Commons:Video

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Wikimedia accepts and encourages uploading video files on Commons. Videos, like images, must be freely licensed. The acceptable video format is Theora with an .ogv file extension. Various tools exist to convert existing videos into this format, including Firefogg. Videos can be played back in Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome natively or in Internet Explorer if the Java runtime is installed. Safari users may install XiphQT. Request a video at Commons:Video requests. For help on converting to the Theora format, go the Help:Converting video page.

There is also dedicated discussion and support mailing list for makers of video in Wikimedia projects, WikiVideo-l.

Importance of video

There are roughly 3,000 video files on Commons in Category:Videos, as of November 1, 2009.

Good examples of videos:

• Nature videos, such as a recording of a scenic view or a hurricane (ex. #1)
• Wildlife videos, such as the behavior of certain animals (ex. #1)
• Sports videos, such as demonstrating a particular rule or method of playing (ex. #1)
• Cultural videos, such as a traditional or contemporary dance (ex. #1 & #2)
• Architectural videos, such as kinetic building elements (ex. #1)
• Science videos, such as chemistry experiments (ex. #1)
• Demonstrations of tools, showing how it works. (ex. #1)
• Visualization of 3D data where one of dimensions is shown as time (ex. #1 & #2)
• Historical videos (ex. #1 & #2)

Video formats

Wikimedia uses Ogg Theora and GIF for video because they are open and royalty-free, unlike other video formats such as Apple's QuickTime (mov) and Microsoft's WMV, which contain patents and require royalties. WebM support will likely be added in the future. See bug report 23888 and 27699 for its current status and this test wiki for implementation tests.

Maximum file size

As of April 2011, the maximum file size for all kinds of uploads is 100 MB. If your video happens to be larger than this limit, you may split it into shorter parts and upload each part separately. The template {{Split file}} can be used to link the parts of files split in this way.

Uploads of larger files are possible with help of a user with server access. See Help:Server-side upload

Video usage

Ogg Theora animation of a satellite in polar orbit.

Example of GIF animation.

Creating a link that appears at first as a still image of a video and that plays the video after its play button is clicked is called “embedding a video”. The easiest way to embed a video directly into an article (or another page) is by using the same [[File:]] syntax as for image or sound files. The result is on the right. The video can be resized by adding a fixed size (like "|200px") or - preferable - the "|upright" parameter. In most cases you should stick to the default size. If it is higher than wide, use the pure "|upright".

[[File:Time Lapse of New York City.ogv|thumb |200px |New York City Time Lapse]]

[[File:Time Lapse of New York City.ogv|thumb |upright |New York City Time Lapse]]

[[File:Time Lapse of New York City.ogv|thumb |upright=2 |New York City Time Lapse]]

In case of Ogg Theora files, a frame from the midpoint of the video is used by default for the initial still image. To use a different frame, use the thumbtime parameter. For instance:

[[File:Time Lapse of New York City.ogv |thumbtime=12 |thumb |200px |New York City timelapse]]

Either specify the time in seconds or use colons to separate hours, minutes and seconds. Separate a fraction of a second by a "." (dot). Only tenths (0.1, 0.2, etc.) of seconds work, currently.

Default still image

Still image at 12 seconds

Default still image

Still image at 7.8 seconds

There are two types of links to a video:

• File – To create a link to the video's File Description Page,
  • use [[:File:Time Lapse of New York City.ogv]].
  • To make the text of a link to the video's File Description Page appear as some text other than the video's filename, use [[:File:Time Lapse of New York City.ogv|some text you prefer]].
• Media – To create a link that downloads the video,
  • use [[Media:Time Lapse of New York City.ogv]] or use [[:Media:Time Lapse of New York City.ogv]].
  • To make the text of a link that downloads the video appear as some text other than the video's filename, use [[Media:Time Lapse of New York City.ogv|some text you prefer]] or use [[:Media:Time Lapse of New York City.ogv|some text you prefer]].

Resizing a video to use a smaller thumbnail does not change the bitrate or bandwidth requirements. A video recorded at 640×480 but shown in an article at 160×120 will still stream all the data that would be used to display it at the 640×480 size. If you need a smaller video size in an article for some reason, you are much better off recompressing the larger video to the smaller size to bake in the bandwidth savings. Better quality can be obtained in these small videos, by having the original uploader create the smaller size using their original uploaded content.

In case of animated GIF files, the animation is played continuously in a loop. Ani. GIFs are (currently) scaled down on server-side to the required thumb size if they do not exceed the 12.5 Megapixel limit. If they exceed it a still frame will be displayed.

Playing videos

See also: Commons:Media help

Wikimedia Commons uses Ogg Vorbis files for sound files and Ogg Theora for video files. Playing video and sound embedded on Wikimedia sites requires no additional software. The web browsers Mozilla Firefoxand Google Chrome are able to play these file formats without additional software. Safari users may install XiphQT for native playback. For Internet Explorer users, Safari users without the plugin and other browsers, Wikimedia uses a plugin (Cortado) to stream video (requires Java).

You must install software to play video that you have downloaded to your computer. You can learn at Commons:Media help what software you need to play our media files. VLC multimedia player is one that is open-source and multi-platform.

The following table shows the current capabilities of un-modified web browsers (no additional software).

Audio video type	Chrome 6.0.472.63	Firefox 3.6.10	Opera 10.62	Safari 3.2.1
OGG file from disk	plays	plays	ignores	opens file manager
OGG sound direct link	plays	plays	ignores	downloads only after security warning
OGG sound with play button	plays	plays	plays	plays
OGV file from disk	plays	plays	downloads only	opens file manager
OGV video direct link	plays	plays	downloads only	downloads only after security warning
video OGV with play button	plays	plays	plays	plays

Videos and copyright

Main article: Commons:Licensing

In addition to checking for video copyright, the audio must not contain copyrighted sounds. This includes any copyrighted songs that were added to the video. Ask questions regarding the copyright of the video at the Village pump.

Examples of videos that would not be allowed due to copyright:

• Screen captures of software that is itself not under a free license. This includes the Mac OS and Windows operating system. However, screen captures of software under the GPL or a similar free software license are generally considered to be OK.
• TV/DVD/Videogame/Music video clips and recordings, unless their copyright has expired.
• Copyrighted symbols, logos, etc. (Not to be confused with trademarks.)
• Models, masks, toys, and other objects which represent a copyrighted work, such as a cartoon or movie character. See Commons:Derivative works.
• Video that contains copyrighted music. Remove the audio from the video and then upload.

Examples of videos that would be OK to upload:

• Nature videos (video taken at a National Park or of a bird in your backyard)
• Videos from the United States government, such as from NASA.

Choosing a license for a video you have entirely created

Comparision of licenses
License	Intended scope	Copyleft	Practical modifiability	Attribution	Related rights	Access control prohibition	Worldwide applicability
Creative Commons Attribution	Generic	No	No	Copyright notice	No	Yes	National adaptations
Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike	Generic	Normal	No	Copyright notice	No	Yes	National adaptations
Design Science License	Generic, optimally science data	Normal	Yes	Copyright notice	No	No	Same license (English version)
Free Art License	Works of art	Normal	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Exact translations (French law)
FreeBSD Documentation License	Documentation	No	Yes	Copyright notice	Yes	Yes	Same license (English version)
GNU Free Documentation License	Documentation	Normal	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Same license (English version)
GNU Lesser General Public License	Generic, optimally Software	Weak	Yes	Copyright notice	Yes	Yes	Same license (English version)
GNU General Public License	Generic, optimally Software	Strong	Yes	Copyright notice	Yes	Version 3 prohibits "Tivoisation" in certain cases	Same license (English version)
Lizenz für Freie Inhalte	Generic	Normal	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Unknown (license text is German)
MirOS Licence	Generic (software, content, …)	Copycenter	Yes	Copyright notice	Yes	Not desired, as that would be an additional restriction	Same licence (English version)
MIT License	Software	No	Yes	Copyright notice	Yes	Yes	Same license (English version)

Finding videos online

See also: Commons:Free media resources/Video

Several media resources contain video that is public domain or licensed under a free license. These can be converted and uploaded to Commons.

• Archive.org open-source movies - Movies under several licenses. Some licenses are accepted in the commons.
• Archive.org movies - Presentation of several collections of videos, some with free licenses.
• Flickr Creative Commons videos - all assortments of videos licensed under CC-BY or CC-BY-SA
  • Flickr HD videos - high definition videos that are freely licensed
  • Flickr The Commons (public domain) - a variety of videos licensed freely by many institutions, including the Library of Congress
  • Flickr copyrighted videos - these are mostly copyrighted but the uploader might relicense if asked. Use the ticket request system, OTRS.
• YouTube - many videos available (some in HD) with encyclopedic purpose, though most are copyrighted. Use OTRS to ask permission for reuse. See also Commons:YouTube files.

Converting video

Screencast on using Firefogg

Main article: Help:Converting video

All videos need to be converted into the OGG Theora format with an .ogv file extension. Help:Converting video contains a listing of programs to aid in converting. Commons:Firefogg or Miro Video Converter are the recommended converting tools. The underlying software used is ffmpeg2theora, a command-line tool. Xiph.org, founder of the Ogg container format, maintains a list of Theora software encoders.

When uploading a large video (for use on Wikipedia), convert into two versions. One for high-bandwidth users and the other for low bandwidth. Making a viewer on a slow Internet connection stream a 40mb file is not ideal. Typical lower quality settings include downsizing to 320x240 and changing the video quality. In the future, the transcode extension to ogghandler will make this step obsolete.

Consider removing the audio on the video if it does not add anything to the video. This decreases the filesize of the video and, if the sound is distracting (e.g. wind noise, chatter), may improve the video.

Ask questions regarding converting or improving existing videos at Help talk:Converting video.

Uploading a video

Both the Wikipedia project and the Wikimedia Commons limit upload size to a maximum of 100 MB (megabytes). 1 MB means 1,048,576 bytes, so 100 MB means 104,857,600 bytes. The process of uploading a video is similar to uploading an image.

1. First ensure the video is freely licensed.
2. Convert the video to the Theora format. The Firefogg extension is recommended for Firefox users, ffmpeg2theora for others.
3. Go to the Upload page and fill out each field. Include appropriate topic categories and Category:Videos. It will take several minutes to upload.

If the filesize of the video is very large, then consider also uploading the video at a lower quality so that low-bandwidth users can smoothly stream it.

Requesting a video

Main article: Commons:Audio and video requests

Specific videos may be requested at Commons:Audio and video requests. Please search Commons to see if a similar video exists before making the request.

Subtitles and closed captioning

To create subitles you can use the Universal Subtitles Widget

Main article: Commons:Timed Text

Commons allows uploading closed captioning text in the TimedText namespace.

To create subtitles you can use the universal subtitles widget. To use universal subtitles simply upload your video, enable the mwEmbed gadget then click on the universal subtitles menu option under close captions. Learn more about universal subtitles widget.

To upload an already created subtitle file, open the file on your computer in a text editor (such as Notepad) and copy the text into a new page in the TimedText namespace that matches the filename of the video (e.g. Krazy Kat Bugolist 1916 silent.ogv.en.srt for this video file, File:Krazy Kat Bugolist 1916 silent.ogv). You must have Commons:MwEmbed gadget enabled.

Subtitles can also be embedded into the video. See the Theora Cookbook for instructions. Note 'To use subtitles on commons we recommend storing them in wiki pages in the timed namespace so they can be easily be edited and translated

Maintenance tasks

• Move video files in Category:Videos to appropriate sub-categories, such as in Category:Videos by subject. (See list of video categories)
• Find orphaned videos and add them to Wikipedia articles.
• Fix issues at Category:Video repair needed
• Check latest video uploads for copyright issues, proper categorization in Category:Videos
• Tag videos with cleanup templates, including {{audio out of sync}}, {{rotate}},

See also

Video categories

• Category:Videos, base category for video files
  • Category:Videos by subject, subcategory where most videos are located
• wikiversity:Category:Video, video files on the Wikiversity project

Wikipedia image syntax and video documentation

• w:Wikipedia:Extended image syntax#Multimedia syntax specifically for sound and video
• w:Wikipedia:Videos
• w:Wikipedia:Creation and usage of media files#Video
• w:Wikipedia:WikiProject Lights Camera Wiki
• meta:Video policy, out-of-date but still useful

MediaWiki

• Multimedia usability project
• Commons:Usability issues and ideas

External links

• Latest Commons video uploads (select Video - application/ogg)
• Most recent Creative Commons Flickr video
  • Most recent HD videos