User blog:LynnE216/Adding Art to the Critical Role Wiki

As everyone's aware, CR has some of the best and most prolific fan artists around, and their frequently breath-taking pieces add a tremendous amount both to the show, and to this wiki. But adding those art pieces here can seem really complicated at first. There are two possible pathways: 1) The wiki already has a blanket permission from the artist to use their artwork; and 2) We don't.

Pathway One is WAY easier, so let's start there.

Easiest way I've found is when I see artwork I think would make a good addition, I search the wiki for "art by (Artist Name)". Sometimes I have to try a couple of names, since artists go by twitter handles, names, tumblr accounts, and nicknames. If something pops up, go to the Category page headed "Art By XXXX" and confirm it's this artist. Then check if we have a blanket permission, or if there are restrictions. If it's blanket, leave that page open on your browser, open a new tab, and proceed to:
 * Step 1: Confirm Permission.

You want the highest resolution possible. Download the file to your system, giving it a name like "Title - Artist Name". Either jpg or png will work. Copy and save the URL from which you're downloading, or leave the tab open. Then in a new wiki tab, click "Explore/Images" then "Add New Image", or alternatively, click the three dots at the far top right of any page, to the right of "XXXX pages". Either one should bring up "Upload a File to the Wiki". Browse to the file on your system that you want to add, and upload it. Now you need to go to the page that you just created for the picture to live on, and:
 * Step 2: Import the Picture

Go back to the "Art by XXXX" category page you left open. There, toward the bottom, you'll see a section called "Image Descriptions". Copy what's in the box, then go back to your image file page and open "Edit". Delete what's auto-populated and paste in the information from the artist page. You'll need to fill in the name of the image under "Description" and "Caption". In both of those places, you'll also need to paste in that URL you saved that's the source of the original image. Save the page and confirm it looks okay. Then you're ready to:
 * Step 3: Identify the Picture

Figure out what page and where on the page that image would look best. (As an aside, Preview is your friend here, because size, left/right orientation, and precisely where you insert the file is both artistic and tricky.) The format to insert a file is: For everything within the double brackets, cut and paste the art caption from the image page. You'll need to fill in the file name, the left, right, or center orientation, and the px size (usually 200-350). USE PREVIEW! This is finicky and a forgotten bracket or pipe can screw it up completely. Retreating to try again later is sometimes an excellent strategy. If on Preview everything looks good, then hit that Publish button.
 * Step 4: Add the Picture

If it still looks good, congratulations! You did it! If something went hideously wrong, you can always Undo it by clicking on the upside-down triangle next to the Edit button, select History, then click Undo at the far right of your edit.
 * Step 5: Bask

Please tell me if anything's wrong, or unclear, or needs added.

Forthcoming: How to choose a picture to add, and how to proceed if we don't already have a blanket artist permission.