How to Keep a Wikimedia Commons Restoration Linked to Its Original
By ImgHeal · Updated
A cleaned historical picture may deserve its own file rather than replacing the source everyone already cites. Keep the relationship between original and restoration visible before contributing either version to Commons.
Explore this topic: Share restored photos
Read the existing file page and conditions
Record the original file's Commons page, source institution, creator information, license or rights statement, and existing version history. Confirm that the material is eligible for your intended reuse and for the platform before preparing an upload. Do not assume that an image appearing on Commons proves every historical attribution or permits every change. Keep a local untouched source and a note of the edits. A new filename alone does not resolve missing source information or uncertain rights.
Prepare a distinct, accurately described derivative
Commons' overwrite guidance specifically treats historical restoration as a separate upload linked back to its original, rather than an overwrite of the source. Use a descriptive related filename and explain the actual changes, such as scratch cleanup or generated colorization. Credit the original creator and source accurately while identifying your editing contribution. Follow the current upload and licensing guidance for that material. Do not describe a generative reconstruction as recovered original detail, and do not replace the source description with an unsupported identification.
Verify both directions of context
Review the restored file's source reference and Other versions information after contribution, using the current supported file-page workflow. Check that the link opens the intended original rather than another derivative with a similar name. Where appropriate and permitted by the platform, make the alternate version discoverable from the source page without changing its historical image. Inspect the full-sized file as well as its thumbnail. Future readers should be able to compare the versions and understand which details were recorded and which were changed.
Example: repair versus colorization
A neutral scratch-cleaned copy and a creatively colorized copy can both derive from one monochrome source. Give each a clear edit description and source link. Do not let the colorized derivative replace the documentary original or make its generated colors look like source evidence.
Check before sharing this record
- Retain the original file page and rights information.
- Use a separate restoration file when required.
- Check source links and accurate edit descriptions.
Sources and further reading
- Wikimedia Commons: Overwriting existing filesHistorical restorations should be separate files linked to their originals rather than overwriting the original upload.
Questions about this restoration task
May I overwrite the original because my version looks cleaner?
Follow Commons' current overwrite policy. Its guidance calls for historical restorations to remain separate files linked to the original, allowing readers and existing reusers to retain access to the source.
Continue with a related guide
Try a restoration on a copy of your photo
Keep the original scan. Upload a separate digital copy, review ImgHeal’s generated result, and decide whether it suits your needs.
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