Guild Wars Wiki:Projects/Dye charts/Guidelines

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Introduction
The guidelines outlined within this section will be the basis to what the dye charts project is formed around. The dye charts project was established to create and update the wiki's dye charts to a consistant standard allowing players to obtain high standards of information alongside high quality dye charts. These guidelines will also be used within the evaluation phase of the project, deeming which articles need improvement. These guidelines are designed to target the dye charts created for weapons (and dyable unique items) and items such as Festival Hats and Common armor.

Current guidelines
Currently the wiki has very brief and somewhat vague guidelines for dye charts. It is possibly due to this fact that dye charts uploaded range dramatically between different users. The only guidelines for dye charts at the time are:
 * This section involves the effect a basic dye makes on a weapon. State what part of the weapon can be dyed. Also state whether a dye acts differently than expected, i.e. A blue dye added to a Chaos Axe turns the axe red. If a weapon cannot be dyed, add a note stating such. A dye chart can be added for visual reference. A dye chart should only use the base dyes, no mixtures. (From "Formatting/Weapons/Dye")
 * General wiki image formatting guidelines
 * Naming conventions of : _dye_chart

Dye charts
Currently their are several variants of dye charts on the wiki. Many of them feature different features and in a sense offer no consistancy between them. With the wiki having very vague guidelines for dye charts, this has seen many variants of dye charts being uploaded:
 * some show the dye vials to indicate the dye colors, others have color samples, others have text
 * some show the dye preview box, others have cropped the preview box out
 * some have ten colours, others have eleven, others have twelve colors
 * some have base dye colors, others have dye mixtures
 * some have borders between the different colors, others don't

Dye descriptions
Accompanying the dye chart is a description of how the dye affects the item. Many of these are pretty straight forward ("Dye affects the pommel of the sword", "Dye affects the aura of the ", "Dye has no visible effect on the item", etc.) while others require more information (as detailed in the current formatting guidelines about dye acting differently on various items).

Another part also included is the default color of the items. Most users will list the default color as simply "The default color is dye" but it's more complex than that. Not all colors have a simple dye combination to replicate the default color (see Frost Artifact) and not every item can be reverted to it's default color like armor does with gray dye. Even if dying an item a certain color will appear to revert the color back to its default it actually won't.

Guidelines
The following are the guidelines used for the dye charts project. Even though no two users' dye charts will be the same, they are set to create some sort of consistency between the dye charts. The following are the concise versions of the guidelines for the dye charts project. The reasoning for these guidelines can be found further down the page.

Concise guidelines

 * Dye charts
 * Dye charts include the following colors (in this order): default, yellow, orange, red, green, blue, purple, brown, silver, white, black, and gray (exception to default and gray if doing Armor or festival hats).
 * The model is wearing no armor (or only armor that doesn't detract from the item).
 * Screenshots are taken in the dye preview window or Llye's makeover window but do not include the the user interface or border or box
 * Screenshots focus on the dyable area
 * Dye colors are labeled using white text
 * Uploaded as .jpg format
 * Dye description
 * Dye description lists the effect on item
 * Dye description includes the dye combination that can closely replicate the default color

Expanded guidelines
Dye charts include the following colors (in this order): default, yellow, orange, red, green, blue, purple, brown, silver, white, black, and gray (exception to default and gray if doing Armor or festival hats). The default color is the color the item is primarily when obtained from loot, collectors, weaponsmiths or armorers. For Festival Hats and most Armors you do not need to include the default color/gray as that is gray (also because each armor gallery has separate images of gray parts). No dye mixtures are included.

The model is wearing no armor (or only armor that doesn't detract from the item) The model included in the dye chart is wearing nothing that detracts from the item showed. Specifically armor which has detailed features and/or contrasting dye visible in the screenshots is to be avoided in weapon dye charts. This rule also applies to other equipment that could impede on the dye chart (i.e. off-hand items or guild capes). For armor dye charts, weapons, off-hand items and guild capes fall under the same rule.

Screenshots are taken in the dye preview or Llye's makeover window but do not include the the user interface or border or box.

Screenshots focus on the dyable area For weapons and off-hand items, the screenshots focus on the area affected by dye. The item can also be shown as a whole to see the 'full view' of how it will look.

Dye colors are labeled using white text The dye color is labeled using white san-serif text against the dye chart. While not required, a black outline around the text (such as many cursors) also helps it stand out even more.

Uploaded as .jpg format The image is uploaded as a .jpg format. This limits the size of the dye chart to a reasonable size for the wiki.

Dye description lists the effect on item The dye description states what part of the item can be dyed and also states whether a dye acts differently than expected. This also includes information on the items icon if applicable.

 Dye description includes the dye combination that can closely replicate the default color The dye description includes what dye can be used to get a color close to that of the default color. If the item is unaffected by dye this is also stated.

Reasoning
Twelve colors: There are eleven dyes currently available easily to the community. These colors are yellow, orange, red, green, blue, purple, brown, silver, white, black and gray. The dye charts should in addition include the default color the item is when obtained (through loot and collectors, etc.) not only as a guide to see how the item vary but also as the default color can often vary dramatically from possible dye mixtures. For most armors the default color is gray. Most weapons will have a default color that can be closely replicated using a certain dye (usually brown, red or yellow) but redying those weapons will often create a color that is not the same as the default color, even though it may look the same. To get the default color you will need a weapon that has not been dyed before.

No armor: Weapons, off-hand items, armor and guild capes can often detract the viewer from the main item in focus. By eliminating these unnecessary components the viewer can focus on what is intended. Armor and capes can also cause clipping issues with the item whether it be with spikes or blades.

Dye preview box: Even though the dye preview widow gives a uniform background that is preferred for the dye charts, the dye preview box (i.e. the border and dye slots) is something that is unnecessary within the dye charts. It detracts from the item (large black border) and adds no purpose to the dye charts.

Llye's makeover window: When doing dye charts for armor, Llye makeover window is similar to the dye preview window but allows you to change your face, hair, skincolor, etc as well. This lets us achieve consistency between models throughout armor galleries. It also resolves more detail than using the dye preview window, by making your characters taller and/or using the "Larger" interface size (both would be best). Lastly, the ability to swap genders means you can make both male and female dye charts at the same time.

Dyable area: Screenshots should focus on the area dye affects the item. The item can be taken as a whole to include a 'full view' of the item so users can see how dye affects the item's look overall.

White text: Having words instead of vial immediately lets the reader know what they are looking at. "Silver" and "Gray" isn't as confusing as looking at two vials and seeing which one is the metallic one. White text offers a better contrast against the background than black text and by using a san-serif font (Verdana, etc.) it offers a crisper look. Additionally, using a stroke/outline command or and experimenting with different font smoothing methods also make font crisper if you prefer more.

File format: Uploading the file in the .jpg format for use on the wiki. GIFs are too restrictive on color, BMPs are not supported by the wiki (and have large filesizes), and PNGs will create much larger files for a small increase in quality.

Effect on the item: By listing the description it allows the user another means to understand how dye affects the item. For some items dye affects the item and/or the icon. A dye chart of the icon in not necessary but noting it down would be sufficient.

Default color description:' Gives the reader the knowledge of how they can replicate the default color or whether an item can be dyed at all. This is as simple as writing:
 * "The default color can be closely replicated using dye."
 * "This cannot be dyed"
 * "This has no noticeable effect when died"

Uploading
When uploading make sure to name the files correctly. The naming convention is: File:_dye_chart.jpg Examples:
 * The Rinblade would be File:Rinblade_dye_chart.jpg
 * The Bronze Crusher would be File:Bronze_Crusher_dye_chart.jpg
 * The Gladius (gladius) would be File:Gladius_(gladius)_dye_chart.jpg while the Gladius (short sword) would be File:Gladius_(short_sword)_dye_chart.jpg

The images are for General use and are Guild Wars screenshot(s). When uploading also remember to add the to weapon dye charts or  to armor (and Festival Hats) dye charts.