Forum:Media Image Categories

Not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I've been wondering if we should create image categories for each piece of media, such as Halo 4, Halo: Nightfall, or Halo: Escalation Issue #11. This would be a good way to organize images from each individual source and it is really helpful if you want to look for images from a certain topic, such as Another Day at the Beach. Wookieepedia also has this implemented (example). It will take a long time for all images to have their appropriate category, but I still think it would be useful. Any thoughts? - NightHammer (talk) 19:00, 11 November 2014 (EST)

Comments
It sounds good in some cases, for example if you're searching for all the images from a particular issue of Halo: Escalation. But in other cases, there would be so many images that they would number in the thousands. You can't really use this kind of category for finding anything. That's why I had actually suggested to "divide" some categories that contain hundreds of images ("Images of John-117" into "Images of John-117 (Halo 3)", "Images of John-117 (Halo 4)", etc; "Images of Mark VI" into "Images of MJOLNIR EVA", "Images of MJOLNIR Recon", etc). In many categories, there are so many images that I —personally— would never try to spend time in them even if I wanted to find images of this particular thing. In my opinion, the "virtual" limit for a category to be really useful would be for it to have around ~100 images maximum. Of course, not every single category can be "breakable" into sub-categories. But as long as it is possible —and if the category has hundreds/thousands of images— then I think it should be preferred. The consequence is that if I'm searching for, say, images of Promethean Knights, then there is a category for that. I don't think many people may actually go on a quest to browse a category with 1000 images of Halo 4.

However, when you upload an image, if you could choose a source / the media from which it comes from (Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 4...or create a new one), like we do for the copyright... That would be another thing. Selecting the correct licence is more of a formality for the wiki's integrity than something which helps the average visitor. If, in addition to the licencing choices, we could have a second choice to make with a list like, "Select the media from which your file comes from:"

Halo: Combat Evolved
 * Screenshot
 * Render
 * Concept art
 * Other

Halo 2
 * Screenshot
 * Render
 * Concept art
 * Other

Halo 3
 * etc

And then people would be able to browse among these "categories" (or rather "sub-categories", because they would still be divided according to the type of image, since a concept art isn't really equal to a screenshot from the final game), and so they would be able to browse every render that exists for Halo 2, or every concpet art that exists for Halo: Reach... That's the kind of thing I would be very interested in, actually. Something other than just adding more and more categories to every file, because sometimes you can really end up with tons of them. Basically, a feature on Halopedia's "upload" form to categorize every file within their source. (Translation: what NightHammer said, but with a new particular feature). Now Subtank or Jugus, come and confirm this feature can't physically be added to the upload form, so I can return living under a rock. Imrane-117 (talk) 20:31, 11 November 2014 (EST)


 * I see your point. However, I was thinking that in the category titled, for example, "Images from Halo 2", we include just images from cutscenes and gameplay. Concept art could get its own category too. And we could have "Images from Halo 2 multiplayer", or possibly have a category for each level if it is deemed necessary. - NightHammer (talk) 22:51, 12 November 2014 (EST)

I feel it's necessary for me to voice my concern and opinion that the wiki is not intended to be a repository of images. It is not for the wiki to serve as a search engine for Halo-related images. Anyway, just voicing out my concern and opinion but please do continue with this proposal. — subtank   07:10, 15 November 2014 (EST)
 * No, but having images be easier to find is never a bad thing, right? As long as people bother to categorize them (I'm personally kinda lazy about it sometimes). As for Imrane's last query, you could always do it with a system similar to our own where a given "license" (which is really just a pre-set bit of text or wikicode added to the file) denotes a specific game and so on. The drop-down list would become huge, though, and I don't know how a more complicated system could be implemented. I like the idea of having categories for specific pieces of media, though one definitely shouldn't have to type the category in the upload form (a drop-down menu sounds good). @Subtank: would it be possible to include another drop-down menu to the upload form in addition to the licenses one? This way we'd be able to identify the work as well as the license separately and with relative ease. --Jugus (Talk  | Contribs ) 08:58, 17 November 2014 (EST)


 * I don't know. Couldn't hurt to test it out. Try creating a sub-sub bullet point here and see if it works. If it doesn't, then I guess the alternative would be to modify the Information template to enable this.— subtank   11:18, 20 November 2014 (EST)


 * I don't think editing Mediawiki:Licenses will do the trick. Any added bullet point will just show up on the same drop-down menu instead of creating another one. --Jugus (Talk  | Contribs ) 11:37, 20 November 2014 (EST)


 * So, through the template it is then. I'll place an instruction on the template on the proper use then. — subtank   12:11, 20 November 2014 (EST)