WordPress Image Control

Leaving WordPress on its own for image management on a website with a lot of images is stupid.

Items to Consider

Image

• The Image
• Sizes (Wordpress default generated images is 150x150 "thumnail", 300x300 "medium", and 1024x1024 "large", "medium_large" is halfway between medium and large by default, and of course "full" is the original size. Templates and Plugins can cause other sizes to be generated. Use WP-CLI, wp --allow-root media image-size to see sizes generated)
  • How to remove auto generated sizes from being generated?
    • A Plugin like Stop Generating Image Sizes is great, but what about the WP-CLI or other Plugins that regenerate images?
      • Various Plugins have their own image generation sizes, for instance: Cool Timelines (ctl_avatar), United Gallery (ug_big)
      • Themes like Twenty Fourteen also generate images using the set_post_thumbnail_size and add_image_size functions named post-thumbnail (768x768) and twentyforuteen-full-width (1038x576) in the functions.php file
    • Imsanity: Only useful for limiting image size and reducing existing image sizes
  • Cleaning: Most utilities use the Attached / Unattached attribute (mostly set by an image being uploaded directly to a post or page) of a media file. This can be changed in bulk via the Media List
    • Thumbnail Cleaner (Under Tools, Thumbnail Cleaner):Did a great job on eliminating all the thumbnails, but got a bunch it shouldn't have. And there's no trash can.
    • Media Cleaner (Under Meow Apps):
    • WPS Cleaner: Does not consider media from Plugins like Timeline Express
    • WP Optimize: Have to buy the Pro version for Images
    • Media Deduper: Deals with duplicate media. Useful to find duplicates
    • Clean Up Media - CUM (under media): Older plugin, but seems to work
    • File Manager: A nice Web GUI, but can do it from the command line. Not much cleaning ability above and beyond what can be done from a command line.
    • DNUI: An older file cleaning utility
    • Other notes: If using plugins like Timeline Express, it may delete files used in the Excerpts Section that are being used.
• Title
• File Name of Actual File (What is a good naming convention?)
  • Make this a Directory Name and put appropriate images in there -> Naming Convention for Size: Use modern Video Resolution terminology; 1K, 2K, 4K, 8K (which refers to horizontal resolution, whereas 1080i, 720p, etc. refer to vertical resolution)
• Permalink Current URI (from Permalink Manager) & Native Slug (Permalink name if Permalink Manger were disabled)
• Permalink Address Page (https://WhatEverWebSite/PermalinkURI)
• URL Page of File (https://WhatEverWebSite/FileName): ALT Attribute of Image Element / Tag is set to the URL
• Taxonomy (Categories and Tags) of Images: Useful internal WordPress searches and some SEO indexes
• Additional Items for Images (Caption, ALT / Alternate Text, Description)
  • Caption is used in META Tags for various items (SEO, Twitter, OG (Open Graph Protocol - https://ogp.me/), etc.) and as the default caption when the image is viewed via a Permalink URI. Oddly Wordpress or some plugin uses it as the OG "description"
  • Description is used when image is viewed via a Permalink URL, or whenever the image is used in a Page, Post, etc.
  • ALT / Alternative Text is used in the Images ALT Attribute when viewed via a Permalink URL or whenever the image is used in a Page, Post, etc.

Redirection

• Redirect from Image Permalink URL to Fragment Location / Anchor / ID on a Page
  • And
    • If no explicit Redirect is set up, then go to the Images Parent
    • OR
    • Stay on the Image's Permalink URL

WordPress Functionality

• Automatic "Thumbnail" (Resized Image) Generation that are automatically generated by WordPress, Themes, Plugins, etc.: Wordpress sets the SRCSET Attribute

SEO stuff

• Canonical URLSs are only useful if an end Image / Item / etc. falls under multiple categories (IE is duplicitous) and a Search Engine needs to know which one is the default.

Plugins (BOLD indicates Plugin, BOLD / ITALICS indicates Plugin "activated, tested, and in use", not BOLD indicates a fairly useless Plugin)

• Plugins To Manage Images and Media
  • WordPress Built In Ability: It can bulk add to categories.
  • Enhanced Media Library: Allows for associating Categories (the same one for Posts, but not other Plugins like Timeline Express, unless Add Category to Pages Plugin is added) with Media and Images, plus utilities for importing and exporting, also adds several tabs to Settings, Media (including allowed file types). This Plugin interferes with WP Media Folders List / Icon View and also elongates the List view by making each row thicker. Media Library Categories (uses the same Categories as Posts and does NOT interfere with WP Media Folders) and WP Media Category Management (has a dedicated, separate Categories from Posts) are alternatives
  • Add from Server: A plugin that allows upload of files that otherwise cause the Wordpress Media functionality to cough up a hairball (large files, etc.). Keep in mind that this Plugin adds files from the local server, IE, it doesn't upload them, plus it also leaves them in the original directory they are physically in and just adds it to the WP database.
  • Permalink Manager: Enhances the native Permalink Field on Pages, Posts, Media, Images, etc. It also includes a Bulk Updater. Make sure to enable "Native Slug" in Tools, Permalink Manager, Settings, to allow editing of the native Permalink.
  • Media Replace: If moving the physical location of a media or image file, this plugin also updates all the links, etc. in the WP database, only issue is that it puts it back in the same exact physical location.
  • Phoenix Media Rename: A simple Plugin that adds a File Name Field to an Image (in administration) that allows changing the File Name. It even automatically replaces spaces with dashes ( - ). It also allows for "bulk renaming", but only for manual modifications to the name (IE, it can't add "My Web Site" to the beginning of every file name).
  • Media File Renamer: Similar to Phoenix, but Phoenix is better.
  • WP Media Folder: Creates a folder and file structure for media, so very handy for organizing a lot of media. Unfortunately it breaks some features of other Media Plugins like Enhanced Media Library (and vice versa), but the fix is easy: Temporarily disable when other Plugin features are needed. Some other alternatives are listed here: https://colorlib.com/wp/wordpress-media-library-management-plugins/ File Bird Light, among others is an alternative.
  • Unite Gallery (from JoomUnited): A lightbox plugin that adds two fields to the Word Press Media Attachment Editor ("Image Gallery link to" and "Link Target"), both of these fields have no effect on builtin WP functionality, only with the plugin.
  • Plugins that manipulate the built in WordPress behavior related to Media and Images (IE, Attachment Pages, which are created for each image that is uploaded)
  • ???Keep in mind this might have a detrimental affect on SEO, since it redirects the base / large image to a smaller image on a page. It might be worth while to go to a Page with a Lightbox that has the FULL sized image and a link at the top that goes to the timeline and additional links if there are other image sizes, maybe a popup too that makes it painfully aware to the end user what is going on, and there is the WordPress SRCSR attribute thing for multiple image sizes too???
    • For most websites, a combination of the below two plugins properly configured will allow Image Permalinks to redirect to another page
      • To redirect all Image Permalinks to the Homepage;
        • Attachment Pages Redirect: A simple Plugin that redirects Attachment Pages (like Media and Images) to the actual file, and if Parent Page (created with Media Library Assistant) and under other circumstances, like 404 (page doesn't exist), etc.
      • To redirect Image Permalinks to a Parent Page;
        • Media Library Assistant: Provides the ability to create a Parent Element for Media and Images. It also adds a dedicated (IE, doesn't share with Posts) Categories (named Att. Categories) and Tags (named Att. Tags) to Media and Images. One downside is that it elongates the Media List by making each row thicker. One upside is that...
      • To redirect Image Permalinks to specific Pages;
        • Redirect (under Tools, Redirection); This Plugin provides the ability to create a list of of redirects.
        • If the redirect for an Image Attachment Permalink includes a "hash" ( # ) to scroll to a specific location on a page, the format is: https://WhatEverWebSite/WhatEverPage/#WhatEverLocation (WordPress manipulates the URL from the "classic" HTML where it is: https://WhatEverWebSite/WhatEverPage#WhatEverLocation (with no forward slash ( / ))
      • ...and from there, and Image could be opened in a lightbox, etc.
      • Yoast and other SEO tools can do this, but it also removes the tools ability to create an indexes from images.
    • For Plugins like Timeline Express that have delayed rendering which affect Fragment Location / Anchor scrolling, additional steps have to be taken.
      • To redirect Image Permalinks to specific Pages, start with the step from above;
        • Redirect (under Tools, Redirection); This Plugin provides the ability to create a list of of redirects.
      • ...and then insert the below code into a Footer (using Header Footer Code Manager) where the Timeline is configured;

        <script>
        
        document.addEventListener('readystatechange', event =>
        {
        	if (event.target.readyState === "interactive")
        	{
        	setTimeout(DelayedFunction, 1000)
        	}
        }
        );
        
        function DelayedFunction()
        {
        var location_hash = window.location.hash;
        var location_minus_hash = location_hash.substr(1,);
        var element = document.getElementById(location_minus_hash);    
        element.scrollIntoView();
        }
        
        </script>
  • Plugin that can change ALT information based on existing information (many plugins have this capability, but require buying the PRO version)???
    • Auto Image Attributes: Changes Attributes (ALT, etc.), based on File Name. Useful if there aren't any ALT entries for an image
  • A Plugin for default redirection for any 404 (broken links) to redirect to home page???
    • 404page: A plugin that redirects, has some nice options, and doesn't have a PRO version.
    • 404 Redirect to Homepage (under Settings, 404...)
    • 404 Solution would not install, so junk there.
    • Redirect 404, couldn't find the admin section where it said it was, so junk there.
  • Plugin that creates a Title for an Image (Media Assistant???)???
  • Plugin for custom Image CSS???
    • Simple CSS (Under Appearance, Pages, Posts, Images, etc.): This adds a custom CSS Field to Images (does not work with Permalink URI)
    • Simple Custom CSS is too simple (it's just a single field for the entire website)
    • Custom CSS Pro is great for previewing what it will do to a website, but appears to apply site wide to everything.
  • Plugin for Image Contents or Index Page or List of Pages or SiteMap (human viewable) (by Category, Other Criteria, etc.)???
    • Table of Contents, this one does everything on a site, not just images: https://wordpress.org/plugins/easy-table-of-contents/
    • Separate / Individual Indexes for different sized versions of the same image
      • Additional categories might be required to differentiate image sizes.
    • Possible Candidates: List Category Posts,(no settings or GUI by default, but an additional Plugin GUI for List Category Posts is available, but lists Timeline Categories, not Posts Categories) Display Posts - Easy Lists, Grids, Navigation..., List Categories needs some work, along with List Categories
  • Plugin that will create a default ALT description if there isn't one???
    • This one does everything on a site, not just images: https://barn2.co.uk/wordpress-index-plugin/
  • Plugin for dedicated Image SEO (IE, not Yoast)???
    • A list is here: https://blog.hubspot.com/website/best-sitemap-plugins-wordpress
  • Other Nice Additions if Possible
    • Search Results just for Images???
    • Custom CSS for Permalink URI??? - see below (Simple CSS offers custom CSS for an Image, but it doesn't show up on Permalink URI)
    • Index and / or Table of Contents (for all of website & only images, so two indexes or table of contents)

WordPress Issues

WordPress does not include a Title for an Image

Other Stuff to Think About

Remove EXIF information for privacy. Read more here: https://www.wpexplorer.com/wordpress-image-management/