Commons:Help desk

From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository

Shortcut: COM:HD This help desk is a forum for questions and help on How to use Commons Anyone, from newbie to experienced, can ask a question here. Questions will be replied to here as well. Any answers you receive are not legal advice and the responder cannot be held liable for them. Please sign your question by typing four tildes (~~~~). In order to get quick answers consider the following points: For discussing current licenses, post at Commons talk:Licensing. For policy, proposals and technical information, post on Commons:Village pump For administrator attention, post here, Commons:Administrators' noticeboard or directly to an administrator For questions not related to this website, try Wikipedia:Reference desk Have you checked the Commons:FAQ and Help:Contents? You may also find what you are looking for in the Commons:Help desk/Archives. Click here to ask your question about using Commons

Important discussion pages (index)
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[edit] TUSC password retrieval

Can't recall my TUSC (Flickr2Commons) password. Now the system is up again, I can't use it, as can't find any password retrieval links or a forgot my password button, usually available wherever a password is required on the net! Any ideas? Also can't find requisite forum to place such a query, as Magnus tools forum requires a login again, so placing it here. Thanks! --Ekabhishek (talk) 14:31, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

We can ask The Google. Which finds:

• User talk:Magnus Manske/Archive 4#Lost TUSC password
  • I nuked the entry, so you can resubscribe. --Magnus Manske (talk) 21:39, 22 July 2008 (UTC)

Maybe Magnus will do that for you. --Teratornis (talk) 21:03, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

OK, now that I have resubscribed, the new password is not being verified - showing failed! Any ideas?? PS: I have signed in with my 'en' user account and not 'commons' account in Language box, which was the second option. Did that create a problem?! As I only chose one of two given optionThanks! --Ekabhishek (talk) 05:46, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

Still awaiting a response?? --Ekabhishek (talk) 11:52, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

You will have to ask on User talk:Magnus Manske. Probably no one who is reading the Help desk just now knows how to help. Did you ask Magnus Manske to "nuke" your old entry? --Teratornis (talk) 22:31, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

Left a a message at his talk page as well, yesterday! Can't there be another mechanism where password can be sent by email automatically to users' ID?! Far easier, and of course lost hours could be saved this way?! --Ekabhishek (talk) 05:11, 6 November 2009 (UTC)

The tool is not part of the MediaWiki software, thus it lacks the extra layers of protection for password difficulties. Millions of people use Wikipedia; maybe only a few hundred use the TUSC system (I'm just guessing). With few users, Magnus may not feel a need to add all the safety features - that decision is up to him. I don't think Magnus reads the Help desk lately, so feature requests here will probably not help. He seems to be busy on lots of sites. In the meantime, you might try the non-TUSC {{Flinfo}} method to upload photos from Flickr. That's what I use anyway, since I had problems getting the bot to work the last time I tried it. --Teratornis (talk) 03:50, 7 November 2009 (UTC)

That's where I have been, in the Flint tool land all this while! Though thought should give TUSC another try, now that it has started working again.Anyway work goes on nevertheless...meanwhile we wait for ....:) --Ekabhishek (talk) 04:32, 7 November 2009 (UTC)

(collapsing indentation hell) You'll have to sign up for TUSC with the language/project you're using tools on. My own tools using TUSC all work on Commons, so you'll need that. If you have problems, try this first, it will give you a more detailed error message. As a last resort, I'll delete your TUSC entry to you can resubscribe. This method has worked so far :-) --Magnus Manske (talk) 09:07, 8 November 2009 (UTC)

I signed up in en itself the first time, later when I tried recreating the account using commons instead of en it showed, "Attention : you are already verified!.." Should I go ahead still?? Now on using the link you have given above, the error message reads "User is blocked. 0". I wonder, if creating an account using en, creates such a problem why have it as an option in the first, just have "commons".... Now what next? --Ekabhishek (talk) 04:46, 9 November 2009 (UTC)

Strange. Maybe a miscommunication with the MediaWiki API. I have deleted both your TUSC accounts, please sign in for commons again. Sorry for the inconvenience. --Magnus Manske (talk) 20:11, 9 November 2009 (UTC)

Reading the message above, the User is excited, he rushes to create a new account, he carefully types in those words, commons, and a few tricky manouvers, during which he also ponders over his a "new password".. and lo behold! He rejoices as those promising words appear on his screen,"Congratulations, you are now a verified TUSC user! Weep tears of joy, or something.". Cut to few moments later, he tries to upload a Flickr file, but the message is loud and clear! - "TUSC verification failed." The User is left high and dry...in an another corner of the commons, another bot is rubbing hands in glee. What would happen next, the suspense is terrifying and the prospects thrilling! --Ekabhishek (talk) 05:43, 10 November 2009 (UTC)

I suppose that means "it still doesn't work". Instead of poetry, the tusc_check output would have been helpful - is it still the "blocked" message, or something else? Were you ever blocked on Commons? Are you using funny UTF8 characters in your password? In my database, your account is marked as validated, as are ca. 3000 others which appear to work fine, so I'll have to figure out what is different about yours. --Magnus Manske (talk) 13:57, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

Yes it still shows "blocked 0". No, I am NOT using "funny UTF8 characters" in my password, I can send it to you if you wish, and have never been blocked from commons..Do let me know if you need any other info in figuring out. Thanks!--Ekabhishek (talk) 05:57, 16 November 2009 (UTC)

The only way I could reproduce the error is by intentionally mistyping your username. I fixed the error message generator, so it will now distinguish between a blocked user and a nonexisting one. Please try again, making sure your username is correctly typed (upper/lowercase, no trailing tabs characters etc), and tell me if it still says blocked. In my experiment, the only things not verifying is your password, for the reason that I don't have it, so I expect it to work for you as well. Cheers, Magnus Manske (talk) 23:42, 16 November 2009 (UTC)

• Thanks! --Ekabhishek (talk) 09:07, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Need help uploading/tagging file to prevent deletion

Hello,

Last week I uploaded a JPEG of a concert poster that I had received permission from the artist to use. Although I thought I had properly categorized and tagged the file, it was flagged by a bot and deleted.

I would appreciate any guidance in how to properly upload/categorize/annotate/tag the a file so that it is not flagged and deleted.

Thank you,

Calixton (talk) 22:15, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

I don't see any permission on the blog comments.[1] The easiest solution would be to get the uploader to change the license on flickr to Creative Commons Attribution and then reupload the file with a link back to the page. Alternatively, you can follow this process called OTRS. mahanga (talk) 03:55, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

The artist uses an odd system for comments on his site. The comment thread where I asked for and was granted permission to use the artwork is separate from the blog post.[2] I will send an email asking the artist if he would consider changing the copyright license on his Flickr page. If the artist doesn’t want to change the copyright license on his Flickr page, but does want to grant permission for use on Wikipedia/Wikimedia, is OTRS of any use? Or do I just give up? —Calixton (talk) 17:49, 12 November 2009 (UTC)

Yes, COM:OTRS works for photos which are under the artist's copyright. OTRS is our way to document the fact that the copyright holder agrees to license the work freely, when no other Web or print source documents that fact. Only the copyright holder determines whether a work is free content or not. --Teratornis (talk) 18:50, 12 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Need help

I have a friend who wants to upload a photograph, but his Internet skills are not very advanced, and he finds the uploading process too complicated. I'm an experienced Commons uploader myself, and I would upload it for him, but the last time I tried to upload someone else's pic, it was deleted, because, I was told, my mere say-so that I had the photographer's permission wasn't sufficient. Is there a way I can upload my friend's pic, without it getting deleted? Thanks. Nightscream (talk) 05:56, 11 November 2009 (UTC)

• One way is for your friend to make an account on Flickr and upload the photo there under a {{cc-by-sa-3.0}} license. Then you can upload the photo from Flickr to Commons by several different methods, such as the {{Flinfo}} method. Flickr is one of the most popular photo sharing sites and one of the few that allows users to choose Creative Commons licenses that are suitable for Commons. See the links under COM:EIC#Flickr. Evidently Flickr must be usable by users with very little computer skills, otherwise it could not have grown so large.
  • After creating an account, your friend goes to this page: Your account / Set a default license and selects one of these two choices:
    • Attribution Creative Commons
    • Attribution-ShareAlike Creative Commons (to make it simple, tell your friend to pick this one)
• Another method is to follow the procedure in COM:OTRS to document the photographer's permission.

If you only care about this one photo, the OTRS procedure might be simpler, since that only requires the photographer to send an e-mail. If you want to upload more photos from this photographer in the future, the Flickr solution will be simpler, because after the photographer knows how to upload to Flickr and choose the right license (CC-BY or CC-BY-SA), you will never have to trouble him again. Note that many photographers who upload to Commons also upload to Flickr, because Flickr has fewer restrictions and is apparently simpler and faster. Flickr functions as a raw upload accumulator from which the uploader or another Commons user can selectively upload photos to Commons. See for example this prolific user:

• User:Kubina
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/kubina

--Teratornis (talk) 20:01, 11 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] The Bronze Star

The Bronze Star

My father was awarded in WW II, posthumously. He is not listed in your name list. I would like him added....how do I go about doing this?

Thank you.

Tim Litfin —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.31.20.52 (talk • contribs) 11:53, 11 November 2009 (UTC)

What name list do you refer to? This is Wikimedia Commons, which has a Category:Recipients of the Bronze Star medal for photographs of recipients. Over on the English Wikipedia, there is a Category:Recipients of the Bronze Star Medal which lists articles about recipients. If you want to write an article about your father, that is difficult if you have no editing experience on Wikipedia. It is much better if you accumulate at least 500 edits on existing articles before attempting to start a new one. Wikipedia deletes thousands of new articles by new users for failing to comply with Wikipedia's complex rules for content. The main sticking point is a failure to demonstrate the notability of the article's subject. See also WP:BIO, WP:YFA, WP:COI, WP:LAYOUT, and WP:TMM. --Teratornis (talk) 20:12, 11 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Why can't I upload freely available pictures?

I want to add pictures that are readily available on simple google searches, is this not allowed? I think it's unfair that ELO removed my four hours of contributions to the St. George's School, Newport page without bothering to inquire where I found my images. ELO should also learn that 'all' is a partitive and should be followed by 'of' as in 'all of your contributions'. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ackkid06 (talk • contribs) 18:30, 11 November 2009 (UTC)

It's not someone else's job to make sure your pictures are properly licensed. As a general rule, pictures that are readily available on simple Google searches aren't licensed under a license that would let us add it to Wikimedia Commons. Posting something on the web doesn't invalidate the copyright. And I may point out that Ackkid06 is a native English speaker, so he should know that Google is a proper noun and hence should be capitalized, unlike ELO who is a native Danish speaker.--Prosfilaes (talk) 19:02, 11 November 2009 (UTC)

See:

• Commons:Project scope/Precautionary principle - in general, assume a media file is not free content unless we can prove it is free; the burden of proof is on the uploader

The various Wikimedia Foundation project sites such as Wikimedia Commons can be pitfalls for the new user who assumes he or understands how the sites work before reading reading the friendly manuals. This sometimes occurs with people who have great expertise in other fields, who incorrectly assume their expertise automatically extends to Commons (an analogous error had fatal results for some of the early Arctic explorers, for example, who disparaged the native Inuit as backward savages, instead of emulating their time-tested Arctic survival skills). In particular, Commons is a repository of free content, and few people would guess exactly what constitutes "free content" without actually reading about it. Note that Google Image Search can find freely licensed images, but you must explicitly specify this:

• Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2009-07-13/News and notes#Google Image Search introduces free license search option

By default, Google searches for images without regard to copyright status, and the vast majority of images on the Web are under copyright and thus are not allowed on Commons. If you want to upload an image which is under copyright, or has unknown copyright status, follow the procedure in COM:OTRS.

Another way to find freely licensed images is to search with the {{Flickr free}} template:

• Search Flickr for images with the keywords: St. George's School, Newport under these licenses: cc-by or cc-by-sa

which finds this lone image:

• St. George's School in Newport

which you could upload to Commons with the {{Flinfo}} method. Incidentally, since St. George's School seems to have such a long list of notable alumni who went on to positions of authority, there is a chance that some of them had a hand in making copyright laws so incredibly complex. Copyright is probably the main factor that makes Commons difficult to use. --Teratornis (talk) 21:02, 11 November 2009 (UTC)

I created Category:St. George's School, Newport and categorized your image uploads into it using HotCat. You can use this category for any additional uploads you have which relate to the school. I also added Template:Commonscat to the St. George's School, Newport article on the English Wikipedia. Thank you for your contributions. You might like to create a gallery of your uploads on your user page. If you want help with this let us know. --Teratornis (talk) 21:20, 11 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Adding additional categories to a recently uploaded file.

Hi, Earlier today I uploaded an image file entitled: MacIntyre_of_Glenoe_Arms_of_Clan_Chief.jpg. I thought I had included several categories where the image could be found, but only one appears. When I look in "edit" the other categories are in the summary. I separated the category names with a |. Was this correct? How can I add the others (eagles in heraldry | crosses in heraldry | Coats of arms of Scotland | Coats of arms of families of Scotland)? Thanks to all.--Tomaterols (talk) 22:43, 11 November 2009 (UTC)

You can link to the file so we can see it like this:

• File:MacIntyre of Glenoe Arms of Clan Chief.jpg

Read about categories in COM:Cat and see the links under COM:EIC#Cat. I like to use HotCat to edit categories because it is often quick. --Teratornis (talk) 03:10, 12 November 2009 (UTC)

Thanks for the info. I still have a lot to learn. I couldn't figure out how to find the "functional" articles in Wikimedia so just knowing to type "COM:" as a prefix is a big help. I'll check out the info. Best--Tomaterols (talk) 02:39, 13 November 2009 (UTC)

COM:COM lists some of the available shortcut links. Add a link to the Commons:Editor's index to Commons to your user page. The index links to every help page, project page, etc. that we (the editors who edit the index) find out about. It's as close to a one-stop shop for how to do everything on Commons as we can make it. Also see the Editor's index to Wikipedia. Anything that is still confusing, ask about here. And as I did not mention but you probably saw, I fixed the categories on your image page. --Teratornis (talk) 04:23, 13 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Duplett file

I uploaded File:Lenin clears away the filth.jpg and then found that it already existed as File:Tov lenin ochishchaet.jpg. The existing file has info about the author, whereas I mistakenly supposed it was an unknown state official and PD-old. My version, however, is a little better. Can somebody delete my file and use the image to replace the other version? --Årvasbåo (talk) 17:14, 12 November 2009 (UTC)

You can easily upload your version over the existing File:Tov lenin ochishchaet.jpg, there is a link at the bottom of the file description to upload a new version of a file. --Martin H. (talk) 21:22, 12 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] How to change the name of a file?

I uploaded a file (Elizer Hirschauge (portrait).jpg), but there is a misspelling (should be Eliezer Hirschauge), how can I change it? Thank you. --Marcel Duchamp (talk) 20:44, 12 November 2009 (UTC)

See COM:FAQ#How can I rename/move an image or other media file?. If you can wait some days or longer please use {{rename|Newname.jpg|reason=your reason}}, an administrator will execute your move request. If you want to have the result immediately please reupload the image with the correct name and place {{badname|Newname.jpg}} on the old file description of the badnamed file. --Martin H. (talk) 21:21, 12 November 2009 (UTC)

Thank you for help. I used the rename template, I hope I did it correctly. --Marcel Duchamp (talk) 00:06, 13 November 2009 (UTC)

For more important requests, I guess you can use this. –Juliancolton | ^Talk 05:36, 15 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Not updated file view

Two days ago I did a change in the file L-Bruecke-Wupper.png. Full size view shows the modification but not thumb and preview. Is there actually a problem on the server? -- Хрюша ^?? 10:24, 13 November 2009 (UTC)

I don't see a problem with the image. The thumbnail shows up when I try a preview. I can also see it on User:Kolossos/gallery/Lueger. Incidentally, I just now added an interlanguage link from Category:Müngstener Brücke to Müngsten Bridge, and a Template:Commonscat from there to here. --Teratornis (talk) 22:13, 13 November 2009 (UTC)

Works for me –Juliancolton | ^Talk 22:17, 13 November 2009 (UTC)

At least for others display seems to be ok. Even after another purge I still see the version including caption in thumbnail and preview. -- Хрюша ^?? 02:44, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

Had you told us what to look for, I might have noticed that I am not seeing your modification in the thumbnail and preview compared to the full-sized version. --Teratornis (talk) 04:07, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

It is the problem why I asked here ;0] → see first line! -- Хрюша ^?? 09:33, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

After another Purge today it works now correct!

[edit] Brightness & contrast

I have just uploaded a new version of an existing diagram at File:Euxton, Farington & Preston RJD 62.jpg, which I had manipulated on my computer to enhance the brightness and contrast, to make the whites whiter and the blacks blacker. However, after the upload, the uploaded version's brightness and contrast looks little different from the original version (in fact, if anything, it looks slightly worse). It's as if the uploading software deliberately downgrades the quality of the pictures! What is going on? As far as I can tell, I've purged the cache, so that's not the explanation. -- Dr Greg  talk  02:50, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

After purging the cache, and forcing it to reload a couple times (CTRL+R), I got it to display your version.--Prosfilaes (talk) 04:02, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

That worked eventually for me too. I knew about purging the cache, but didn't realise it might take several attempts before it would work! Thanks. -- Dr Greg  talk  13:51, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Licensing question

Would the loops found at [3] be considered public domain, seeing as the project is in part funded by NOAA, or are they considered copyrighted? Ks0stm ^(T•C•G) 02:51, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

The site you linked to has this on the main page, which makes it looks as if Vortex2 wants us to believe it owns the copyright to work funded by American taxpayers (who knows, it might):

• © Copyright 2009 Vortex2 - Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

{{PD-USGov-NOAA}} talks about work made by government employees. This probably does not extend to contractors. Here is a copyright FAQ entry from the NWS, which may or may not apply:

• Can I use the photos on your website for my own purposes?
  • If the photos are copyrighted (those photos are labeled as such), you will need to get written permission from the copyright holder. Otherwise, you can use the photo without express permission, provided that you give credit to the source of the picture, usually the National Weather Service.

You might try the COM:OTRS procedure with Vortex2 for the images you want to use. --Teratornis (talk) 04:17, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

I just sent them an email as suggested. Thanks =) Ks0stm ^(T•C•G) 05:14, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Reviving an old version of another image

The File:VTA LRT 2.JPG has an earlier version that I think should be uploaded under a new name. However the owner of this file apparently speaks and reads only in Japanese, and I have no way of asking his permission to convert and upload the old version. Naturally I'd give him credit, but is there any legal way I can go about doing this? ----DanTD (talk) 05:39, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

User:Snty-tact appears to be the uploader of the earlier version and his/her user page lists {{User en-2}}. That said, the original upload appears to have been freely licensed which means you are free to upload it again under a new name, with no need to contact the original contributor, although you could leave a note on User talk:Snty-tact explaining what you did. --Teratornis (talk) 05:09, 15 November 2009 (UTC)

So, when I upload it, I can click "It it entirley my own work," even though it isn't? ----DanTD (talk) 16:45, 15 November 2009 (UTC)

I would use the basic upload form and paste in a copy of the original wikitext from the revision you are reviving. You could then edit the wikitext to explain what you did, and link to the original image. And edit the wikitext to use a proper {{Information}} template. It would be nice to find an example where someone else did what you want to do. --Teratornis (talk) 21:09, 15 November 2009 (UTC)

Well, I did it. If I did it wrong, please let me know. I'm glad you appreciate me giving credit to the original photographer. I've uploaded a lot of photos into the commons that are not mine, yet when I click on the gallery from my homepage, I tend to find them there mixed in with mine. ----DanTD (talk) 00:55, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Rename

Please, how to rename the uploaded file? -- Дар Ветер (talk) 06:14, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

Upload the file with the new name again and request to delete the old file. --Wvk (talk) 06:25, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

Where should I request it? -- Дар Ветер (talk) 07:47, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Deletion_requests --Wvk (talk) 07:51, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

Thanks! -- Дар Ветер (talk) 07:53, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

See #How to change the name of a file? just above. --Teratornis (talk) 05:10, 15 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Translation

I am a novice and want to make a derivative file from Surface water cycle.svg with titles in Esperanto. I succeeded in getting a translation on my own computer, but I don't manage to upload this file. It just isn't clear at all for me. Thanks for explaining ! --Forstbirdo (talk) 08:32, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

Did you try the option "its a derivative work of a file from commons" in Commons:Upload? This tool is wrongly saying you are not logged in, just ignore that warning. --Martin H. (talk) 14:37, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

Thank you, that's what I tried. That terrible "Derivative FX" doesn't explain anything. What should I do with "Description", "Changes", "Editor"...and so on...? --Forstbirdo (talk) 09:55, 15 November 2009 (UTC)

"Description" is just what you'd put if you were uploading a new file. If you're just changing the language displayed, you can probably just keep the text that's already there (which is the description field of the original file by default). "Changes" describe what you've changed. "Editor" is the user performing the edits (that's you). Powers (talk) 15:09, 15 November 2009 (UTC)

Finally I succeeded. Thank you very much for explaining! (It was not so easy. Perhaps next time it will do better.) --Forstbirdo (talk) 21:34, 15 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Lizenzänderung

Ist es zulässig, daß ohne mein Einverständnis Lizensen geändert werden von deren Sinn und Zweck mir nichts bekannt ist? Beispiel Ich gehe davon aus, daß noch weitere meiner eingestellten Bilder davon betroffen sind. Ein Grund mehr für mich nie mehr wieder hier mitzuarbeiten. Mit freundlichen Grüßen, --Ronaldino (talk) 09:53, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

Die von dir bestimmte Lizenz GFDL wurde um die Lizenz {{cc-by-sa-3.0}} erweitert, dieses ist geschehen im Zuge der m:Licensing update/de welches alle unter GFDL lizenzierten Inhalte aller Wikimedia Projekte zusäzlich mit cc-by-sa-3.0 lizenziert hat. Entsprechend sagt der neue Lizenzbaustein auch: This licensing tag was added to this file as part of the GFDL licensing update. --Martin H. (talk) 14:00, 14 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] ...doc documents

How do I have to convert a word pad document with the ending .doc so that it is possible to upload it?--87.143.120.65 21:25, 16 November 2009 (UTC)

Upload it where? Please describe the content of the .doc file and what you want to do with it. This is Wikimedia Commons, primarily a repository of images and other media files. In general we don't edit articles here. If you want to write an article, you might want one of the Wikipedias. If you want to upload some sort of document verbatim, Wikisource might be suitable. --Teratornis (talk) 23:11, 16 November 2009 (UTC)

This is not a useful answer to the question.--87.143.126.199 22:22, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

Commons is not a place to store private documents or text at all; it's a repository of images, video and audio for educational purposes and/or Wikimedia projects. A doc file is not likely to be accepted here in any form. It's not particularly productive for us to help you upload this file if it's just going to get deleted.--Prosfilaes (talk) 22:28, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

My reply is not a useful answer to the question because it is not an answer to the question. Rather, my reply consisted of a request for more information about what you want to do. There is no useful answer to the question as you posed it, because the question provides insufficient information to determine whether Commons allows what you want to do. The format of a file is far less relevant than the content of the file - the content determines whether Commons allows it (see Commons:Project scope). However, if you tell us about your goal, not just the step you have in mind to reach the goal, we might tell you another step that will work. Please read How to Ask Questions the Smart Way. --Teratornis (talk) 23:45, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Vandalism warning templates?

Do we have any templates for warning vandals similar to those used at the English Wikipedia? This edit is clearly vandalism, so I'd like to use a standard warning template if one is available. Nyttend (talk) 00:19, 17 November 2009 (UTC)

Yes, for this purpose Template:Inappropriate imagenotes and escalating

• Template:Test2
• Template:Test3
• Template:Test4

You may activate the Gadget User Messages in your preferences, it gives you a lot of tools for user talkpages in the toolbox on the left side - but be carefull, it writes the selected message directly to the user talk without asking you again, pay attention that you not click them by accident the first time. --Martin H. (talk) 02:43, 17 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Change attribution of image

A few years ago [4] I uploaded Shichi_fukujin.jpg [5] to Wikipedia. (It's something I bought myself and is hanging on my wall). It appears as though another user took this image, added it to Wikicommons, and then put in a "pd-self" tag so that it appears as though they released the copyright. How do I correct this so it's attributed to me? Doctor Boogaloo (talk) 23:29, 17 November 2009 (UTC)

Replace the pd-self with {{PD-user-w|projectcode|projectname|username}} with projectcode "en", projectname "English Wikipedia" and username your username. --Martin H. (talk) 01:07, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

I assume the pd-tag is your choice - if not you have to correct the whole license with the license you initially selected. --Martin H. (talk) 01:10, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

Thankyou very much Martin. Doctor Boogaloo (talk) 02:11, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Help needed

Why can't I find any articles on Commons? What are the differences between Commons and the en local project?Unioneagle (talk) 02:50, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

See the Commons:Project scope and the Commons:FAQ (#1.1). This is a media repository for freely licensed or public domain media files. --Martin H. (talk) 04:05, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

Also read the articles on the English Wikipedia that describe the two projects:

• Wikipedia
• Wikimedia Commons

The closest thing Commons has to articles on Wikipedia are gallery pages. Many categories on Commons have interlanguage links to corresponding articles on the various language Wikipedias. An article on the English Wikipedia may link to a category on Commons with Template:Commons category. See for example Wind power and Category:Wind power. --Teratornis (talk) 04:55, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] A question that had no heading

Thank you to WikiAdmin. In the gallery do you have a third one photo with my identity picture? Regards SULPIN —Preceding unsigned comment added by 2009 90.33.135.45 (talk • contribs) 13:54, 18 November (UTC)

I don't understand the above question, and it seems nobody else here understands it. Please give a link to whatever you could mean by "the gallery" and explain the phrase "a third one photo with my identity picture". If English is not your native language, you could also try asking in whatever language you like, and maybe someone who understands that language will know what you mean. If you have an account on Commons, you should log in before asking a question, so we can look at your contributions. Sometimes we can see what a questioner means even if the questioner does not know the technical terms to describe it. But if you have no account or you do not log into your account, we do not have those clues. --Teratornis (talk) 22:01, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Uploading an image of a painting given to me by a deceased artist

I wish to upload a portrait painted by the artist in 1944 and given to me by the artist in 1985. The artist is now deceased.

I also wish to upload a picture of the artist, together with an unknown person, taken in a public place (a village High St) in the late 1950s/early 1960s, also given to me by the artist in 1985.

None of the licence descriptions seems quite right. What should I do? Tomintoul (talk) 15:35, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

Neither of them are legal to upload. In the first case, you'll need the permission of the artist's estate; in the second case, it's more complex, because you don't know who the photographer was.--Prosfilaes (talk) 16:13, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

Thanks for your input, however there is no organisation/body responsible for the artist's estate and I do know that the unknown photographer was simply a 'passer-by' asked to take an informal 'snap' – it is not an official portrait. Surely this changes things?? Tomintoul (talk) 16:54, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

Afraid not. Copyright law is not intuitive. Whether or not you can identify or contact the copyright holder of a work, whether or not they expressed an interest in retaining that copyright, they still own the copyright; this is called the orphaned works problem. Dcoetzee (talk) 17:01, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Problem with POTD RSS feed

I'm trying to embed the RSS feed from the Wikimedia Commons POTD into a Wikispaces wiki using their RSS widget. But I get this error message: "A feed could not be found at http://toolserver.org/~daniel/potd/commons/potd-400x300.rss"

I asked Wikispaces help about it, and they told me this: "The feed is being served with the wrong content type. The server is describing the document as "text/plain" instead of an RSS feed, so our parser doesn't know how to understand it."

I'm not a techie so I don't know what this means exactly, but they tell me I can't do anything on my end to make this work.

Do you have any suggestions or workarounds?

Thanks! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.229.185.200 (talk • contribs) 18:26, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

This seems like a hard question. Perhaps the people who might be able to help are not reading the Help desk just now. You might try asking on the Commons:Village pump or Commons talk:Feeds. Often the talk pages of the manual pages that describe some technical feature will have some discussion about it. But the Commons:Feeds page is not very detailed and its talk page is not very busy. Since you have a specific error message, you could try Googling for its exact text. Sometimes this can find discussions of the same error elsewhere on the Web. I do that routinely for computer problems, sometimes with good results. --Teratornis (talk) 22:07, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Hachiman-zukuri.png

Hi. I created a file (Hachiman-zukuri.png), uploaded it but immediately realized I had made an important mistake in the caption, so I uploaded a new version. Unfortunately, all previews still show the mistake. Is there any way to fix the problem, or do I have to update a new version of the file? It's not a cache problem. That's the first thing I thought of. I looked at the file with both my computers, and the reversed captions are there. (talk) 23:30, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

The File:Hachiman-zukuri.png has already been deleted by a Commons administrator so you can upload it again. --Teratornis (talk) 22:18, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Also note the difference between "cache" and "purge". See WP:PURGE. --Teratornis (talk) 22:20, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Thanks, this is a very useful tip.Urashimataro (talk) 06

13, 20 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Trying to replace an image with a better, edited version

The original image is http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mobile_phone_subscribers_per_100_inhabitants_1997-2007_ITU.png

I have edited it to remove the part of the graph that went up to 120 (the maximum number of people per 100 people is 100.)

I have uploaded this edited version to http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mobile_phone_subscribers_per_100_inhabitants_1997-2007_ITU1.png

Please replace the original image with my edited, updated version. (You may want to take out most of the junk from the comment on my image, I can't because apparently me reformatting the image that I just uploaded would be "potentially unconstructive". As though I'm vandalising the page I just created.) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mechwarrior Puppies (talk • contribs) 06:24, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Your account is new so you are not yet autoconfirmed. In a few days you will be able to upload a new version over the existing File:Mobile phone subscribers per 100 inhabitants 1997-2007 ITU.png. Also note:

• When you update your original file, you can add a {{Duplicate}} template to File:Mobile phone subscribers per 100 inhabitants 1997-2007 ITU1.png and an administrator will delete it.
• If your charting software supports SVG output, that is better than PNG because SVG will allow your charts to scale to other sizes without jaggies and aliasing artifacts. For more about SVG on Commons see the links under COM:EIC#Inkscape.
• See Commons:Templates#Created with... templates. If we have a template for the software you used to create the chart, you could add that template to the image description. That would look nice and inform other users about how to make similar charts.

--Teratornis (talk) 23:35, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Image not displaying in Wikipedia

photo of a skyscraper

I uploaded this file yesterday but it is not displaying on the 111 George Street article in Wikipedia. Any ideas why not? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Shiftchange (talk • contribs) 07:38, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Fixed. Please remember to sign posts on talk pages using ~~~~ --Dweller (talk) 10:53, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] License question

I don't upload images very often... help with this question gratefully received.

I have an image of a statue to upload. So it's a photo taken by me, of a piece of artwork on public display (in the street) that I didn't sculpt myself!

Cheers --Dweller (talk) 10:46, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

See Commons:Freedom of panorama for relevant country laws. --EugeneZelenko (talk) 15:33, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Perfect, thanks. --Dweller (talk) 16:17, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Create category

I cant find the categories I want. How to create new categories (in this case "Norwegian Rivers" and "River Skas-Heigre"). —Preceding unsigned comment added by Paul Aakerøy (talk • contribs) 09:47, 20 November 2009 (UTC)

See Category:Rivers of Norway. --EugeneZelenko (talk) 15:40, 20 November 2009 (UTC)

For more information see the links under COM:EIC#Cat. Categories can be tricky at first so it pays to read the friendly manuals. I recommend keeping a list of any new categories you create, on your user page (see mine here). --Teratornis (talk) 19:05, 20 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] categorization

Hello!

Yesterday I uploaded an image but forgot to categorize it. Now I cannot find how to edit the category. And the bot is crying... Could you please help me? Thanks! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Eclipsa (talk • contribs) 11:28, 20 November 2009 (UTC)

Go to the image page and click on the "edit" tab at the top. Then add [[Category:Brabus vehicles]] and click Save. Pruneau^talk 13:16, 20 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Template to renominate for deletion

Which template should I use to renominate the file for deletion if I disagree with an admin's decision not to delete it? Commons:Deletion_requests#Appeal --Klodl (talk) 11:14, 21 November 2009 (UTC)

Also {{delete}} on the image description. Place the renomination deletion request on the same subpage at the very end of the page below the closed deletion discussion (below the {{delf}}!) and relist the deletion request at the today log. --Martin H. (talk) 11:22, 21 November 2009 (UTC)

Perfect, thanks very much for your time to help out. --Klodl (talk) 12:04, 21 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit]  ???

مساء الخير عليكم وأشكركم على هذا المجهود الرائع وأود أن أعرف منكم كيفية الدخول والتسجيل علما بأننى حاولت الدخول أكثر من مرة وتعطينى رسالة خطأ فى الدخول... وكمان أريد الحصول على أدوات الجنس المختلفة ولكن للأسف لم أمتلك ماستر كارد وهل من الممكن الحصول على هذه الأدوات مجانا للمعرفة والدعاية لكم أرجو منك الإفادة فى هذا الشأن من فضلكم أنا فى إنتظار ردكم وشكرا لكم فى جميع الأحوال مع خالص تحياتى لكم....جووووووووووود باااااااااااااااى أنا فى الإنتظار

—Preceding unsigned comment added by 41.238.43.182 (talk • contribs) 14:29, 21 November 2009 (UTC)

From Google Translation I suspect you are wrong here. This is Wikimedia Commons, the shared repository for freely licensed media files of all Wikimedia Projects. To create an account please see the Commons:First steps. You said something of MasterCard (ماستر كارد) - you not need to pay to use Wikimedia, if you want to donate to Wikimedia Commons please visit foundation:Global_Support/en. --Martin H. (talk) 18:48, 21 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Correct category?

Could an administrator examine the category, and adapt these if necessary? I'm not familiar with the refinement of the English language. I've some problems to find the suitable words.

• There are different categories with Novula-Icon.
• It is about to study reading notes for guitar. (Midi-File will come soon)

Thanks for your assistance :o) --Mjchael (talk) 07:16, 22 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] SVG converting?

Can someone help me to convert Image:Modern Talking.png to a SVG file. Thanks, and please contact me if you can... --MisterWiki (talk) 18:54, 21 November 2009 (UTC)

If you get no help here, try asking on COM:GVP. The users with graphic skills seem to hang out there. See for example COM:GVP#Signatures to SVG?. --Teratornis (talk) 04:20, 22 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Chirstianity is not Catholicism and Catholicism is not Christianity

Your page: "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Crusade" is erroneous in that you state Christians executed The Crusades. "Christians" were completely nonexistent during the time of the Crusades in that they were either killed or disbursed in the first century by the Romans. Their hidden "Dead Sea Scrolls" were found in the Qumran Caves in the 1940's based on your own site: "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qumran_Caves." Educated Christians and Catholics agree that Christianity and Catholicism are mutually exclusive. Christianity did not make a comeback until Martin Luther Posted the Ninety-Five Theses in the 1500's. You can find the information on Martin Luther and the Ninety-Five Theses based on your site: "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther" and will find the Protestants and Catholics disagree completely on doctrine. Though the Catholics (lightly) use the Bible they base their beliefs on the Apocrypha. If you ask an educated Catholic if he is a Christian he will tell you no, he is a Catholic. If you ask an educated Christian if he is a Catholic he will say no, he is a Christian. Wikipedia should change any erroneous claims about Christianity that are actually Catholic in order to make their site more credible.

Thank you,

Mike Fouts —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.242.169.10 (talk • contribs) 01:24, 22 November 2009 (UTC)

This is Wikimedia Commons, the shared file repository of 700 Wikimedia projects including Wikipedia projects in 250 languages. See our FAQ to learn more about Commons. If you want to adress an problem about an Wikipedia article you should go to Wikipedia and ask at the articles talkpage or the helpdesk there. --Martin H. (talk) 01:28, 22 November 2009 (UTC)

You could express your concerns on Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Christianity but I suspect your rather idiosyncratic claim that Roman Catholicism is not a form of Christianity will meet with some resistance. (There are of course profound doctrinal differences among the many branches and schisms of Christianity, as is the case for other large religions. Schism appears to be an inherent property of any religion which survives very long and grows to a large size.) While there is always room to improve, Wikipedia seems credible enough already to have become one of the world's top five Web properties in English. You might also consider editing on Conservapedia. --Teratornis (talk) 04:35, 22 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Create a new page

How do I create a new page? Half the time I can sign in and the rest of the time it says I am blocked because of vandalism. I just created my account today, I have a completed page in my sandbox, but it won't let me link it. Help! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mc26 (talk • contribs) 04:26, 22 November 2009 (UTC)

This is Wikimedia Commons, a file archive for Wikipedia projects in 250 languages. You created an article on your userpage, User:Mc26. Commons is not the place for articles, only freely licensed media files and galleries of media files are collected here. You are not blocked here, but your article is placed on the totally wrong project. --Martin H. (talk) 04:30, 22 November 2009 (UTC)