Before publishing an FFXIV screenshot: rights, readability, and quality checklist

A polished frame is not automatically ready to publish. The screenshot, character names, logos, and other people's characters can each have a different context. This is a practical pre-publishing checklist for XIV Frame, not legal advice and not a replacement for the current rules of the community or platform where you plan to post.

1. Confirm the right to use each image

1. Confirm that you captured the screenshot yourself or received permission to use it.
2. If another player's character appears, check whether they agreed to the intended public post.
3. Check the usage terms for a free-company mark, community logo, or PNG made by another creator.
4. Game content and trademarks remain the property of their respective owners. Using XIV Frame does not transfer those rights.

XIV Frame is not affiliated with or endorsed by Square Enix. Do not describe a finished frame as an official service or official artwork. Add attribution where the rights holder or creator asks for it.

2. Look for personal information

Game screenshots can include chat, friends lists, server names, character names, or notifications from another service. Before publishing, check whether:

• another player's name or conversation is visible;
• your character and server name are safe to make public;
• Discord, streaming, or social notifications reveal an account name; and
• a logo or signature could be mistaken for someone else's identity.

If a region should not be shown, change the crop by adjusting image position and scale or capture a cleaner source. Open the final result file after saving; do not rely only on what you believe was outside the crop.

3. Separate signature and copyright information

A signature is information you enter, such as a character name, server, or account. A copyright notice is a separate overlay for attribution or service information. If both occupy the same corner, readers may not know what each line means.

1. Use Signature → Text to define the meaning of the upper and lower lines.
2. If the name is in one corner, start the logo or copyright notice in another area.
3. On a small image, reduce opacity and move information before making every line larger.
4. Compare the result with and without the service notice and keep only what the post needs.

More overlays do not automatically create more trust. Set an information hierarchy and use the fewest layers that meet the purpose of the image.

4. Inspect composite edges

At 100% zoom, look for a halo from the original background. Restore missing subject areas with the restore brush, and erase remaining background in short passes. Check that a natural shadow touches the correct surface. If the cutout still looks wrong after refinement, removing the element is often better than publishing an obviously artificial edge.

5. Keep text readable

Text is information, not just decoration. Check that names remain visible against the background, the first and last characters are not clipped, letter spacing has not split a word, opacity is not too low, and the logo and text are not crowded into one corner. When readability is weak, adjust position, color, and opacity before increasing size.

6. Inspect the downloaded file

Open the saved result file and confirm the four corners, transparency, text, logo, composite edges, shadow, and film texture. PNG is preferred, but an opaque result over 5 MB may be downloaded as a high-quality JPEG, so check the extension as well as the image. Also check the destination platform's image dimension and file-size limits. Keep the original screenshots and publishing copy separately so the frame can be revised later.

Ten-second checklist

• I confirmed the usage rights for images and logos.
• I checked for another person's name, character, chat, or notification.
• The post does not imply official Square Enix affiliation.
• Signature and copyright notice are not competing for the same space.
• Composite edges and shadows look natural.
• Names and logos remain readable on a small screen.
• Important faces, equipment, and text are not covered.
• I opened the downloaded result file and checked its edges.
• The file fits the destination platform's limits.
• I kept the source images separately from the publishing copy.

Follow the current rules of the community or platform where you publish. XIV Frame helps you prepare the image; it does not determine ownership or take responsibility for the rights of material you upload.