howto:source

• You should include: A link to the submission page where the content can be obtained, and a direct image link to the content itself (if possible).
  • "No available source" should ONLY be used if the content has never been posted online anywhere else.
  • If you have a source that no longer works, you are advised to find a working alternative source if possible. Otherwise, you may include them but it needs to be marked as "dead" (i.e., `-https://www.example.com`). In addition, please include unavailable_at_source into the post's tags.
• You should also check howto:sites and sources for a guide on how to get the direct image links or how to save content properly from various websites. Alternatively, check with the "forum":/forum_topics for additional help.
  • Improperly saved images or those from inferior sources may be flagged and deleted if a superior version is found.
  • Therefore, you should always try to identify all potential sources and obtain content from favourable ones that will give you the highest quality artwork (see "Quality & Sources" section below).

Type of sources[#sources]

Helpful sources[#helpful]

• The artist's own submission page, website section, or blog post where the content can be obtained.
  • If the artist posts on multiple galleries, you are encouraged to add the individual submission pages from those galleries as well.
• A commissioner's submission page.
• A character owner's submission page.
• A publisher's submission page.

Less helpful sources[#less_helpful]

• Direct image URLs: A link that points directly to the content itself. These are automatically added when uploading directly via "whitelisted domains":/upload_whitelists.
  • Avoid simply adding this as the ONLY source as it tends to be difficult to track down who the artist is or where the submission page is. It may also become broken due to website changes or if the image was changed on the submission page.
  • If you include a direct link, please try to include other sources along with it.
• The artist's profile page, gallery, or main website: These are usually added onto the artist's wiki page instead, but it may be added to highlight who the artist is. This can be helpful if there are submission pages from multiple people.
  • Avoid simply adding this as the ONLY source as it does not indicate where the submission page is exactly and makes it harder for people to find the actual source. "Consistently adding this without including a primary source can be considered as Sourcing Abuse.":/static/code_of_conduct#tagging

• Archived sources: Archived submission pages from the Wayback Machine or archive.today
  • If you are using an archived source, please include archived_source in the post's tags.
• Boorus, third-party reposts, or other unofficial image hosting sites: These includes any content posted by third-parties or from other imageboards, such as Paheal Rule34 Gelbooru 4chan etc.
  • These are almost never going to be a primary source and are useless if one is available. However, they may sometimes be used by the artist themselves or is the only available place to find the content (making it the primary source).
  • When encountering such sources, it may help to get information from the post itself first, such as the artist's name and the post's source. These may help you locate a primary source, which would be preferred.
  • However, apply caution when getting content from such sources. Some tend to have a lot of unwanted pop-ups or ads that can expose users to malicious sites. In addition, "certain content found there may be leaked commercial/paid content that are prohibited on e621":/static/code_of_conduct#piracy.
    • If you cannot find a particular post in the artist's main gallery, it may be because it is commercial/paid content. Avoid uploading these unless you are sure they were released freely by the artist themselves.

Unhelpful sources[#unhelpful]

• Dead or broken links: Links that had once worked, but are currently not working anymore.
  • They may be added if there are no other sources found or added for archival purposes, such as from dead or inactive sites.
  • These should never be removed from existing posts as it may be fixed or used to find an archived source. "Removing dead but previously-valid sources can be considered as Sourcing Abuse":[/static/code_of_conduct#tagging], unless it was done to make room for more active sources.
  • If found, users are advised instead to mark such links as "dead" (i.e., `-https://www.example.com`) and find alternative working sources.
  • If the dead source was the only source, please include unavailable_at_source in the post's tags.
• Non-links: Such as simply adding text in the source field, such as the artist's name, "image board", "unknown", etc.
  • If you do not have a source, please leave the field empty instead of filling it with useless text. These don't provide any helpful information and will hinder fixes.
    • If you need help finding a source, please include source_request into the post's tags.
    • For those who want to help, you may search through the tag above or use {{hassource:false}} for finding posts that are missing a source. Alternatively, you may use {{hassource:true -source:http}} to find posts with non-links and help to clean them up (see "Cheatsheet":/help/cheatsheet for more search metatags).
  • A special note on file names: Adding the file name (e.g., `my_fursona_by_Parasprite.jpg`) when the source was unknown was encouraged in the past, but it is rarely done now and is being discouraged.
    • If you happen to find these on old posts, do not remove them as it may be the only clue we have to finding a source.
    • You may remove them if you are moving it to the description field or have an actual source to add.
    • Most file names today are pointless, unhelpful, or randomised, so please do not add them to new posts unless they are in the form of direct image URLs.

Prohibited sources[#prohibited]

• Invalid sources: "Links that are incorrect or invalid.":/static/code_of_conduct#tagging:~:text=Do%20not%20add%20any%20sources%20that%20are%20invalid
  • Do not knowingly add or edit a post source to an incorrect link. Valid sources are defined as web pages where the artwork can be found.
• Leaks or pirated sources: "Links that contain content only available through paid subscription services":[/static/code_of_conduct#piracy:~:text=Do%20not%20link%20to%20content%20only%20available%20through%20paid%20subscription%20services.] (i.e., leaked commercial/paid content).
  • "Only users with special permissions from the artist themselves may upload commercial content.":/static/avoid_posting#permissions
• Other prohibited sources: Links that break the site rules, including but not limited to:
  • "Links to piracy sites.":[/static/code_of_conduct#tagging:~:text=Do%20not%20use%20links%20to%20piracy%20sites%20as%20sources.]
  • "Links that redirect to a different URL (e.g., URL shorteners).":[/static/code_of_conduct#tagging:~:text=Do%20not%20add%20source%20links%20that%20redirect%20to%20a%20different%20URL%20(eg.%20URL%20shorteners).]
  • "Links to illegal activities or content":/help/rules#illegalcontent.
  • "Links to extreme activities or content":/help/rules#extremecontent.
  • "Links to unreleased content or hacked data files":/help/rules#piracy.
  • Link to hacks or malicious programs/viruses.

Quality & Sources[#quality]

• This may include images with better visual quality (e.g., larger, less compressed versions), but may also feature "fixed" versions with visual mistakes accounted for by the artist.
• Note that not all higher quality versions would be accepted as there may be certain restrictions in place.
  • File restrictions set by e621.
  • Conditional restrictions set by the artist (see full updated list on the "Avoid Posting":/static/avoid_posting#list page).
  • "Do not post any commercial or pay-to-view content":[/static/code_of_conduct#posting:~:text=Do%20not%20post%20any%20commercial%20or%20pay-to-view%20content], unless "permitted":[/static/avoid_posting#permissions].
  • "Do not link to content only available through paid subscription services":[/static/code_of_conduct#piracy:~:text=Do%20not%20link%20to%20content%20only%20available%20through%20paid%20subscription%20services], unless "permitted":[/static/avoid_posting#permissions].
  • "Do not upscale or otherwise manipulate images to artificially create a 'better' version of an existing image.":[/static/code_of_conduct#posting:~:text=Do%20not%20upscale%20or%20otherwise%20manipulate%20images%20to%20artificially%20create%20a%20%22better%22%20version%20of%20an%20existing%20image.]

Factors impacting quality[#factors]

• File format & compression type: File formats that utilize lossless compression (e.g., "PNG":[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PNG]) are generally more superior over those that utilize lossy compression (e.g., "JPEG":[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JPEG]).
  • Visible compression artifacts are a telltale sign of lossy compression. Thus, we would want the one with very little to no compression artifacts.
• File size: The file with the larger file size is generally the one with the higher quality (though that may not be true for every case).
  • A larger file size usually means that there is more data stored or retained, such as the case of most PNGs over JPEGs. However, superior compression can sometimes result in lower file sizes but equivalent quality, such as the case of "WebP":[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WebP].
• File dimensions/resolution: The file with the higher resolution is considered as the superior version; e.g., 1920x1080 is better than 1280x720.
• File host/gallery: Certain sites are unfavorable due to how they handle files, typically leading to quality loss (see howto:sites and sources for the full list).

Additional notes[#notes]

• Sometimes, a post with a smaller file size may still kept over one with a larger file size, such as the case with "Inkbunny's image optimsation":/wiki_pages/26054#inkbunny which resulted in smaller file sizes but equivalent quality.
• Sometimes, a post with a higher quality but limited corruption may be kept over one with a lesser quality but without corruption, such as the case with "some Twitter/X images":/wiki_pages/26055#twitter which saw overall image quality being prioritized over fixing small corruptions.

See also

• e621:tagging checklist
• howto:upload

• forum #169987 - Saving images properly, a public service announcement. (Aug. 2015)
• topic #62039 - Further discussion regarding archive. (Feb. 2026)