How can I add a photo to the catalogue?

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Photographs of the coins, banknotes and tokens in the catalog make it easy to identify and compare variants. A picture is worth a thousand words! Any contribution to add missing photos or improve existing ones is welcome. This article gives a few guidelines to follow when adding photos.

Allowed sources

A photo can only be added to the catalog with the permission of its author. Thus, three types of sources are authorized for catalog photos:

• Numista members can add their own photos of their own coins, banknotes and tokens.
• Some organizations (merchant websites, central banks, museums, etc.) have given their consent for their photos to be used on Numista. They are listed on the About Numista page.
• It is also possible to add photos that are royalty-free or whose license permits their use on Numista.

Getting photos

You have several choices for taking images, depending on the equipment and resources available to you. You can, of course, take an image from a website that authorizes Numista to use its photos, or take images of your own coin, bill or token, either by taking a photograph or using a scanner.

Scanning

If you scan your coin, bill or token with a scanner, give preference to high resolution. This ensures a sharp image that shows every detail. A resolution of 720 dpi will give very good images; a resolution of 1500 dpi will ensure an optimal image and sharp details even after magnification.

Photography

If you choose to take a photograph of your coin, pay attention to the following details:

1. Place your coin on a plain background, like a white sheet of paper. Avoid checkered tablecloths, kitchen rags, transparent tables, etc.
2. If you keep your coins in cases or pouches, remove your coin from said pouch before taking the photograph.
3. Hold the camera well above the coin, facing the coin, not tilted.
4. Make sure to take the photograph as close to the coin as possible, with as little background as possible appearing in the final shot, while ensuring that the photograph remains sharp.
5. Take a photograph of sufficient size to allow the coin and its details to be seen; the larger the image, the better it will identify the coin.
6. Don't use your camera's flash, as it will only add reflections to the reliefs on your coin.
7. Prefer indirect lighting so as not to add reflections to the reliefs on your photograph.

Photo of the edge of a piece

To photograph the edge of a piece, take a photo at an angle of about 15°. If the edge has a non-repeating inscription or design, take several photos to illustrate the complete turn.

 

Preparing images

Cropping

In order to highlight the coins, banknotes and tokens in the catalog, the photos need to be cropped, i.e. remove the background.

 

There are several methods for cropping photos. You can use image processing software such as Gimp or Photoshop.

Read the article "How to prepare a room photo with Gimp?" for a complete guide to clipping with Gimp.

 

Another simple method is to use Internet sites such as Pixlr.

• Go to https://pixlr.com/fr/remove-background/
• Click on "Select photo(s)" and select your photo.
• If the site asks you to resize the image, choose "Ultra HD"
• Once the operation is complete, click on "Save all zip"

 

Rotation and cropping

Rotation and cropping involves modifying the photo so that the part is straight and occupies all the space in the photo, with no space around it. Various image processing or retouching software and applications can be used.

Image adjustments

It's also possible to adjust brightness, contrast and colors. These adjustments should be made sparingly, to render as faithfully as possible the appearance of the original piece.

Format

In order to add the photo to the catalog, save it in JPEG format (extension .jpg or .jpeg).

Also make sure that the file size does not exceed 8 MB.

Watermarks

If the image comes from an organization that has granted permission, please do not remove any watermarks identifying the author of the image. This may be less aesthetically pleasing, but is a matter of Numista's respect for these partner organizations.

Adding a photo to the catalog

You can add photos when adding a new coin, bill or token to the catalog. For obverse, reverse, edge and/or watermark, click on the "Choose a file" button and select the photo to be added.

 

You can also add photos to an existing record, if the record doesn't yet have an image or if your photo shows more detail. Note that a larger photo (in pixels) doesn't necessarily provide more detail, if the room is in poorer condition or the photo is less sharp or less well lit. If two photos offer the same level of detail and are equally pleasing, preferably choose a photo without a watermark and from a Numista member.

Click on the "Edit or add information to this page" link at the bottom of the form. In the sections for obverse, reverse, edge and/or watermark, choose "New photo" and click on the "Choose a file" button to select the photo to be added.

 

In both cases, specify the source of the photo:

• "I made the photo myself": in this case you can choose to display your name under the photo in the catalog
• "I copied the photo from a site that gave its permission": also specify on which site you found the photo
• "The photo comes from another source", for royalty-free photos for example.

 

 

It's also possible to add photos in the "Comments" section, to illustrate the differences between variants for example.

 

To do this, click on the "image" button and then select the image you wish to add, or drag it from your file manager to the comment area to insert it.

 

You can then choose its positioning in the text block, as well as fill in an alternative text for visitors using a screen reader, and also add a caption if required (if the image comes from an organization that has granted permission, indicate the source in the caption; if it's your own photo, you can indicate your name there if you wish).