The Media Library is where all your images and other media items are located. The Media Library allows you to upload images and document files.
Uploading Files to the Media Library
- On the Dashboard menu, click Media and then click Add New to display the “Upload New Media” page.
- Click the Select Files button to open a dialog box.
- In the dialog box, select the file you want to upload.
To select multiple files, hold down the SHIFT key (for PC users) or the COMMAND key (for Macintosh users). - Click the Open button.
- When the upload is complete, a field with your file details appears. Below the field, click Save all changes.
Note: If the file does not open, then the file type is not supported, the chosen format may not match the file’s true format, or the file may be damaged.
Cite: The instructions above are from the WordPress Codex, Uploading Files
Images
You can upload the following image file types to the Media Library.
- .jpg
- .jpeg
- .png
- .gif
- .svg
For the most part, since you’ll be working with photos, you’ll likely be uploading .jpg files.
File Dimensions
For feature and gallery images, the best aspect ratio to use is 16:9 with a size of 2000px wide X 1125px height.
File Size
File size is very important. Uploading heavy images will slow page loading times, which Google pays attention to and discourages.
Your website uses an image optimization plugin called Smush Pro that automatically compresses image sizes. However, it’s still not a good idea to upload image files that are more than 500kb.
When you’re logged into your website most caching and optimization rules are not in play. This is so you can see the changes you make to the website without clearing caches. The downside is pages load slower. So if you’re uploading large image files and relying on Smush Pro to do all the heavy lifting, you’ll be slowing down your workflow of adding and editing litters and dogs.
There are many image editing programs and services available. Adobe Photoshop is the most recognized. If you’re budget-conscious, you can use Adobe Photoshop Elements or try out Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo. Canva is a great online option, and includes both paid and free plans. All of these enable exporting optimized images for the web.
When exporting photos for your website, save them as .jpg files. Photos are raster images and should ideally be saved as .jpg files when you export them from photo editing software.
Documents
You can upload the following document file types to the Media Library:
- .pdf (Portable Document Format; Adobe Acrobat)
- .doc, .docx (Microsoft Word Document)
Audio & Video
You won’t be able to upload audio and video files to your Media Library.
The best way to add videos to your website is to embed and deliver them from 3rd party services like YouTube or Vimeo. Similarly, audio can be embedded and delivered from a 3rd party service, such as buzzsprout.
