Upload images to w.org CDN for use in Block Patterns

[nrqsnchz]

This ticket relates to ​https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg/issues/20345. We are working on creating block patterns that users will be able to add to their documents.

We need to have a few sample content images to be included with these patterns.

I'm attaching a zip file with 9 images in total. These have already been sized down and optimized.

Can these please be added to the w.org CDN? Similar to #48292.

cc @otto42, @mapk, @youknowriad

[nrqsnchz]

Images to be added to to the w.org CDN

[Otto42]

Are these for use in the 5.4 release?

[Otto42]

Also, just to make sure, are these final?

If they're temporary, then we would probably not want them loading from the CDN immediately, because changing things there is kind of annoying. We could provide a non-CDN space to use for temporary images that would be easier to change later, and move to the CDN for final release.

[nrqsnchz]

Final images for use

[nrqsnchz]

Thanks @Otto42!

These are not for 5.4. I just uploaded a new zip file (bp_images2.zip) with shorter file names. These are final now.

[mapk]

These are looking good, Enrique.

@michaelarestad, @joen, @karmatosed, any feedback on these images before they go live?

[Otto42]

What version of WordPress are they expected to go in?

We like to organize the CDN images by WP versions, which is why I ask. If there's a reason to change that, we can do that too. More info is always good info.

[Joen]

Thanks for the ping.

Our big challenge is that the images have to correctly licensed, Public Domain or GPLv2. Otherwise we get into some complex licensing issues given the wide distribution of the WordPress package. Images from Pexels or Unsplash, for example, are very often distributed with a very liberal, but still not compatible license.

Given that challenge, and assuming these are GPL or PD, these images seem passable.

But they're not great, and I wish we could do better, and the same critique applies to the images I hastily put together for the block hover previews; they were as good as I could find them given the requirement of the license.

If we could snap our fingers and come upon a treasure trove of perfect public domain images (or solicit a photographer or buy a pack), the ideal set of images would share these traits:

• a common theme among the photos — "nature" is a bit too broad, but "desert dunes at night" would be more specific
• they would share an overall color palette and motif
• they would share contrast level — same as how a movie is color graded to look consistent, so should the images look as if they were taken by the same camera and in the same session
• share perspective, or angle of photo taken — the "style"
• share dimensions or aspect ratio

Without those qualities, hover previews and block patterns both will lack a feeling of coherence. The images will take on an anonymous generic "placeholder" quality, and won't do anything to entice a click beyond purely mechanically demonstrating a specific layout.

More than that, with a generic motif, the pattern or preview doesn't tell a story. They don't explain why one would use that layout. Take this work in progress: ​https://cloudup.com/c1iaNZcMQ3y — that image tells a story, it looks gorgeous, and I immediately both want to use the pattern and customize it. The image has contrast, it has a theme (furniture), it uses relatively few but impactful colors, and I can see a whole series of furniture pictures leveraging the same camera angle and general setup. Most importantly the image works with the pattern itself: it's not just a
pretty image that could have been used anywhere.

We come back to the challenge at hand — licensing: that's what handcuffs us. But within those limitations, whatever we can do choose images that fit the preview or pattern and share traits, the better.

[nrqsnchz]

Hey @Otto42! 👋

I'm uploading a new zip file with a new set of images that we need to have in the CDN for the Block Patterns feature currently in progress.

These have been resized and optimized.

Please let me know if you need any other info from me.

cc. @mapk @youknowriad

[nrqsnchz]

Uplodading new zip with newer version of the images.

[poena]

Recommended websites for images:
stocksnap.io
skitterphoto.com
mystock.photos
pickupimage.com
pxhere.com
foodiesfeed.com
Smithsonian Open Access ​https://www.si.edu/openaccess

Restricted websites:
The license agreement or terms on these websites are not compatible with GPL:

unsplash.com
freeimages.com
scx.hu
photopin.com
splitshire.com
pixabay.com
freepik.com
flaticon.com
pikwizard.com
pexels.com (unless public domain)
adobe stock
envato elements
undraw.co

[nrqsnchz]

Closing as it is no longer relevant.

[SergeyBiryukov]

Follow-up: #50650, #50727.