PS1 PAL - List Quality Control

[vivigamer]

Hi,

I've taken a great amount of time to sort out images for the listings over the years - Mostly scans from websites but I do make effort to crop or neaten them up with Photoshop at the very least. I just wanted to address some of the issues I am having here recently.

Admin comments: Missing corner holofoil label
I've uploaded many images before that have not had te holofoil label and it's been fine. What annoys me is when I upload are accepted then quickly overwritten by someone who is taking poor quality photos. Here are some examples:
https://vgcollect.com/item/231970 - I uploaded a replacement image a few weeks ago and it was denied then replaced with a poor quality photo at an angle.
https://vgcollect.com/item/97101 - I replaced this image which had a mannual cover and it has been replaced with another image altogether With the Holofoil (but lesser quality).
https://vgcollect.com/item/97050 - I repalced this image as the colour looked really faded yet it has been reverted back to the previous design in an instant.

There are a lot of examples of this, I don't want to harp on but there are times when I look back at my collection on the site and suddenly see a garrish image stick out. Is the protocol really to preference poor quality photos with glare or at an angle to a decent scan? Is the only way for me to fix this to place my game covers in a scanner CIB?

Photos of the manuals instead of the inlay
This is also a big problem, I find a lot of the images have the manual images rather than the inlay - The main indication is the gap on the bottom left corner.

Full Case Display - Do we included the full inlay with the sides or the Plastic Embossed strips at the side.

I'm not making this post to whine, I just don't want to keep wasting my time when I see the work I put out replaced like this - Othertimes I have posted images with minor faults on them and I appreciate the admin team making such notes.

[retromangia]

Hey Vivigamer, I just wanted to say thank you for all your time and hard work. I know how it feels to spend a lot of time editing an image just right, just to have it be denied or replaced entirely.

[dhaabi]

Most, if not all, of the replacement images or edit rejections were done by me.

Under the current style guide rules, the holofoil is important information and should be considered as a component to complete artwork as it is a formal part of the packaging. For PlayStation and PlayStation 2 EU items, the holofoil is not always (but is usually) present, so providing the best image information to showcase packaging information is a detail in accordance to our guidelines. Something else to consider is that cases are often swapped on secondary markets, so knowing which items actually include a holofoil label is a detail many would find helpful.

What annoys me is when I upload are accepted then quickly overwritten by someone who is taking poor quality photos.

Outlined in the Item Images post of the Advanced Style Guide, there is a tier system for images that determines which images are most ideal for entry art. While holofoil-less art is fine to submit and will be approved if it is a higher tier or better quality of a same-tier image, it should be understood that, at any time and by any other user, a user's image can be replaced if a better image is submitted. Had I known you weren't just uploading saved images without any degree of editing involved, I probably would have reached out to you. With that said, I do make a strong effort to find the best quality image of the highest tier that I can for any entry I contribute information for—images are generally taken from cropped photos, since most of the work I do relates to items I don't own. The chief reason I do this is because online scans regularly omit information and stock art is almost always outdated, so relying on a photo of the actual item itself ensures that the entry art is accurate. However, sometimes I find scans that are ideal, although, for this category, it is generally only for back cover art.

Like you mentioned, the quality of entry artwork for PlayStation EU is poor overall. For many entries, the front image slot either features a generic image that omits details such as holofoil label, game rating, and front item number information or a scan of the actual artwork that omits the holofoil label. There are too many instances of poor images, so I've stopped replacing every problematic front art and now am only updating the field for when the images are wrong entirely. Another aspect to consider is that most PlayStation EU items have a unique front item number (usually repeating barcode information) that relates to the regional release, but that information is generally difficult for edit queue mods to confirm due to the small image quality that is shown during the submission process, unless there are other regional differences present that are easily identifiable.

https://vgcollect.com/item/231970 - I uploaded a replacement image a few weeks ago and it was denied then replaced with a poor quality photo at an angle.

Actually, this is a new entry I submitted, and I also handled your front image edit submission for it. The same issue happened—your submitted image omitted the holofoil label, so approving that edit would have brought the field information down a tier as it would have removed crucial information. The entry has only ever had one front image, as evident by the entry history.

https://vgcollect.com/item/97050 - I repalced this image as the colour looked really faded yet it has been reverted back to the previous design in an instant.

The front art was not reverted. The original image was a generic image which omitted both the holofoil label and front item number in addition to the "PlayStation" text being positioned incorrectly. Your submitted image is the same as the current artwork but it omitted the holofoil label.

Full Case Display - Do we included the full inlay with the sides or the Plastic Embossed strips at the side.

If I am understanding what you mean, then no. Spines should be not be a part of either the front or back art slot. The case packaging in its entirety should also be absent, unless there is some variance between multiple releases that relates to which type of case was used for each item while sealed.

Is the only way for me to fix this to place my game covers in a scanner CIB?

If you are wanting high quality images that can replace the current images such as with entry 231970, then probably so. Personally, I prefer submitting image information with the highest tier possible that is available to me. This allows for fewer future updates to the field so that work can be done elsewhere for other entries. Have you considered taking a similar approach? Scanning artwork like you suggested may not be an option for you, but collecting decent quality photos through online classifieds such as eBay is still an option that anyone can do. Again, I am only suggesting this because, given the image tiers that you have been submitting, the images can at any time still be updated by anyone at anytime.

Hey vivigamer, I just wanted to say thank you for all your time and hard work.

I'd like to echo this sentiment. I feel as if it isn't often made clear here that user-submitted work is appreciated for the efforts involved, but it certainly is.

[depressor]

@dhaabi, So... if i have better scans of game cover, but without holofoil, no need to try to update the image, because even if image are bad, but with holo, it better? As i see, all PS2 holofoils placed on DVD-case, while i'm scanning covers...

[tripredacus]

These are holograms not holofoils. Holofoil is a completely different type of printing than holograms.

Any image that has a bad quality BUT actually represents the item (meaning it has the hologram present) can only be replaced with another image that also has the hologram present.

We do want better quality images, but not at the loss of information.