Upload Question: Comics / Multiple Images

I have a question regarding uploading multiple related (or continuous) images (such as those found in a Pixiv 'manga' post):

In cases where order is important (1) but a pool is somewhat inappropriate (2), is it appropriate to 'stitch' images, as I have in a couple of my posts (3)?

I didn't receive a response when I asked in the first post I referenced, so I thought I would bring the question here; I thought I was justified in merging the images considering how many other 'tall' comics are posted on Danbooru. I'm also wondering if, in these events, the photoshop tag (or some other tag) is appropriate.

Footnotes

• 1: Where order is important (usually comics) the parenting feature is somewhat ill-applied, because it derives display order from post order, which may change implementation in the future.
• 2: Pools which would contain only a handful of images, and which, by design, would not grow after it's original population.
• 3: post #630812 (NSFW), post #642522 (SFW, mod queue)

Thanks in advance for a response, and a pre-emptive apology if I am horribly wrong.

Tenebrous said:

• 2: Pools which would contain only a handful of images, and which, by design, would not grow after it's original population.

That's not inappropriate for a pool at all, it's exactly what they're used for. Just mark it as inactive after you've added all the posts.

As for that vs. stitching, I'd say to normally prefer the original pictures, unless they were very numerous and trifling individually.

I always thought stitching was against the rules, (is it?) but it really does seem justified in some cases. For example, there are quite a few pixiv artists who make 4koma by using the manga view on four separate images which don't really stand alone as individual uploads.

How many is a "handful"? If order is truly important, a pool is probably appropriate.

Stitching does seem to have some benefits, for example it makes reading more convenient in some ways.

But the problem with stitching is that you're creating a new image. Dupe detection won't catch it, the source URL won't be accurate, someone checking based on the md5 of the original won't find it, etc etc. Please do images individually, each with their own individual source URL.

Would it be acceptable to upload the stitched-together version in addition to the originals?

sgcdonmai said:
Would it be acceptable to upload the stitched-together version in addition to the originals?

That sort of thing usually annoys me as a translator. ("Hey, I'll translate this— oh drat, it's a copy of something that's already been translated. That's an hour of my life wasted!")

Checking the parent/child posts would usually solve that, you know.

Yeah, if I actually bothered. :P

I'd probably argue that stitched comics ought to fall under the same category as hard translated images. Both are user-modifications of the original, and have the same issues with source not matching, MD5 hash changing, etc that jxh2154 brings up above.

However our prior consensus on hard translated was that it wasn't technically against the rules, but that when the original version is available it should always be uploaded and set as the parent.

I don't like hard translated much myself, and depending on how they're done I probably don't like stitched comics that much either (though stitching 4 panels to make a 4koma sounds acceptable to me). I think it's reasonable for us to treat them under the same rules though.

As for using pools, I'll echo the people above and say even if it's short and never to be used again, using pools for grouping and ordering comics is very appropriate, and not a misuse of the system.

There's no such thing as a too-small or too-insignificant pool. Having all open pools displayed in the drop-down box for "add to pool" on post display pages is a huge mistake, IMO. It gives this impression that there should only be a few, "official", really large pools that should be constantly growing as people add to them. Our weird policy of using pools to group subjectively similar posts under headings like "clever" or "nightmare fuel" or whatever contributes to this misconception as well.

Pools are sequential chains of posts, nothing more. Any posts which it would be beneficial to sequentially link together should be pooled.

Thanks for the responses, everyone.

It seems that stitching's only real benefit is in ease of viewing, especially for images which don't make much sense alone (such as a 4koma split into individual images).

From what Shinjidude and jxh2154 have said, I'll avoid stitching for the future and use pools. It appears I was mistaken about pool use, and I didn't even know about the 'Inactive' feature until zatchii mentioned it. I agree that stitched comics are similar to hard translated images: they are both items of convenience, however both contradict Danbooru as an accurately sourced archive.

The only other question I have would be then if I should return to my stitched posts and upload their component images as a pool (and request deletion of the stitched image?)... Though I dislike artificially increasing my post count like that.

Yes, reupload them with proper sources. It's much more useful to have the originals available. As for the post counts or deletion requests, don't sweat it, we have parenting which can take care of it, and the uploads count is not *that* big of a deal.

Alright, the original unstitched comics have been uploaded. Please mark post #630812 and post #642522 for deletion / unapprove.

Quick question which was applicable to one of the frames (post #643824): What tag should be used for swinging an object? swing seems ambiguous between the action and the noun (swingset).

I want to simply check before I do anything myself. Is stitching together individual images to make a 4koma acceptable, if the alternative is 48 510x380px pictures in a single pool? A dozen would be far more convenient for readers, uploading, and moderation, and at 1440 pixels tall, I wouldn't be making horribly tall pictures or anything.

!Pteleports said:
I want to simply check before I do anything myself. Is stitching together individual images to make a 4koma acceptable, if the alternative is 48 510x380px pictures in a single pool?

I think it's not a good idea, mostly because of potential problem with duplicates' detection later.
Overall, any cuts and/or recompression of original files are being looked down upon here.

On the other hand I'm sure glad I didn't upload post #192755 as a series of original images.