User talk:Barneyinblue

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HL2 Character Headshots
Hey, Barney. I'm trying to contact any HL article editors I can find (Although I can't find many, if any who appear to be common editors of all Half-Life related articles) regarding some mass edits made by GaMeRuInEr. There isn't one common place to discuss HL wiki realted things, so I'm just adding this to relevant user talk pages (As opposed to adding this to every single article discussion page which has been affected).

User GaMeRuInEr has recently gone through every single HL2 character article and added, or replaced, the main character headshots with his own. However, I don't think some of his screenshots are an improvement over the originals for reasons I am listing here:

(Forgive my choice of wording with some of these, because although I actually only intend for you and the few other people I'm going to try to contact to read this, I wrote it hoping that somehow everyone involved with editing HL articles would see this) Now, I'm not saying that all of his uploaded pictures or all of his edits are bad, but I disagree with the headshots he has added (And in some cases, replaced entirely). I don't mean to offend this person as he seems to be new, but I think he was just a bit overzealous with his first actions. I would like to revert his headshot pictures the originals, but I don't want to act without some sort of discussion and consensus first.
 * All of his pictures appear to be taken in a model viewer with a black background (It might be just spawned models in Garry's Mod's black room, but the results are the same), while the original screenshots of these characters were taken in-game in environments where they were actually encountered (moody lighting and all). I feel that these black void pictures don't do the characters justice as these are supposed to be, although fictional, people deeply involved in an expanding plotline that's quite indepth compared to other games. Putting them in front of a black background makes them feel very far removed from the games' reality, and somewhat awkward if you ask me. I have no problem with model viewer screenshots for generic enemies (Such as Combine soldiers, Xen creatures, etc.), but these are unique characters in the game, so I believe that the in-game shots were very suitable for their articles.
 * Also, the black color tend to make certain models blend into the background, which is especially true for any character with black hair (However, I'm not implying that all these pictures should be redone with a different color background).
 * As another side effect of taking a screenshot from a model viewer (Or spawned models in Garry's Mod), none of the characters have facial expressions. They just use the default blank expression, which looks kind of creepy and doesn't really occur as such in-game. Since realistic facial expressions are one of the most significant features of the Source engine, and what makes these character seem more lifelike and believable, I think the in-game shots are far more appropriate in this regard.
 * All of his pictures have been uploaded as png's. Now, I have nothing against the image format, but it's just not necessary for these types of pictures. These aren't simple 256-color, low-resolution game screenshots that the png format works so well with; these are fancy high-poly character models with the works. Png files in this case just make images needlessly large (One of his uploaded pictures in png format is 1mb). A jpeg can have twice the resolution at half the size with a more than acceptable quality level.
 * Just a nitpick here, but he neglected to add an image license to all of his uploaded pictures. It wouldn't be terribly difficult to go through all 25 or so pictures he uploaded and add a license, but since I'm arguing to remove some of them, I don't think the effort would be put to good use.

I am also posting this on my talk page so there can be a common place for this discussion (I really don't mean to make this a big issue, though). Anyway, thank you for your time and help in the matter. MarphyBlack 15:12, 9 July 2006 (UTC)

HL2 headshots issue
Guys, it's me, GaMeRuInEr. I don't know if I'm in the right place, but oh well. I really do apologize if I've done any destruction to any of the articles. But if you wish, you can delete any and all of my pictures if you like. I hope you understand that I'm quite new at this and have a hard time deciding what and what not to touch. Again, I'm sorry for any destruction I've done to any of the HL series pages.

Fair use rationale for Image:Gearbox_Software_Logo.jpg
Thanks for uploading or contributing to Image:Gearbox_Software_Logo.jpg. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in Wikipedia articles constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use. Suggestions on how to do so can be found here.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to ensure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If you have uploaded other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on those pages too. You can find a list of 'image' pages you have edited by clicking on the "my contributions" link (it is located at the very top of any Wikipedia page when you are logged in), and then selecting "Image" from the dropdown box. Note that any non-free media lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you. Videmus Omnia 21:00, 5 July 2007 (UTC)

Unspecified source for Image:Blueshiftmanuel4ft.jpg
Thanks for uploading Image:Blueshiftmanuel4ft.jpg. I noticed that the file's description page currently doesn't specify who created the content, so the copyright status is unclear. If you did not create this file yourself, then you will need to specify the owner of the copyright. If you obtained it from a website, then a link to the website from which it was taken, together with a restatement of that website's terms of use of its content, is usually sufficient information. However, if the copyright holder is different from the website's publisher, then their copyright should also be acknowledged.

As well as adding the source, please add a proper copyright licensing tag if the file doesn't have one already. If you created/took the picture, audio, or video then the GFDL-self tag can be used to release it under the GFDL. If you believe the media meets the criteria at Fair use, use a tag such as or one of the other tags listed at Image copyright tags. See Image copyright tags for the full list of copyright tags that you can use.

If you have uploaded other files, consider checking that you have specified their source and tagged them, too. You can find a list of files you have uploaded by following [ this link]. Unsourced and untagged images may be deleted one week after they have been tagged, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If the image is copyrighted under a non-free license (per Fair use) then the image will be deleted 48 hours after 10:05, 29 July 2007 (UTC). If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you. MER-C 10:05, 29 July 2007 (UTC)

Image copyright problem with Image:Blueshiftmanuel4ft.jpg
Thank you for uploading Image:Blueshiftmanuel4ft.jpg. However, it currently is missing information on its copyright status. Wikipedia takes copyright very seriously. It may be deleted soon, unless we can determine the license and the source of the image. If you know this information, then you can add a copyright tag to the image description page.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask them at the media copyright questions page. Thanks again for your cooperation. Shell babelfish 02:26, 22 August 2007 (UTC)

Image:Scissordude.jpg
I have tagged Image:Scissordude.jpg as no rationale, because it does not provide a fair use rationale. If you believe the image to be acceptable for fair use according to Wikipedia policy, please provide a rationale explaining as much, in accordance with the fair use rationale guideline, on the image description page. Please also consider using or one of the other tags listed at Image copyright tags/Non-free. Thank you. Rettetast (talk) 23:08, 5 January 2008 (UTC)

Orphaned non-free media (Image:Decay main menu.jpg)
Thanks for uploading Image:Decay main menu.jpg. The media description page currently specifies that it is non-free and may only be used on Wikipedia under a claim of fair use. However, it is currently orphaned, meaning that it is not used in any articles on Wikipedia. If the media was previously in an article, please go to the article and see why it was removed. You may add it back if you think that that will be useful. However, please note that media for which a replacement could be created are not acceptable for use on Wikipedia (see our policy for non-free media).

If you have uploaded other unlicensed media, please check whether they're used in any articles or not. You can find a list of 'image' pages you have edited by clicking on the "my contributions" link (it is located at the very top of any Wikipedia page when you are logged in), and then selecting "Image" from the dropdown box. Note that all non-free media not used in any articles will be deleted after seven days, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. Thank you. BJBot (talk) 05:10, 23 October 2008 (UTC)