Select and prepare a photo for your site
Before a photo ever touches your site's Media Library, consider its:
- value as content. It's just like they say about calories: no empty ones, please. Select photos that contribute to a reader's understanding of your content. Ask yourself: "Why am I including this image here?" and, if your answer has something to do with decoration, find a different photo or do without. Photos should be appropriate and professional. Be kind; don't post an unflattering photo.
- owner and permissions. A photo should be fine to us if you took it, or someone you know took it and has given you permission to use it on the web, or the Communications Office provided it. Crediting the photographer is always acceptable. If the photo came from elsewhere on the web, you need to be certain that you have permission to use it—either because you paid for the rights, or the owner explicitly granted the right to use it without payment. Even images that are free to use under a Creative Commons or other license usually require that you include credits with the image on your pages. Your site's Media Library has a "comments" field for each image; use it to note any ownership and permissions information that relate to each image.
- quality. If your photo passes the tests for content value and permissions, move on to quality. Select only the best. It's better to have one great photo than twenty "so-so" ones. For example, a photo that's badly out-of-focus shouldn't be used.
- preparation. Even a photo that makes it this far probably need a little work before you upload it to your site's Media Library. If you don't have Photoshop, there are online options that can help you put the final touches on your photo.
Your photo is ready to upload into your site's Media Library when it is:
- corrected for levels and color;
- sized appropriately (ex. no more than 800 pixels wide); and
- cropped well.
Good practice tip: We recommend uploading images to your site's Media Library so they can be served locally, rather than pointing to them on some other site.
