Archives:Manual of style

This is an instruction manual that addresses the conventions adopted by Bulbagarden archives in size, filetype, and other aspects of selecting, processing, and uploading images. Please read it before you contribute images to any Bulbagarden project. Note, however, that this document is not updated frequently; survey prevailing conventions as well as reading these guidelines.

This manual attempts to address all issues of style in an objective manner, though there are inevitably cases where issues of style are subjective. If there are any unresolved disputes over what best adheres to the style of Bulbagarden Archives, please contact the moderators.

Categories

• Images containing single characters or Pokémon should be organized into that character or Pokémon's group.
• Images containing small or medium groups of characters and/or Pokémon should be categorized into each character and/or Pokémon groups, excluding any which are very small or very obscured in the image.
• Images containing large groups of characters or Pokémon should be placed in the Large group images category. The image should also be added to the categories of any characters and/or Pokémon particularly prominent in the group.
• Images containing items should be added to the Item artwork category. As the category becomes full, this category may be divided into sub-categories as necessary.

Bulbapedia images

Stock artwork

• Stock artwork may be taken from other websites. Remember to credit the source website.
• Stock artwork should be saved as .jpg, except when the background is transparent, in which case .png is preferred.
• Avoid any alteration to stock artwork, except removing backgrounds or intrusive text and resizing.
• Stock artwork should be made by official sources. If no such artwork is available yet, artwork by non-official sources may be used with permission.

Sugimori artwork

• Generally, Sugimori artwork is preferred over other stock artwork. However, other artwork from official sources is still acceptable. If there is room for both images in the article, please include both, but if not, please use the Sugimori artwork. For reference, articles are most often organized to associate Sugimori artwork with game information and other artwork, unless connected to another form of canon, to anime information.

Sprites

• Game sprites may be taken from other websites. Remember to credit the source website.
• All sprites should be either .png or .gif images with either white or transparent backgrounds.
• Please avoid trimming sprites, and never scale sprites. Still sprites should be kept true to their original size; for example, Pokémon and trainer battle sprites from the first two generations should be 56×56, battle sprites from the third generation should be 64×64, battle sprites from the fourth generation should be 80×80, and battle sprites from the fifth generation should be 96×96. Animated sprites may exceed these limits, though they cannot be lower than the aforementioned sizes.
• Sprites should be made by official sources. If no such sprites are available yet, sprites by non-official sources may be used with permission.

Pokémon

• Sprites should be named as follows, as decided by the members of the Bulbapedia Project Pokédex:
  • Red/Green (J)
    • Spr_1g_###
  • Blue (J) & Red/Blue (E)
    • Spr_1b_###
  • Yellow
    • Spr_1y_###
  • Gen I back
    • Spr_b_g1_###
  • Gold
    • Spr_2g_###[_s]
  • Silver
    • Spr_2s_###[_s]
  • Crystal (anim)
    • Spr_2c_###[_s]
  • Gold/Silver back
    • Spr_b_2g_###[_s]
  • Crystal back
    • Spr_b_2c_###[_s]
  • Ruby/Sapphire
    • Spr_3r_###[_s]
  • FireRed/LeafGreen (1-151 + 216)
    • Spr_3f_###[_s]
  • Emerald (anim)
    • Spr_3e_###[_s]
  • Ruby/Sapphire back
    • Spr_b_3r_###[_s]
  • FireRed/LeafGreen back
    • Spr_b_3f_###[_s]
  • Emerald back
    • Spr_b_3e_###[_s]
  • Diamond/Pearl
    • Spr_4d_###[_g][_s]
  • Platinum
    • Spr_4p_###[_g][_s]
  • HeartGold/SoulSilver
    • Spr_4h_###[_g][_s]
  • Diamond/Pearl back
    • Spr_b_4d_###[_g][_s]
  • Platinum back
    • Spr_b_4p_###[_g][_s]
  • HeartGold/SoulSilver back
    • Spr_b_4h_###[_g][_s]
  • Black/White
    • Spr_5b_###[_g][_s]
  • Black/White back
    • Spr_b_5b_###[_g][_s]
  • Black 2/White 2
    • Spr_5b2_###[_g][_s]
  • Black 2/White 2 back
    • Spr_b_5b2_###[_g][_s]
  • [_g] is gender for 4th+ gen sprites
  • [_s] is shiny for 2nd+ gen sprites
  • [-Unown letter] at the end (but before _s) for Unown's letter
    • EX for !, QU for ?
  • [-Type] at the end (but before _s) for Arceus's type
  • [letter] at the end (but before _s) for other Pokémon with forms

Trainers

• Sprites should be named as follows:
  • Spr [game(s) of debut] [Trainer name].png
• Examples:
  • Spr BW Swimmer M.png
    • Male Swimmer in Black and White
  • Spr DP Waiter.png
    • Waiter in Diamond and Pearl

Items

• Sprites should be named as follows:
  • Bag XXX Sprite.png
• Sizes should be 24x24

Menu sprites

• Sprites should be named as follows:
  • Non-animated menu sprites:
    • ###MS.png
  • Animated menu sprites:
    • Ani###MS.png

Overworld sprites

• Sprites should be named as follows:
  • Non-animated overworld sprites:
    • ###OD.png
  • Animated overworld sprites:
    • Ani###OD.png

Game maps and locations

• Maps should be named as follows:
  • [region] [location] [number] [game].png
    • [region] is optional and it means the region the route it's on (it doesn't apply to Victory Road).
    • [location] means the location the map is taken from (e.g. Route or City).
    • [number] is optional, it's used for locations such as routes, floor numbers at buildings, floor numbers at Victory Road and others.
    • [game] is the game abbreviation.
• Note that there may be some exceptions to this rules, like the Safari Zones, mostly applies to unique sites.
• Examples:
  • Kanto Route 14 RBY.png
    • Route 14 in Kanto, in the first generation.
  • Victory Road 1F GSC.png
    • First floor at Victory Road in GSC.
  • Kanto Safari Zone FRLG.png
    • Self-explanatory.
  • Celadon Department Store HGSS.png
  • Hoenn Battle Frontier.png
    • Battle Frontier found only in Emerald.
  • Sinnoh Johto Battle Frontier.png
    • Battle Frontier found in the Generation IV games.
  • Goldenrod Pokémon Center C.png
    • Pokémon Center only found in Crystal.

Other sprites

Screenshots

• Screenshots made and provided by a Bulbapedia user are highly preferred over ones taken from other websites. If, however, no other screenshots are currently available, ones from other websites may be used until if and when a user-created or otherwise improved screenshot is provided. When using screenshots from other websites, remember to credit the source website.
• Screenshots should be saved as .png files.
• Screenshots made with any sort of screen capture device are preferred over screenshots taken with a camera. However, in the event that screen captures are not currently available, quality photos are acceptable replacements.
• Minimal alteration of screenshots are preferred. Any changes should attempt to preserve the original content and quality of the image. In the case of notably low-quality screenshots, however, alterations which increase the quality of the screenshot are acceptable.

Episode and movie screenshots

• If used in the articles for the episode or movie that the screenshot was derived from, avoid trimming the image. Screenshots for episodes and movies should be displayed as the episode or movie first aired in its native resolution and aspect ratio up to a resolution of 1080p (1920x1080). Failing that, images may be uploaded at a lower resolution, but the original aspect ratio (4:3 for episodes preceeding and including DP120, 16:9 for episodes from DP121 as well as all movies) should be maintained. If the screenshot is used in another article, such as a character profile, trimming is allowed to focus the image on the article's subject.
• Episode screenshots should be as informative about the episode as possible. The best screenshots focus on major characters, depict the plot or major events of the episode, and display the episode's animation quality. Screenshots with watermarks or text on them should particularly be avoided, as should screenshots that spoil the episode's most important event.
• Screenshots used to depict errors in an episode should feature significant mistakes at first glance, such as a miscolored piece of clothing or hair, or lack thereof. Very specific errors that need a overly thorough examination of the episode do not meet the aforementioned criteria and will not be valid.

Game screenshots

• If used in the articles for the game that the screenshot was derived from, avoid trimming the image. Screenshots should be in the game's native resolution and aspect ratio up to a resolution of 1080p (1920x1080). Failing that, images may be uploaded at a lower resolution, but the original aspect ratio should be maintained. If the screenshot is used in another article, such as a character profile, trimming is allowed to focus the image on the article's subject.

Scans

• Scans made and provided by a Bulbapedia user are highly preferred over ones taken from other websites. If, however, no other scans are currently available, ones from other websites may be used until if and when a user-created or otherwise improved scan is provided. When using scans from other websites, remember to credit the source website.
• Scans should be saved as .jpg files.
• Scans are preferred over photos taken with a camera. However, in the event that scans are not currently available, quality photos are acceptable replacements.
• Minimal alteration of scans are preferred. Any changes should attempt to preserve the original content and quality of the image. In the case of notably low-quality scans, however, alterations which increase the quality of the scan are acceptable.

Magazine scans

Manga scans

• The scans should be named as follows:
  • [manga code][chapter number].png
    • Scans of each chapter should show the first page of said manga.
    • Each manga code is unique to each manga, correlating with the respective article on Bulbapedia. For instance, the manga code for Magical Pokémon Journey is PPP, while the manga code for Pokémon RéBURST is RB. Note that for Pokémon Adventures, instead of chapters, this is referred to as rounds.
    • Should there be bonus chapters, there is a B in front of the chapter number. For instance, if one were to upload the second bonus chapter of Magical Pokémon Journey, the file would be uploaded as "PPPB02.png".

Cover pages

• Cover page scans for manga should be named as such:
  • [Media name] [Company name/Region abbreviation] volume [vol. #].png

TCG scans

• TCG scans should be named as follows:
  • [card name][set name][set number].jpg
    • [card name] is the name of the card, and all non-alphanumeric characters (excluding hyphens, but including spaces) should be omitted. For any name that includes 's, omit the entire 's rather than just the apostrophe.
    • [set name] is the name of the English set the card is in (Japanese set only if the print has not appeared in English), and all non-alphanumeric characters (excluding hyphens, but including spaces) should be omitted. For any name that includes 's, omit the entire 's rather than just the apostrophe.
    • [set number] is the English set number the card is in (Japanese set number only if the print has not appeared in English). If the print has no set number, do not include it.
• Note that there should be no spaces in the filenames of TCG scans.
• Examples:
  • SpinarakAquapolis111.jpg
    • Nothing special
  • PokéBallJungle64.jpg
    • The space in "Poké Ball" is omitted
  • DialgaDiamondPearl1.jpg
    • The & in the "Diamond & Pearl" is omitted
  • SabrinaMrMimeGymHeroes94.jpg
    • The 's in "Sabrina's" is omitted, and the period and space are omitted in "Mr. Mime"
  • ImakuniCoroCoroPromo.jpg
    • The ? in "Imakuni?" is omitted, spaces are removed from set name, and there is no set number

Photos

• Photos made and provided by a Bulbapedia user are highly preferred over ones taken from other websites. If, however, no other photos are currently available, ones from other websites may be used until if and when a user-created or otherwise improved photo is provided. When using photos from other websites, remember to credit the source website.
• Photos should be saved as .jpg files.
• Minimal alteration of photos are preferred. Any changes should attempt to preserve the original content and quality of the image. In the case of notably low-quality photos, however, alterations which increase the quality of the photo are acceptable.

TFG photos

• Photos of TFG figures should be taken at either a front-on or ¾ view, depending on which best captures the form of the figure.
• Photos should be taken with a white background.

Animated images

• Images should only be animated if the animation is helpful and informative in some manner.
• Animation is preferred to be as small and non-obtrusive as possible.

Personal images

• As of May 13, 2011, personal images are no longer allowed on the Archives. Any personal images uploaded to the Archives will be deleted on sight. If you have any questions, ask an admin.