for example, players who provided part or all of the image's subject. Miscellaneous information that does not involve image credits, such as the date of the screenshot, should generally be left out.

Usage
As mentioned above, images are subject to deletion if they are unused in the main namespace. Images may still be used in other namespaces if they are also used in at least one article. Large screenshots may have to be scaled down in articles, for aesthetic purposes. Alternate text and a brief caption should be included in each use of an image.

Videos
Videos should not be used in article space. Editors may add them to their user pages if they wish, however. Usage of Youtube media creates dependency on another site for our content, which is undesirable because other sites' content may not always be available. Videos often have huge file sizes, which may take large amounts of time to download, especially on dial-up connections. Finally, they do not often add irreplaceable content to articles; in most cases, words, pictures, animations, or a combination of the three can give the same amount of information as a video.