Wikipedia:Graphics tutorials
Various Wikipedians have put together graphics tutorials. Some of these are still works in progress. It is preferred to work with open formats (such as PNG or SVG) and free licenses (such as public domain or GFDL) when possible. There are many free software programs available for creating and editing images.
Tutorials
Vector graphics tutorials
Today's featured article 1908 two-and-a-half dollar piece (obverse and reverse) The Indian Head gold pieces were two coin series struck by the United States Mint: a two-and-a-half dollar piece, or quarter eagle (1908–1915, 1925–1929), and a five-dollar coin, or half eagle (1908–1916, 1929). The only US coins with recessed (engraved) designs ever to enter circulation, they were the last of a long series of coins in those denominations. President Theodore Roosevelt vigorously advocated new coin designs, and had the Mint engage his friend, the sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, to design coins that could be changed without congressional authorization. The sculptor completed an eagle ($10 piece) and double eagle before his death in 1907. Roosevelt convinced Mint Director Frank Leach to reproduce the eagle's design on both of the smaller coins, but recessed below the background. The job fell to Boston sculptor Bela Lyon Pratt, and after some difficulty, the Mint was able to strike the coins, though Pratt was unhappy with modifications made by the Mint's engravers. The quarter eagle enjoyed popularity as a Christmas present, but neither coin circulated much.
Specific tasks
- How to create graphs for Wikipedia articles
- Displaying a formula with commutative diagrams in TeX, in mathematics
- How to draw SVG circuits using Xcircuit, in electronics
Bitmap graphics tutorials
- Wikipedia:Basic bitmap image editing
- Wikipedia:Graphic Lab/Optimizing relief - map-making tutorial using 3DEM or GRASS GIS editors and GIMP bitmap editor (all free programs)
Photo editing tutorials
Combination tutorials
- Picture tutorial: The best way to add your pictures to articles
- Maps and images for Wikipedia
- Keep in mind that images can contain hidden data and that you might want to remove the hidden data before publishing the images.
- Text can be overlaid onto images using Template:Annotated image or Template:Annotated image 4.
Filesize optimisation tutorials
- Wikipedia:Preparing images for upload - Describes how to keep image file sizes as small as possible.
- How to reduce colors for saving a JPEG as PNG (using The GIMP)
Open source programs
- PNGCrush - Old tried and true program that reduces PNG sizes using multiple zlib compression trials on disk.
- OptiPNG - Essentially a newer version of PNGCrush, it economizes the trial (reducing from 100s of short ones to a maximum of 7 longer ones) and does everything in memory. Usually produces identical results, and is much faster.
- AdvanceCOMP - A group of programs designed to reduce ZIP compression in many contexts, including PNGs (using AdvPNG).
- Jhead - A program for viewing, altering, or removing Exif data of JPEGs. Amongst other things, this allows for reducing file sizes.
- FileOptimizer - A Windows GUI program (recommended for beginners) that uses multiple open source and freeware tools (including most of those listed here) to optimize a large number of media filetypes. Achieves better compression than any of the others used by themselves. Released under the LGPL.
Freeware programs
- PNGOUT - A program that optimizes PNGs by eschewing the usual zlib compression for a slower but more complete algorithm.
- PNG Gauntlet - GUI for OptiPNG, PNGOUT, and DeflOpt (similar to AdvPNG in AdvanceCOMP)
- Image Analyzer - Amongst other things, allows for lossy compression of PNG files. (Often, however, merely posterizing the image at a level that does not produce color banding results in smaller files of the same or higher quality.)
- JPG Cleaner - Removes Exif data from JPEGs, making the files smaller.
- JPGExtra and PNGExtra - Programs that losslessly optimize JPEGs and PNGs by cleanly removing all non-image data.
Software used for Wikipedia images
Vector graphics software
- Adobe Illustrator (Non-free)
- CorelDraw (Non-free)
- Dia (Free)
- DrawPlus (Non-free)
- Inkscape (Free)
- MetaPost (Free)
- Sodipodi (Free)
- Xara Xtreme (Non-free and Free versions)
- xfig (Free)
- and many more...
3D software
- Autodesk 3ds Max (non-free)
- Autodesk Maya (non-free)
- Autodesk Softimage (non-free)
- Blender (Free)
- LightWave 3D (non-free)
- OpenFX [1] (Free)
- POV-Ray (Free for non-commercial distribution)
- and many more...
Raster graphics (bitmap) software
- Adobe Photoshop (Non-free)
- CodedColor
- GIMP (Free)
- Paint.NET (Free)
- Paint Shop Pro (Non-free)
- and many more...
Word processors with vector-graphics facilities
- Microsoft Word (Non-free)
- OpenOffice.org Writer (Free)
- LibreOffice Writer (Free)
- and many more...
Panorama software
- Hugin (Open source)
- Autostitch (Non-free; full demo available)
- PTAssembler (Shareware, based on the open source Panorama Tools)
- PTGui (Shareware, based on the open source Panorama Tools)
Related topics
- Vector graphics, Raster graphics, 3D graphics, Word processors, Graphics, Computer graphics, Page layout, Image editing
- Images for cleanup: images that need improvements
- Image use policy: general information on using images on Wikipedia
- Public domain image resources: sources for public domain images, organized topically
- Prokudin-Gorskii photographs (scroll down)
- Wikipedia:SVG Help Technical help for problems with uploaded SVGs
External links
- Grokking the GIMP: a comprehensive on-line book covering the GIMP, as well as graphic and digital photo editing in general