Image selection and specifications
Guidelines on selecting suitable images for nsw.gov.au and the specifications for uploading an image to the CMS.
Selecting images
Do
- Select images that are authentic, real and relatable to the people of NSW.
- Use high-quality images that are relevant to the content of the page.
Don't
- Don't use low-quality or pixelated images that appear unprofessional.
- Don't use copyrighted images without permission or proper attribution.
- Never use images you’ve sourced yourself from Google or anywhere else.
- Using unlicensed images can incur large penalties.
- Don't use images that are irrelevant to the content of the page or distract from the main message.
Don’t embed text into an image as it’s not accessible. However, if images of text are used, the alt text should contain the same words as in the image.
- Don't use images that are too small to be easily visible or too large that they dominate the entire page.
- Don't use images that are offensive, inappropriate, or discriminatory.
- Avoid any controversial images showing:
too much skin
smoking
drinking alcohol
children in compromising positions
supportive of a political party
culturally inappropriate. If you are working with culturally sensitive content it is recommended you reach out cultural experts.
Don’t use images that promote, or could be perceived as promoting, a person or group for political advantage. For example, if the news article is about a new bridge opening, then the news image should be of the bridge – not a politician at a ribbon cutting for the bridge. It is appropriate and relevant to add a photo of a politician to their profile, for example a listing of Ministers with their headshots and biographies.
Image subjects, composition and colour
- Our preferred situation is to show real people in real situations. The people need to look like they are from a NSW environment.
- A diverse range of people need to be used in our communications. This means a variety of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds need to be shown to portray the multicultural society we live in.
- If focusing on a specific part of the community (for example, seniors, Aboriginal people or rural communities) choose relevant images to represent the audience you’re addressing. Be sensitive to your audience with the images you use.
- Whenever possible the subject should be engaging with the audience, however a fine line needs to be observed between the image looking staged and forced.
- When choosing people in a business setting, make sure the images look natural and relatable.
- Ensure the person's head is not too high in the image frame. This may lead to the head being cut off when used in some components. Try to allow a space of around one quarter of the total image height between the head and the top of the image.
- Different agencies might require imagery of locations and buildings to be the key focus.
- Ensure images are:
- shot well
- good lighting conditions
- clear focal point
- not too busy.
- Ideally places or buildings will use perspective in the image to draw you into the image. It might benefit to pay attention to cropping the image tighter/closer to show a more interesting aspect of the location, if the image is very busy.
- Never use images that clearly don’t belong in NSW.
- Objects will often be used to show context to a particular message or audience. Images like these should be supporting images of our audience.
- When using an object to be the main focus of the image always ensure it’s relevant to the topic. Don’t stray from the subject matter by using complicated, far fetched imagery.
- Try to avoid stereotypical, boring images when the subject matter is quite bland – try to think outside the box to engage with your audience better. If this is ambitious, try to show the object in an interesting crop or angle.
- Ensure you avoid showing any third party branding or logos. If they must appear, permission must be granted from that company.
- Any image used should contain a key focal attention point – whether it’s an object or an element.
- Avoid using images that are too busy or cluttered. If an image is quite busy, we can blur the background in Photoshop to avoid being too distracted, which keeps the subject matter as the main focus.
- It’s important to ensure images are cropped well to show the subject – don’t crop people’s heads off and ensure the key focus is seen within the image.
- Full colour images that have been shot using natural, everyday light are to be used whenever possible. This will help bring an honest, real feel to our images.
- Never use filtered or heavily saturated images.
- Black and white images should only ever be used when there’s a print requirement for these.
- Keep an eye on maintaining a colourful palette throughout your image choices. Try to avoid using too many images in a similar colour scheme, for example, all bright images or all muted.
Image sizes and file type
Images with a 3:2 image ratio work best with most components in the CMS. Most horizontally oriented photos have this aspect ratio by default. This simply means that the ratio of the photo width to height is 3 to 2.
Suggested image dimensions for most components
Pixels: 3:2 ratio, 1920 x 1280 pixels
To resize or crop your image you can use a free online image editor. Ensure the dimensions don’t go below 1500 x 1000 pixels.
File size:
Save the image at a minimum 72dpi.
The maximum file size for upload to the CMS is 8MB.
The CMS will automatically compress and optimise images for different devices and use in different components.
It is recommended to get the file size of the image as small as possible before uploading to the CMS.
You can use the free, online optimisation tool (PNG and JPEG images, maximum 5MB upload) to reduce your image file size.
Always try to upload your source image to the media library at its original size. If the file size exceeds the maximum file size of 8MB, you’ll need to resize it to lower the file size.
If your source image dimensions are smaller than the component you’re going to use it in, it’s best to find another larger sized image. If there’s no other options, it’s still ok to use the small image, but it will look blurry.
The CMS automatically optimises your image for devices and browsers. This optimisation process works best with JPGs.
Some images that were originally created for print use will be in CMYK image mode. You’ll need to change the image mode to RGB before uploading to the CMS. This can quickly be done in Photoshop as follows: "Image -> Mode -> RGB Color".
Image licensing and copyright
Always make sure that we have a legal right to use an image on our website. Images from our Getty account are allowed to be used on our site as we’ve purchased the right to do so. Approved images from the branding team are also safe to use.
If you're required to include an acknowledgment with your image, you can do this by using the image credit field when you upload your image to the CMS.
- Don’t use other images you’ve sourced yourself from Google or anywhere else as using unlicensed images can incur large penalties.
- Don't use images from other NSW Government websites or social media channels without permission.
Be careful using images in the media library that have been uploaded by another editor. You should always check if you are able to use an image.
Images may have:
- specific permission on how and where they are used
- been commissioned or purchased for specific campaigns or projects
- limited one time use.