User:Kingpin13/How to create a barnstar

This essay is designed to help and teach users how to create barnstars, as well as what is a good and bad idea for a barnstar.

Come up with a good idea
The first stage is to come up with a good idea for a barnstar. Check that your idea is not too specific (e.g. an award for doing good work to a small amount of pages). If it is too specific, try to think of something which is less so, but includes your idea (e.g. if the idea was an award for good edits to Gray Heron, create an award for good edits to bird-related articles). Make sure your idea isn't commonly rejected. Search through the archives of Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Wikipedia Awards for keywords. If your idea is commonly rejected, then it's probably unsuitable. Check that your award hasn't already been done. Search through the different awards and make sure that none of the awards are too similar to yours. If one is, than you could consider improving it. But this should be discussed at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Wikipedia Awards.

Double check that your idea is a good one
If you are uncertain that it is a good idea, just post at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Wikipedia Awards or on one of these users' talk page, explaining what your idea is. If you don't want to create the actual image yourself, ask in your post, that another user create it. If you are sure the idea is good, and you want to create the barnstar image yourself, continue to the next section. If you are not sure it's a good idea, but you would like to create it yourself, wait until some input has been given on your post. If it's positive, continue to the next step. If you don't want to create it yourself, then you need do nothing more.

Creating the barnstar image
Most users use a paint computer program to create their barnstars. If you have a good one already then you can use that (note that Microsoft Paint or similar are not the best tools to use, although they are acceptable). The most common programs used are ones which must be purchased, such as Adobe Photoshop, Corel PHOTO-PAINT, Corel Paint Shop Pro. Fortunately, you can download similar software for free. Two common examples are GIMP and Paint.NET. For more see List of raster graphics editors.

Once you have chosen your tool, you should choose a design for you barnstar. Make sure it is related to the idea. Each tool is used differently, so look up tutorials for the one which you use if you don't already know how to use it. If you do, create your barnstar. Most users use File:Large Barnstar.png as their base. Make sure the images you include in your image are used with-in copyright laws. I, in general, use images off Wikipedia, which are licensed under Public Domain, Creative Commons, and GFDL.



When you have finished the image, make sure there is no white space around it. Save it on your computer as one of the following file types: png, gif, jpg, jpeg, xcf, pdf, mid, ogg, ogv, svg, djvu, oga

Consider saving your image as a Portable Network Graphics (PNG), if you want it to have a transparent background. In the paint programs, a see through background will appear as checkered. When you save the image, select "png" from the drop-down list of options. And make sure that the file on Wikipedia is also a png.

Upload your image to Wikipedia
Presuming you have used no copyrighted work. Go to Upload, and select "a derivative work of one or several files from Commons" if your barnstar is based on existing Commons images as most barnstars are, or "entirely my own work" if you created your barnstar entirely from scratch. Read through the form which opens up, do not skip to the end. Browse for your file. Give it a sensible destination name (this is the name which will be used on Wikipedia), such as the barnstar's name (e.g. "Birds Barnstar"). In the description, say that it is a barnstar, and what it is to be awarded for. In the source, include links to any images you used in your barnstar image. Enter the date you created it in the date section. Select an appropriate license (read each one, and make sure it doesn't conflict with the licensing on any images you used). Then click upload to be taken to the file page :D. Remember the name of the file.

Alternatively, you may upload it to the commons so that everyone can find it.

Create the award template
Enter into your search box, "Template:" followed by the name of your barnstar (e.g. "Template:Birds Barnstar" if your barnstar was called Birds Barnstar). Create this page. In the edit box, enter this text:  (for example, if the file name was "Birds Barn", and the name of the barstar was "Bird Barnstar", then add this code to the template page:  ). Save the page.

Add the barnstar to the BARN page
Go to WP:BARN and edit the section which you think is most appropriate (you get a choice of "General Barnstars", "Topical Barnstars", or "Wikipedia-space Barnstars"), each section has an explanation of which barnstars it's for. Scroll to the bottom of that section (while in the edit form), at the very bottom (or near to it) who should see a piece of text which looks like this:. On the line above this add this code:  (e.g.  ). Press save page.

You should now be done.

If your barnstar is for a specific wikiproject, put it in Awards by WikiProject instead.

Congratulations!