# 05 — STORY IMAGE SELECTION AND RIGHTS

## Every STORY needs a visual anchor

A STORY page should not become a wall of text.

Typical goal:
- substantial editorial image
- substantial readable text
- image should feel sourced for the story, not chosen as decoration

## Source hierarchy

Prefer:

1. **official / licensed press image** with editorial-use terms
2. **own / commissioned image**
3. **generated editorial illustration**
4. **appropriate free-license photography**

Use mixed sources across an issue when appropriate.

Do not make the whole magazine feel like one stock-photo moodboard.

## Official press assets

For real events, festivals, art fairs, screenings, sports:
- check the official press room first
- prefer the provided high-resolution master
- record the exact photographer / organization credit
- record editorial-use wording

If an asset-to-credit match is uncertain:
- flag it
- do not invent the photographer

## Generated imagery

Generated images are suitable for:
- non-documentary illustration
- abstract scene material
- fictional / conceptual graphics
- modular objects

Generated images are **not** suitable for pretending that a real event was photographed.

## Archive each external visual

Recommended sidecar records:

```text
MASTER.ext
SOURCE-URL.txt
CREDIT.txt
RIGHTS.txt
```

Optionally:
- screenshot of press instructions
- source metadata
- date retrieved

## Print resolution

Evaluate resolution based on the actual physical placed size.

Do not call an upscale “new detail”.

If an official high-resolution source exists, obtain it instead of relying on aggressive upscaling.

## Image QA

Before approval check:
- correct event
- correct date/season
- correct venue/context
- no accidental misinformation
- no illegal / unsupported credit claim
- enough resolution for intended placement
- crop preserves important text/logos when the source contains them

For press graphics with important embedded text, use `contain` or a controlled crop rather than blind `cover`.