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claims. But of course, if the software being depicted is non-free to begin with, this choice of operating system doesn't matter, since fair use will be claimed regardless. In the case of older versions of software, do not unnecessarily portray them running on newer versions of operating systems they
480:
If you're making a screenshot of a proprietary program to illustrate features which do not use parts of a proprietary operating system, make sure only that program is visible and don't include elements of the OS that aren't used by the program's features you're illustrating; this could include the
476:
Screenshots should be taken at a reduced screen resolution, such as 640x480, 800x600 or 1024x768. This will allow interface details to be more visible in thumbnails. Note that if your
Windows desktop has many items with preferred placement, then reducing the screen resolution displaces them, so it
455:
Reasons for uploading a non-free screenshot can be to point out a notable use case or a set of features unique to the program. Other reasons are for historic purposes, for when an old version of the program is no longer in widespread use, or if the original publisher of the program has gone out of
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template for each piece of non-free software in the screenshot and detailed information required by the template. For example, if you have
Internet Explorer and Safari side by side. To avoid overuse of the template in a single image file, avoid visibility of proprietary add-ons, components, and
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reads that images displayed in the lead of an article should be "natural and appropriate visual representations of the topic; they not only should be illustrating the topic specifically, but should also be the type of image that is used for similar purposes in high-quality reference works, and
451:
Because a screenshot of proprietary software is non-free, consider carefully whether it's really necessary to upload it. In many cases, the publisher of the program has their own screenshots uploaded on their website; as have other sites, not all of which employ comprehensive policies and
603:
the ability to properly claim fair use on such original screenshots due to interpretations of NFCC 4 ("must have been published or publicly displayed outside
Knowledge (XXG)") since leaked software could technically be considered an unpublished work. There is also the issue of
161:, and because Wikimedia Foundation logos were previously non-free (although this is no longer the case). Most major web browsers now have their own dedicated "start" pages built-in, which typically display recently visited or bookmarked sites, that can serve as an alternative.
149:) in screenshots to show the software in "normal" use. It is preferable that the demonstration content itself is self-made, freely licensed or in the public domain to prevent the accidental inclusion of non-free content if it can be avoided. It has been a common practice for
433:, etc., even if to various degrees such software is free to obtain (free to download, install and use). Software that is freeware is erroneously and sometimes intentionally called "free software" by some vendors, and can prove confusing. There are also potential issues with
611:
As a rule of thumb, screenshots of pre-release software should only be included if the build depicted has been released to the general public by the software developer (either the build, or the screenshot itself), the image itself has been published by a
345:, but produce aliasing artifacts when viewed on displays which do not use the intended geometry. In addition, Knowledge (XXG)'s image compression formats are better able to handle screenshots without subpixel rendering, yielding smaller file sizes.
310:. Even if a screenshot contains one or more photos, the readouts and interface elements surrounding the photos are still non-photographic. However, in case of video game screenshots, screenshots with a very large photographic portion, and
452:
requirements regarding free and non-free content similar to
Knowledge (XXG) and its sister projects. If the non-free screenshot's purpose is to display a program's feature, then instead it may be better to describe it in article text.
243:
On free operating systems such as Linux, the situation of ensuring neutral and common presentation becomes more complex: many distributions and desktop environments use custom default themes that vary, and there is a desire to prevent
477:
would be better to create a screenshot in a different
Windows profile. If you don't know or don't bother to reduce the screen resolution, restore the program's window from maximized to windowed state and resize the window.
469:
Because
Microsoft Windows is the most widespread proprietary personal-use desktop operating system, suggestions are also based on Windows. It does not mean that they don't apply with other proprietary operating
321:
Thumbnails are another reason for preferring the PNG format over GIF and JPEG: Thumbnails of GIF images may have particularly low quality because of their limited color palette. JPEG compression is innately
616:(which can be considered "publicly displayed"), or the person who created the image and the person uploading the image to Knowledge (XXG) both attest that the software was legally obtained and there is no
389:
Only screenshots of free and open source software can be uploaded to
Commons; screenshots of non-free software will often be deleted quickly. If you are unsure of how a piece of software is licensed
537:
template, which lists additional permissions granted for re-users (which still, however, are non-free). If these requirements are not met (typically third-party content, such as a website), use
134:
therefore what our readers will expect to see." To reflect this guideline, the main screenshot should portray the software in its most common form by using its default settings.
318:
images are only acceptable for animated material because their compression algorithm (albeit lossless) is inferior to PNG and the whole image can have no more than 256 colors.
252:
isn't the only Linux distribution in the world). In these cases, if the software is associated with a certain distribution or desktop environment (such as Ubuntu and the
164:
It may be desirable to illustrate the rest of the article with relevant screenshots to showcase important features or functionality in the software, especially if it is
211:(or any other proprietary operating system) pose the potential for issues with screenshots because they are non-free; while there has been no clear consensus regarding
235:
is sufficiently original for protection—deletion discussions have gone both ways. To comply with relevant policies, it's best to play it safe instead of relying on
223:
due to their geometric nature (and can be included without problem on screenshots of FOSS running on that platform). However, there is no consensus on whether the
600:
464:
In addition to choice of file format, non-free screenshots must meet the demands of limited size and resolution, and minimal exposure of non-primary elements.
215:
of OS X interface elements (such as the window frame) in screenshots of FOSS, consensus has indicated that some
Windows themes, such as "Windows Classic" and
54:; rather, its purpose is to explain certain aspects of Knowledge (XXG)'s norms, customs, technicalities, or practices. It may reflect differing levels of
393:
it has a
Knowledge (XXG) article, the source model and license (if any) are usually mentioned somewhere in the article—most prominently in the infobox.
264:), it should be shown on that distribution or desktop using its default theme. If not, it should be shown using a distribution-neutral theme—such as
137:
While an "initial" state is desired (i.e. one with a blank document, or showing a "welcome" menu), it may also be desirable to load generic data or
573:
If the screenshot shows a non-free game – either for a computer, a game console, a cell phone, or any other device able to run games – include the
293:
17:
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378:, typically licensed under the GPL, LGPL, BSD, MIT, Apache, and other such licenses), then generally speaking, you can upload the screenshot to
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410:
106:
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template and add values to required parameters. Only a small number of computer games are free as in freedom; most games are proprietary.
51:
314:, JPEG may work better, especially if the compression is adjusted carefully. (Downsized PNG images may be larger than their originals.)
16:
This page is about using screenshots in articles. For instructions about uploading screenshots of
Knowledge (XXG) for project uses, see
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business, or if the developer has died. (The latter two rationales should not be the sole reasons for uploading a screenshot.)
118:
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114:
39:
500:. The template requires adding information to required parameters, so it's important to read the template's documentation.
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are not intended for use on or supported on, especially if this is simply to make a point that it can run on said version.
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In the case of multi-platform programs that are FOSS, and have a visibly similar interface between platforms (such as
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elements that are not part of the screenshot's primary subject (such as Internet Explorer with a Skype button).
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341:. Images taken with these techniques enabled have greater detail when viewed on screens with one particular
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distribution). In the case of programs that carry visibly different appearances across platforms (such as
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are met. By definition, proprietary software is not only commercial (for-cost) software, but also
527:
For screenshots, where the primary subject is a non-free program published by Microsoft, use the
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for example), it is preferred that screenshots be taken under a FOSS operating system (such as a
323:
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of the software running. Discussion about specific cases should be brought forward at
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tag and add the necessary values to required parameters. Most websites are non-free.
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The preferred image format for free screenshots composed of non-photographic data is
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and generating thumbnails from this format means another round of lost quality.
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Licensing matrix for screenshots of software, from the Wikimedia commons.
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Generally, the image copyright tag for fair use software screenshots is
379:
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There is mixed consensus surrounding the creation of screenshots from
306:, it yields better compression on such images and does not introduce
273:
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261:
193:
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If the screenshot shows a non-free website, always include the
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It is generally agreed that screenshots of non-free and/or
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towards certain distributions (despite its popularity,
84:
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Knowledge (XXG) includes many articles on pieces of
481:desktop, the Windows Taskbar, or the Mac menu bar.
101:, and it is often useful to illustrate these with
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280:2.x and 3.x respectively, and default themes on
141:into the depicted software (especially if it is
153:screenshots to use images of Knowledge (XXG)'s
599:by Knowledge (XXG) editors. Some editors have
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18:Knowledge (XXG):Screenshots of Knowledge (XXG)
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115:Talk:Mozilla Firefox/Archive 1#Screenshot_2
119:Talk:Mozilla Firefox/Archive 12#Screenshot
207:Screenshots depicting FOSS on Windows or
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52:Knowledge (XXG)'s policies or guidelines
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405:can be used on Knowledge (XXG) under
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397:Screenshots of proprietary software
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633:Knowledge (XXG) information pages
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23:Knowledge (XXG) information page
587:Screenshots of leaked software
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532:Non-free Microsoft screenshot
368:free and open source software
166:Free and open source software
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366:If your screenshot depicts
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131:Manual of Style for images
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107:Media copyright questions
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121:, and other resources.
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308:compression artifacts
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170:proper fair use claim
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508:Always include the
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504:Rationale required
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380:Wikimedia Commons
143:graphics software
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139:filler text
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38:This is an
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435:trademarks
409:claims if
333:, such as
292:See also:
266:Clearlooks
237:de minimis
225:Aero Glass
155:front page
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233:Windows 7
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202:consensus
111:Help desk
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70:Shortcuts
56:consensus
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415:freeware
407:fair use
335:CoolType
258:Nautilus
109:(or the
99:software
376:freedom
270:Adwaita
198:Firefox
60:vetting
593:leaked
374:as in
250:Ubuntu
324:lossy
278:GNOME
262:GNOME
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194:Linux
372:free
304:JPEG
274:GTK+
272:for
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190:GIMP
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.