Understanding Image Types
What are image types?
Arc classifies editorial content shown to readers as an article, video, gallery, or image. These are what we call “content types.”
Photo Center further classifies images as photography, infographics, or illustrations. We call these “image types.” These types are enumerated in an ANS field of the same name.
How might I use image types?
Image types allow you to differentiate among images. Here are some benefits at a high level:
Admins can require different fields or enable different fields to show in the UI by image type.
Users then can enter different data according to each image type’s needs.
Users can also filter by image type to narrow their search queries.
Downstream developers can write logic targeting certain image types and not others. For example, a front-end developer can set a maximum width on graphics, but not photos, so that graphics (particularly ones with text) will never appear stretched out to users if an editor accidentally sets the image to be full bleed.
Enable Image Types
Organizations can enable or disable graphics and illustrations as image types. Photos are enabled by default and cannot be disabled.
If an image type is disabled, that means...
Users cannot include or exclude images of that specific type from image search results.
Users cannot upload new images to that type.
Configure Fields for Image Types
Once an image type is enabled, in Photo Center settings, admins can (a) enable which fields are visible in the UI and (b) which fields are required for users to complete.
To configure fields for an image type, go to Photo Center settings.
In the nav, click on “Image Type Settings."
Select the image type you want to configure.
You see which fields have been enabled to appear in the UI and which visible fields users must complete.
Note
The Photo Center 1.28 release removes the ability to show different fields on the edit-image page compared to the manual upload and bulk edit pages. Users now edit the same fields on any editable page in Photo Center.
Update the fields that should be visible in the UI or required.
When you’re finished, click the save button.
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Select Image Type for Manually Uploaded Images
We’ve introduced a new pane to specify the image type before you upload images. All of your uploaded images will use that type. Thus, users will edit the fields enabled and complete the fields required for that type.
Click the “Upload Images” button.
Select the type from the “image type” dropdown. Only enabled types appear in this dropdown.
Click “Select Files.”
Select one or more images you want to upload.
When you’ve selected all the images you want to upload, click the “Upload” button.
You will be taken to the manual upload page as usual; however the fields that are shown and required appear according to the type you selected.
Complete the metadata fields that are shown and required for that image type.
When you’re finished, click the save button.
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Search by Image Type
When searching images, users can include or exclude image types or search across types. Thus I can filter my results to be illustrations only, or photos or illustrations.
Only the enabled image types appear in these filters. In the screenshot below, photo, graphic, and illustration are enabled for this environment.
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Other Notes About Image Types
An image cannot be more than one type.
An image that doesn’t have an image type is treated as a photograph.
Users will not be able to bulk edit images from more than one image type. For example, a user cannot select an infographic and a photo to bulk edit because a field could be hidden for infographics but not photos, or required for one but not the other. As soon as you select an image that is a different type from the ones you’ve selected, you will get a warning message and the bulk edit icon will be disabled until you deselect all images of a different type.
If you hide a field in the UI, that does not change restrictions at the API level. For example, if sponsored content is hidden in the UI, feeds adding images can still post data to that field.