Help:Files

File means a data file for an image, a video clip, or an audio clip, including document length clips; or a midi file (a small, computer-instructions file). A page for the file will contain a comprehensive description.

Search for files, or upload your own file. (See Uploading files below.) A search lists every file page containing all the search terms found on the file page. From the search box enter File:descriptive terms. For example, include the terms image, video, or midi in the query. Then, discovering the page name you can help:edit the wikitext of any page and insert that media. This is an easy way to significantly improve articles. (See Using files below.)

There are three semantic differences from the normal wikilink syntax when working with a file page:

For backward compatibility with older pages the alias Image: (now deprecated) is still available instead of File: in wikilinks or in the search box, but "image" will now refer to more types of data files than just images.
 * [ [File:pagename]] will transclude the file, inserting the image, video or audio into the rendered page in a file link; however for MIDI files, it works as usual and a link to the file page will be inserted. A file link is a transclusion from the File namespace, complete with transclusion parameters.
 * [ [:File:pagename]], with the initial colon, will link the image, video or audio file page;
 * Media:pagename will render a link which can activate the image or audio or video of a data file directly, on its own page (separate from the rendered page or the file page).

Uploading files
The preferred formats
 * for images: SVG, PNG, JPEG. The GIF and ICO formats are recognized, and other image formats may be too.
 * for audio: Ogg.
 * for video: Ogg with the Theora video codec.

High resolution images and animated .gif files may pose a problem for performance, but see the problem description in terms of bandwidth and reader's computing power at Consideration of image download size. For photographs in JPEG format, upload the best quality and highest resolution version available; these will be automatically scaled down to low-resolution thumbnails when needed.

Once the file is uploaded, please verify its file page image quality and description, considering how its key words help tag it for proper indexing in a search result.

Using files
Search for and find one of many existing image files, or upload your own file. Knowing the file's page name you can then edit your page and refer to that file to insert it into your wikitext. You will wikilink the page name, which will in turn include its file (of that name) in the page you edit. Take for example File:Wikipedesketch1.png. Use the following all on one line (with no line breaks). Then the results will be as shown in the image to the right: Text and captions need have little text in common. A reader of the article can click on the thumbnail, or on the small double-rectangle icon below it, to go to the corresponding file page.
 * 1) the page name
 * 2) "thumb", short for thumbnail and referring here to the reader's default size for images (See Help:User preferences to specify your own thumbnail sizes.)
 * 3) the alt text, such as might read "A cartoon centipede with seven hands reads a book, lifts another, types on a laptop, and holds a bottle". Alt text is intended for visually impaired readers or those with browsers or computers that do not display images. It should describe the gist of the picture's appearance in detail
 * 4) The caption is intended for viewers of the image and explains the meaning while using terms that refer directly to items as they appear in the image.

By default, the page layout will place the image to the right of the wikitext, one line below where you placed the link. The extended image syntax provides many options to control how an image is displayed. You can make it "float" to the left, or center it, or place it without text flowing around it. You can force its size (to differ from the default set by the user), or even provide for the reader move around in a panorama. You can avoid image "stackups" in several ways, for example, by alternating left and right images, by aligning images, and if all else fails by forcing a break. You can create a gallery of images arranged into an array by using table syntax, and by using a gallery tag. (Gallery tags do not support alt text, so they generate galleries that will not be accessible to readers who cannot see the images) Also, you can create plain pictures that do not have captions and can be mingled with text and other images; these can use more fine-grained techniques, including borders, vertical alignment with text, and control over links. You can also link to an image without displaying it.

For examples of all these techniques, see ''Picture tutorial.

Naming files
File names should be clear and descriptive, without being excessively long. While the image name doesn't matter much to the reader (they can reach the description page by simply clicking on the image), it matters for editors. It is helpful to other contributors and for maintenance of the encyclopedia if images have descriptive or at least readable file names. For example, File:Skyline Frankfurt am Main.jpg is more manageable than File:14004096 200703230833355477800.jpg.

To avoid accidental overwriting of images or other media, generic filenames should not be used when uploading. For example, a picture of an album cover should not be given the name File:Cover.jpg. Sooner or later someone else will try to do the same thing, and that could overwrite the old image. Then the new image will appear wherever the old one was seen before—an album article would then show the wrong album cover.

Renaming files
Renaming a file page is different than renaming other kinds of pages. Unless you have been granted file mover rights, you must make a request to rename the page.

The most common and accepted reasons a file mover will change a name are: The bolded words are description enough for the reason for a name change.
 * Uploader request
 * Changing from a meaningless to a descriptive title
 * Changing from a misleading name to an accurate name
 * Correcting important errors denoting, for example the spelling of a proper noun, or a false historical date
 * Harmonizing file names with a set of related names
 * Disambiguating files with very similar names
 * Remove pejorative, offensive or crude language