Editing Help:Editing manual

{{PageSeo
| image = bg3wiki_help.png
| description = A brief guide on how to contribute to the Baldur's Gate 3 Community Wiki
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BG3Wiki is a collaborative, living project created and maintained by community volunteers.
Don't be afraid to contribute – anyone can edit and contribute to BG3Wiki, no sign-up necessary! Proceed to [[Help:Editing basics|Editing basics]] when you're ready.
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== Introduction to editing ==
==== Creating an account ====
[[Special:CreateAccount|Creating an account]] is an optional but recommended step. Editing using an account attributes wiki edits to your account. You can edit pages without an account, but your IP address will be publicly logged.
 
==== Sandboxes ====
[[Special:MyPage/Sandbox|Click Here]] to create your personal sandbox page. You can use this to learn how to edit, or simply to experiment. You are free to edit this page as much as you wish, it is disconnected from the rest of the wiki.

==== Join the Discord server ====
We recommend you join the [https://discord.gg/K6R89fSZuF BG3Wiki Discord] to discuss wiki editing with other contributors. This is completely optional, but be aware many decisions are taken during live discussions, even though we recommend the use of the Discussion page for most content articles.

== Policies and guidelines ==
BG3Wiki only has a few simple [[BG3Wiki:Content rules|content rules]]. In addition to these, we also have an Editing policy and a Style manual, both with principles and practices that the wiki strives to adhere to. Reading these is {{em|not required}} to edit the wiki.
* [[BG3Wiki:Editing policy|Editing policy]]: A set of guidelines and principles to follow when editing the wiki.
* [[Help:Style manual|Style manual]]: The style and formatting guidelines for articles and files. If you're unsure about grammar, format or capitalisation, you can look it up here!
* [[BG3Wiki:Verification|Verification]]: BG3Wiki relies on verification to ensure readers can know where in the game information on the wiki comes from.

== Other namespaces ==
There are other types of pages that use different guidelines and principles than the rest of the wiki.

==== Guides ====
{{hatnote|See also: [[Help:Guide namespace]]}}
The Guide namespace is where users can create and edit guides on BG3Wiki.

To create a Guide, simply start an article name with {{code|Guide:}}. For example, {{code|Guide:How to use torches}}.

==== Modding ====
{{hatnote|See also: [[Modding:Modding resources]]}}
The Modding namespaces is all about modding, such as how to create and use mods.

To create a Modding page, simply start an article name with {{code|Modding:}}. For example, {{code|Modding:How to use mods}}.

=== How to upload files and images ===
[[File:upload_file.png|right|thumb|Uploading a file]]
You can upload an image from your computer using the [[Special:Upload|Upload File]] function from the left-hand navigation toolbar.

Some guidelines to keep in mind when uploading images:
* '''Licensing:''' Follow the wiki's [[BG3Wiki: Copyrights|copyright policy]].
* Consult the [[Help:Style Guide#Media|Style Guide]] to ensure your images are of the correct format.
* '''Compression:''' It's recommended to compress large files, both to conserve space and to improve page loading times for wiki readers.
{{clear}}
* '''Categories:''' Edit an image to add it to one or more categories. This can greatly help other contributors find the image in the future.

====How to remove black backgrounds====
[[File:Removebg.webp|right|thumb|How to use Remove.bg website]]
For [[:Template:CharacterInfo|statblocks]] sometimes it's necessary to upload a transparent screenshot of an in-game model. 

If you don't know your way around Photoshop you can just use [https://www.remove.bg/ Remove.bg] website to do it for you for free. It scales the image down but it doesn't matter for infobox purposes.

* Go to  [https://www.remove.bg/ Remove.bg].
* Upload the image with backround you need to remove (either by drag and dropping or simply Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V).
* Wait for result.
* Click on the blue Download button.
* Upload the image to the wiki and don't forget to rename it to {{InfoBlob|Character_name_Model.png}}

If the result erased too much or not enough, you can Edit it on the website to Erase/Restore features.

In the [[:Template:CharacterInfo]] you can add the Transparent Model images as the main image if it's a nameless [[:Category:Creatures|Creature]]. Otherwise, if it's a named character you'll need to fill in these attributes:

{{InfoBlob|<nowiki>| alt-name = Model</nowiki><br>
<nowiki>| alt-image = [[File:Character_name_Model.png|200px]]</nowiki>}}

== Additional resources ==
* [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Help:Contents MediaWiki help pages]
* [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Help:Formatting MediaWiki formatting]

[[Category:Wiki Help]]