Hi all, Atvelonis here. I'm writing this blog to clarify and elaborate upon some ambiguous points in the wiki's policies on character images. For the purposes of this blog, I will be speaking mainly about the more recent games, such as Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim, and Online; many older titles, such as Arena and Daggerfall, cannot conform to these standards. Images from such games are considered exceptions to the following rules.
Size
We do not have a specific requirement for the resolution of a character image, as long as the height of the image is 720 vertical pixels or greater. Formerly, the requirement was that all character images in applicable games must be exactly 600×1000 pixels. However, we decided several months ago that this rule prevented editors using lower-resolution (yet still high-definition) displays from uploading quality character images.
To solve this issue, the rule was amended so that all character images must conform exactly to a 3:5 aspect ratio. A 600×1000 image, for example, falls under this category. Notice that its horizontal component is 600 pixels, and its vertical component is 1000 pixels. If you simplify this ratio, you will end up at 3:5. If a character is laying down horizontally, you are allowed to crop the image to a 5:3 aspect ratio (with the numbers opposite from the usual) to accommodate their position.
If you ever need to quickly determine if a resolution you've used fits this, divide the smaller number (horizontal) by the larger number (vertical), and if your answer is exactly 0.6, then the aspect ratio of that image meets this standard. The decimal may vary slightly if you use a resolution that does not divide evenly into 3:5, but should still round to 0.6. On the table below, find your monitor's resolution and choose one of the recommended image sizes corresponding to it:
Monitor resolution | Recommended image size |
---|---|
1280×720 (HD) | 432×720 |
1366×760 | 456×760 450×750 |
1600×900 (HD+) | 540×900 |
1920×1080 (FHD) | 648×1080 600×1000 |
2560×1440 (QHD) | 864×1440 840×1400 |
3840×2160 (4K) | 1296×2160 1260×2100 1200×2000 |
There are other resolutions that can be used in place of these recommendations and still meet the 3:5 requirement, but these ones are the easiest sizes you can use when cropping your images.
Visuals
All character images must show the character's entire body whenever possible. While this is generally feasible, certain characters in ESO do not move out from behind desks or other objects, making a full-body image impractical to acquire. Even in these situations, it is still required that your image be taken in the regular game mode, and not the dialogue screen.
It is possible to take a screenshot displaying such a character's full body from the side, but it is often preferable to instead line the photo up as if there were no object blocking their lower half, and take it from the front. If a side angle is more fitting, you may be able to get the character's attention temporarily by interacting with them; those without much or any unique dialogue may turn their heads towards you without opening the full dialogue screen. This results in a nearly true full-body image with the face visible.
Some other things to keep in mind are that images of characters are most easily viewed by readers when they are taken during the daytime, rather than during the night; in most games you can use console commands to reset the time, and in ESO use the "Almalexia's Enchanted Lantern" item to produce artificial lighting in dark areas. Uploading a screenshot of a character with their eyes open is also strongly preferable to one where they are blinking. Furthermore, try not to have something distracting anywhere else in the screenshot, such as players in ESO. Renders of characters are also not permitted; the screenshot must be taken in-game.
The occasional character in ESO will never turn away from the edge of a pier or balcony. In these situations, if the platform below (even water) is not too low, you may be able to jump from said platform and time the screenshot perfectly to make it seem as if you were standing on level ground in front of the character.
HUD
Character images cannot show any indication of the HUD, crosshair, or quest markers in the screenshot. In Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim, you can disable the HUD entirely with the command TM
(toggle menus). Hostile characters can be frozen by targeting them with the mouse and using the command TAI
(toggle AI).
In ESO, you can bind a key to turn off the HUD, but this does not remove quest markers. To get around this, you can download an add-on called Ultimate UI Hider that lets you completely disable the HUD. Install the add-on, extract the contents of the download, and then move it into the add-on folder for ESO. The location of this folder should be:
- C:\Users\<username>\Documents\Elder Scrolls Online\live\
Since the add-on is technically out-of-date, you will have to check the box under the Add-Ons menu in-game that says, "Allow out-of-date add-ons." Despite being considered out-of-date by the game, though, it will still function properly. In-game, you can enable it manually with the command /hideui
, or by setting a keybind in the "Controls" menu.
File format
It is essential that character images be in the PNG file format to prevent the loss of image quality over time. While this increases the size of the file, it is worth it in the long run. If you are taking screenshots through Steam, be sure that you are uploading uncompressed (PNG) versions of your images, and not the compressed (JPG) versions that Steam automatically saves to your hard drive.
To make sure that it is saving PNG images to your hard drive, click "Steam" in the top left, click "Settings," and navigate to the "In-Game" tab. Once there, check the box that says "Save an uncompressed copy" and set your Screenshot Folder to something that you can access easily. Later, when opening a file from a photo editor, make sure that you are opening the PNG version from this folder.
I personally edit my screenshots in Paint.net (click the "Download now" button in the table, not on one of the ads) because I'm too cheap to buy Photoshop and can't be bothered to use Gimp. That said, any photo editing software that can get the job done should be sufficient, as long as it can save and upload the photos in the PNG format.
Obviously, no images should be adulterated to add visual effects, and any screenshots should be taken from an un-modded game. This ensures that the images uploaded to the wiki are exactly how Bethesda or ZeniMax intended them.