Wikipedia:Graphics Lab

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Graphics Lab

The Graphics Lab helps improve all graphical content stored on Wikimedia Commons and the English Wikipedia.

Wikigraphists work to improve the quality of the images that have been proposed by the community. This involves work such as extracting key elements from photos, improving the color of images or emphasizing the main subject, "stitching" multiple images together and often vectorizing images — converting to Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG). We also create new drawings, diagrams and maps when requests are made to do so.

Interested in helping out? Check out the uploading standards, then go to one of the workshops you are skilled at, and lend a hand. You can also add your entry to Wikigraphist abilities and yourself to Category:Wikigraphists you can also add {{User Wikigraphist}} or {{Mbox Wikigraphist}} to your userpage.

Can't draw a thing? You can still help us: We need people to find images that need improvement and to submit them. Anyone can make requests, even unregistered users.

For examples of work done by the Graphics Lab, see the archives of past work.

We await your request(s) for image improvement and creation of images at the workshops.Search all Graphics Lab subpages, including the archives:

Types of work done

Whitening or cleaning the background
Removal of objects and color improvement
Image restoration
Vectorization of raster graphics

Images will be improved on request of a user/IP who submits a request on any of the three image workshops. An explanation of how to do that is shown at the top of the page.

For a better view of the capabilities of the Graphics Lab, see the archives.


Name and Function	Operating system(s)	Download
Inkscape, the general standard for creating and editing SVG files	Windows; macOS; Linux	All
GIMP, similar to Adobe Photoshop. Used for the retouching of images, and creating raster graphics (PNG, JPEG). Can also be used to create animations (GIF) when the GIMP Animation Package (GAP) is installed.	Windows; macOS; Linux; Solaris; BSD	Windows, Linux/BSD/Solaris macOS
hugin, for the stitching of panoramic images together into one big image, correction of perspective and various other things.	Windows; macOS; Linux; BSD; Other Unix Systems	All
QGIS, to create GIS maps' layers: topographic background, shaded relief, states/provinces polygons, rivers/lakes/coasts, urban areas, etc. PNG or SVG.	Windows; macOS; Linux; etc.	All
Open Jump GIS, to create SVG or PNG maps and GIS vector datasets.	Windows; macOS; Linux	All
Blender, for the creation and editing of 3D images.	Windows; macOS; Linux; Solaris; IRIX; C source	All
Scribus, a free desktop publishing application (DTP).	Windows; macOS; Linux; Unix; OS/2; eComStation; ArcaOS	All
POV-Ray, a free 3D ray tracer.	Windows; macOS; Linux	All
Dia, create and edit diagrams and graphics that only require basic shapes. Supports exporting to vector (SVG) and various raster file formats.	Windows; Linux; macOS	All