Editing Encyclopedia:Image use policy (section)

===Placement===
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See [[Wikipedia:Extended image syntax]] for recommendations on the best markup to use. Images should be placed in articles following [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Images]]. For ideas and examples of how to place images, see [[Help:Pictures]].

====Image galleries====
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{{Redirect|Wikipedia:Gallery|instructions for placing a gallery on a page|Help:Gallery tag|the maintenance tag|Template:Cleanup-gallery}}
{{Redirect|WP:IG|the use of Instagram as a source|WP:INSTAGRAM}}
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In articles that have several images, they are typically placed individually near the relevant text (see [[MOS:IMAGELOCATION]]). Wikipedia [[WP:NOTREPOSITORY|is not an image repository]]. A gallery is not a tool to shoehorn images into an article, and a gallery consisting of an indiscriminate collection of images of the article subject should generally either be improved in accordance with the below paragraphs or [[Wikipedia:Moving images to the Commons|moved]] to [[Wikipedia:Wikimedia Commons|Wikimedia Commons]].

Generally, a gallery or cluster of images  should not be added so long as there is space for images to be effectively presented adjacent to text. A [[WP:PIC#Galleries|gallery section]] may be appropriate in some Wikipedia articles if a collection of images can illustrate aspects of a subject that cannot be easily or adequately described by text or individual images. Just as we seek to ensure that the prose of an article is [[Wikipedia:The perfect article|clear, precise and engaging]], galleries should be similarly well-crafted.  Gallery images must collectively add to the reader's understanding of the subject without causing  [[WP:WEIGHT|unbalance]] to an article or section within an article while avoiding similar or repetitive images, unless a point of contrast or comparison is being made. 

Articles consisting entirely or primarily of galleries are discouraged, as the Commons is intended for such collections of images. One [[rule of thumb]] to consider: if, due to its content, such a gallery would only lend itself to a title along the lines of "Gallery" or "Images of ''[insert article title]''", as opposed to a more descriptive title, the gallery should either be revamped or moved to the Commons.  However, a few Wikipedia gallery-only articles, including [[Gallery of sovereign-state flags]], [[Gallery of passport stamps by country or territory]], and [[Gallery of curves]], have been upheld at AfD.  Links to Commons categories (or even Commons galleries) can be added to the Wikipedia article using the {{tl|Commons category}}, {{tl|Commons}}, or {{tl|Commons-inline}} templates. 

Images should be captioned to explain their relevance to the article subject and to the theme of the gallery, and the gallery itself should be appropriately titled (unless its theme is clear from context).  See [[Women's suffrage in New Zealand#Gallery|Women's suffrage in New Zealand]] for an example of an informative and well-crafted gallery. Be aware different screen size and browsers may affect [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Accessibility#Images|accessibility]] for some readers even with a well-crafted gallery.

Using animated [[GIF]]s to display multiple photos is discouraged. The method is not suitable for printing and also is not user-friendly (users cannot save individual images and have to wait before being able to view images while other images cycle round).

Fair-use images should almost never be included as part of a general image gallery, because their "fair use" status depends on their proper use in the context of an article (as part of analysis or criticism). See [[Wikipedia:Fair use]] for details. An example of an exception might be a gallery of comparable screenshots from a video game as it appears on two different platforms, provided that the differences are relevant (e.g., if the article discusses a controversy in the gaming press about the matter).

Some subjects easily lend themselves to image-heavy articles for which image galleries are suitable, such as plants (e.g., [[Lily]]), fashion (e.g., [[Wedding dress]]), and the visual arts (e.g., [[Oil painting]]).  Others do not.  There [[WP:NOETHNICGALLERIES|is consensus]] not to use a gallery of group members as the lead image for articles about large groups of people such as ethnicities.

The ''default size'' of a gallery should be understood as simply the size that images are presented as if nothing else is specified, not as the ''preferred size'' of the images. Disagreements about gallery image sizes should be settled like any other editing dispute, by discussion on the article talk page.

====Collages and montages====
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{{redirect|WP:MONTAGE|the essay on montage best practices|Wikipedia:Collage tips}}
[[Collage]]s and [[Photomontage|montages]] are single images that illustrate multiple closely related concepts, where overlapping or similar careful placement of component images is necessary to illustrate a point in an encyclopedic way. (See [[:File:Phoebian Explorers 2 PIA06118.jpg]] for an example montage.) The components of a collage or montage, as well as the collage or montage itself, must be properly licensed; and (as with galleries) fair-use components are rarely appropriate, as each non-free image used in the creation of the montage contributes towards consideration of [[WP:NFCC#3a|minimal use of non-free images]]. If a gallery would serve as well as a collage or montage, the gallery should be preferred, as galleries are easier to maintain and adjust better to user preferences.

====Image queuing====
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If an article seems to have too many images for its present text, consider moving some of them temporarily to the talk page, possibly using the [[Wikipedia:Gallery tag|<nowiki><gallery></nowiki>]]. However, [[fair-use]] images should not be moved to talk pages, for two reasons:
*fair-use images can <em>only</em> be used in articles (not e.g. talk pages or user pages), as specified in the image's fair-use rationale; and
*fair-use images become subject to deletion if not actually used in an article{{mdashb}}see {{section link|Wikipedia:Fair use#Policy}} and {{section link|Wikipedia:Criteria for speedy deletion#Images/Media}}.