A Source-Crop Register for Editorial Hero Images
A hero image on a published article is almost never the original file. Someone cropped it, resized it, maybe adjusted it, and saved a new file under a new name. Months later, when the layout changes and the hero needs a different shape, nobody remembers which source it came from. This article proposes a light register that records that lineage. It is a design suggestion, and you would adapt it to your own tools.
What the register is for
It answers three questions quickly. Which source image produced this published crop? What was done to it? Where can I get the source again? If it cannot answer all three, the entry is incomplete.
The register
One row per published crop. Suggested columns:
Crop file name Published location (article title or address) Source file name and where it is stored Source dimensions Crop region in plain words, plus pixel coordinates if known Output dimensions Other edits (brightness, text removal, none) Date and person Rights note (where the image came from, in your own words, with no assumption about its terms) Status: current, replaced, retired
Why the source location matters most
A register that names the source but not its storage place is nearly useless. Prefer a stable location over a personal download folder. If the source cannot be found, record that, and mark any future recrop as limited to the existing crop.
The recrop request card
When someone needs a different shape, they fill in a short card before touching anything:
Crop file to replace New shape needed (for example wider, taller, square) Where it will appear What must stay visible (face, product, headline area) Source found in register (yes or no) If no: acceptable fallback (leave as is, upscale not allowed, request original)
Branching choices
If the source is registered and sufficient in size, recrop from the source and add a new row, marking the old one replaced. If the source is smaller than the new shape requires, do not stretch the crop. Consider a different composition or ask for a larger original. If no source is recorded, treat the existing crop as the only asset until the source is located. If the rights note is blank, pause and ask whoever handles image permissions before reuse.
A worked example
Imagine a hypothetical article about workshop tools with a hero named tools-hero-1200x600. The register says the source is bench-photo-original, 4000 by 3000 pixels, stored in the shared images folder, cropped to the upper two thirds. A redesign now needs a square. The card says the vice and the hands must remain visible. Checking the register, the source is large enough, so a square crop is made from the original, logged as a new row, and the old row marked replaced.
Stop conditions
Stop if the source is missing and the crop is too small for the new shape. Stop if the rights note is empty. Stop if the new crop would cut off something the card says must stay visible.
Acceptance checks
Every published hero has a row. Every row names a retrievable source. A colleague can find the source from the register alone. Replaced crops are marked, not deleted from the log. The new crop meets the shape on the card and keeps the required subject visible.
Start small
Do not try to backfill everything. Begin with new heroes and fill older ones when they are next touched. A partial register that stays current is more useful than a complete one that is abandoned.