Use horizontal, high resolution images. In a post, a full column-width is 830 pixels. The extra large size in the drop down menu scales images to that width and is a good default.
In most cases, vertical photos will not play well. For the end user, file sizes will generally scale down with the resolution. For archival purposes and future proofing, preserve the maximum native resolution of your photos, but compress them as jpgs with file sizes under 2 mb.
Featured Image
Ideally, all stories should have a good featured image attached — stories with images play better on the site and have higher engagement rates on social media. However, the Jan. 1, 2017, redesign of ktoo.org means they’re no longer required to avoid poor homepage placement. Horizontal photos generally work better than verticals.
The 2017 update to the site is responsive without center cropping images.
Captions
Image captions in the media library must give context to someone in the future who finds an image in the library. Generally, follow AP Style on caption writing. Use present tense in the first sentence to say what is happening. Include the location (drop the state if it’s Alaska) and full date. Use a second sentence to give more context.
After placing an image in a post, check the caption again in context. Cut extraneous information. The day of the week is sufficient for something timely. Editing an image’s caption within a post doesn’t affect the image’s caption in the media library.
When recaptioning old media library images, take care not to mislead or confuse the audience. Avoid photos depicting something very specific to illustrate something generic. Leave the date or a ballpark date in the caption for context.
Attribution
Attribute in parentheses at the end of a caption. Start by stating what sort of image it is — usually a photo, but possibly a photo illustration, illustration, graphic, animation, etc. Use “by” to denote who created it, followed by “/Organization Name” to denote who the creator was working for and presumably owns the content. Use “courtesy” to denote intellectual property ownership.
Examples:
- (Photo by Brian Wallace/Sealaska Heritage Institute) — Brian Wallace shot it for Sealaska Heritage Institute.
- (Photo courtesy Sealaska Heritage Institute) — Photographer unknown. Sealaska Heritage Institute owns the photo and gave us permission to use it.
- (Photo courtesy Brian Wallace) — Brian Wallace owns the photo and gave us permission to use it.
- (Public domain photo by Staff Sgt. Balinda O’Neal Dresel/U.S. Army National Guard) — Balinda O’Neal Dresel shot it for the U.S. Army National Guard, and it’s public domain.
- (Creative Commons photo by Larah McElroy) — Larah McElroy shot the photo and owns it, and we’re OK to use it under a Creative Commons license.
Sometimes, people on staff will shoot something when they’re not on the job that becomes newsworthy. If they want to let us use it but don’t want to transfer ownership of it to KTOO, use the courtesy style of attribution and exclude the “/KTOO”.
Occasionally, it makes sense to define what an image is and/or credit it straightaway in a caption. In those cases, skip the redundant parts of the attribution.
Examples:
- A still from a U.S. Geological Survey webcam of Suicide Basin taken June 29, 2016.
- In this still from a security camera, a suspect raids the cash register. (Courtesy Juneau Police Department)
- The Department of Corrections provided this mugshot of escaped prisoner John Doe.
Creative Commons content
Most professional content creators (like us!) assert copyrights on the content they create. Meaning no one else is entitled to republish that content without the express permission of the copyright holder.
Some content creators offer their content for use or republication up front under certain conditions spelled out in Creative Commons licenses. There are a handful of standardized conditions, and different permutations of those requirements are specific to each Creative Commons license.
Most Creative Commons licenses require attribution, including a link back to the source, and something to indicate that we’re using it under a Creative Commons license. Generally, linking the attribution in a caption back the source fulfills those requirements. Requirements notwithstanding, we should link to the source for accountability, credit and transparency. And it makes it very easy to check ourselves if we’re called out.
To add a link to an image’s caption in the media library, you have to learn one piece of html code.
(Creative Commons photo by <a href=”https://flic.kr/p/6oiZEg”>Larah McElroy</a>)
Will render out as…
(Creative Commons photo by Larah McElroy)
Try using http://search.creativecommons.org/ to easily search for images that we can use. Content with Creative Commons licenses can be republished under certain conditions that are spelled out on each license.
Title, Description and Alt Text
Fill in the Title, Description and Alt Text fields. Usually, the caption can be reused.
Search engines read some of these fields, and may ignore images if they’re blank.
Also, the visually impaired may use accessibility features that read the Alt Text field.