Media Library ![rw-book-cover](https://make.wordpress.org/core/files/2023/07/image-1.png) ## Metadata - Author: [[Make WordPress Core]] - Full Title: Media Library - Category: #articles - Document Note: --- tags: - #wordpress - #gutenberg - #phase3 Author: Make WordPress Core Source: Make WordPress Core (Website) Reference: https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/07/media-library/ date created: {{date:YYYY-MM-DD}} {{time:HH:mm}} --- # Title: Media Library — Phase 3 vision for WordPress media management ## Table of Contents: - [📝 Summary](#-summary) - [📖 Main Content](#-main-content) - [🗒️ Notes](#-notes) - [📖 References](#-references) - [🗣️ Paraphrase](#-paraphrase) - [📰 Newsletter](#-newsletter) - [✅ Action Items](#-action-items) - [🧪 Hypotheses](#-hypotheses) - [📊 Methodology](#-methodology) - [❓ Questions](#-questions) - [🔮 Future Research](#-future-research) - [💡 Implications](#-implications) - [🧠 Learning Styles Assessment](#-learning-styles-assessment) - [📊 Accessibility Assessment](#-accessibility-assessment) - [🌍 DEIB Assessment](#-deib-assessment) - [✅ Logical validity](#-logical-validity) - [🔍 DARVO Analysis](#-darvo-analysis) - [🔍 SEO Evaluation](#-seo-evaluation) - [🎯 Conclusion](#-conclusion) ### References: - Make WordPress Core, “Media Library” (2023-07-07): https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/07/media-library/ ## 📝 Summary: This post outlines a Phase 3 initiative to overhaul WordPress’s Media Library and related media flows. Goals include expanding media management (categorization, tagging, improved filtering), unifying the Media Library with the block editor and single-media views, enhancing image editing (cropping, duotone, focus point), improving handling of non-image media (audio, video, files), integrating Openverse attribution and contributions, revisiting publishing flows for media/format-driven posts, and tightening block integration with attached media. The Scope lists concrete next steps across UX, technical integrations, workflows, and block-level enhancements. Key themes: - Better organization (categories, tags, date groupings, filters) - Unified, modern image tools (cross-context cropping, focus point, duotone, thumbnail management) - Block-aware media flows and admin-wide drag-to-upload - Attribution and Openverse contributions within WordPress - Improved bulk operations, featured media types beyond images, and enhanced media blocks ## 📖 Main Content: The article argues that media has lagged behind block editor progress and now requires focused attention. It proposes: - Management improvements: tagging/categorization, better attached-media visibility, clearer library UI, and filters suited to large teams with separate ingestion workflows. - Editing improvements: unify and modernize image tools across contexts; simplify thumbnail decisions by letting WordPress select sizes at runtime; add non-destructive duotone and focus point controls stored as media data. - Non-image media: enhance audio/video/file handling; revisit a native Playlist block via the Interactivity API; better presentation in block lists and templates. - Workflows and publishing: require steps like alt text/attribution before publishing; support media/format-driven posts for expressive publishing. - Scope details: migrate media UI to modern data stores (wordpress/data), integrate patterns into media exploration, surface tools in the command center, incorporate featured image in-canvas, support other featured media types, strengthen bulk editing, and enable drag-to-upload anywhere. Personal insight: - This roadmap recognizes media as a cross-cutting concern: editorial workflow, accessibility, performance, and developer experience. The emphasis on runtime file-size selection and storing focus points suggests a move toward smarter, context-aware rendering rather than static authoring choices. Integration with Openverse aligns with open culture and attribution best practices, which could meaningfully improve legal/ethical media use at scale. ### 🗒️ Notes - Vision and Goals - Expand media management capabilities for larger teams and collaboration. - Unify Media Library with block editor and single-media views. - Improve major media flows across ingestion, editing, and publishing. - Organization & Discovery - Add categories/tags for media; improve filters and date headings. - Make attached-media relationships discoverable and actionable. - Design enhancements for grid/list views for clarity and speed. - Image Editing Alignment - Unify cropping tools across contexts; support custom aspect ratios. - Let WordPress auto-select file sizes at runtime; revisit default thumbnail sizes for modern screens. - Non-destructive duotone at library level; store and reuse focus point data in blocks (e.g., Cover). - Non-Image Media - Improve audio/video/file handling and block APIs. - Resurface a native Playlist block via Interactivity API. - Attribution and Openverse - Track attribution metadata and integrate Openverse more deeply. - Explore contributing to the commons from within WordPress. - Workflows & Publishing - Require steps like alt text, captions, attribution before publish. - Prevent external images on publish if disallowed. - Enhance media/format-driven publishing; featured image in-canvas when applicable. - Block Integration and UX - Blocks aware of attached media; suggest unused attachments inline. - Expose media actions in command center; show previews in block list. - Drag-to-upload anywhere in editor/admin. - Bulk Ops and Featured Media - Strengthen bulk attach/edit; support featured media types beyond images. - Follow through on attachment templates and single-image expansion. - Technical Direction - Migrate to wordpress/data and modern components. - Patterns integrated into media browsing for rapid layout previews. ## 📖 References: - Make WordPress Core: “Media Library” (2023-07-07) — https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/07/media-library/ - Openverse project overview — https://openverse.org/about - WordPress Interactivity API overview — https://developer.wordpress.org/block-editor/reference-guides/packages/packages-interactivity/ ## 🗣️ Paraphrase: 1) Original idea: “We should revamp the image editing interface and align with current block editor tools… reduce the burden on picking the right file size… allow non-destructive duotone… store focus point information for automatic use in blocks.” Paraphrase: The image editor should match the modern block tooling, unify and improve cropping, and relieve users from manually choosing file sizes by handling that automatically. Authors should be able to apply reversible duotone effects in the library, and define a focal point that blocks can read to render images optimally. 2) Original idea: “On the management side… categorization and tagging, better handling of attached media… bulk attach media files… important for collaboration.” Paraphrase: For media management, add categories/tags, make attachment relationships clearer, and allow bulk attachment of files to posts. These features will better support teams where media ingestion happens independently from writing. ## 📰 Newsletter: This week in WordPress, we’re leveling up your media game. The Core team shared a Phase 3 vision for a smarter, friendlier Media Library—think tags and categories for assets, unified cropping across contexts, automatic image-size selection at runtime, and a non-destructive duotone you can set once and reuse everywhere. Focus points become first-class: set it in the library and your Cover blocks thank you later. Audio/video fans: better handling is on deck, plus a native Playlist block powered by the Interactivity API. Accessibility and ethics get a boost too, with attribution tracking and deeper Openverse integration—potentially including contributing to the commons right from WordPress. Developers, you’ll see tighter block/media integration, drag-to-upload anywhere, and modernized data stores via wordpress/data. Bonus: workflows can require alt text, captions, and attribution before publish. Links: - Media Library Phase 3 overview (Make/Core): https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/07/media-library/ - Openverse: https://openverse.org/ - Interactivity API reference: https://developer.wordpress.org/block-editor/reference-guides/packages/packages-interactivity/ - Document Tags: [[gutenberg]] [[phase 3]] [[wordpress]] - Summary: The media library in WordPress's block editor is undergoing improvements in its design and functionality. The goals include expanding media management capabilities, unifying the block editing and single media interfaces, and improving media flows. Key areas of focus are categorization and tagging, better handling of attached media, design improvements to library views and filtering, and revamping the image editing interface. The aim is to make it easier to manage media, check and track attribution, and improve handling and presentation of other media types. The scope of the project includes design improvements, better browsing organization, inline cropping, connecting cropping variations with custom aspect ratios, and integrating patterns into media flows. Additionally, there are plans to connect media flows with workflows, improve block integration, and enhance bulk editing operations. The project also seeks community input on other improvements to the media library experience. - URL: https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/07/media-library/ This is part of the **Phase 3: Collaboration** roadmap. The main projects are [Real-Time Collaboration](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/03/real-time-collaboration/), [Workflows](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/04/workflows/), [Revisions](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/05/revisions/), [Media Library](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/07/media-library/), [Block Library](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/10/block-library/), and [Admin Design](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/12/admin-design/). #### Introduction The media library has been an area of slow iteration during the first phases of the block editor. It’s time to put more focus on it. The main goals are to expand the media management capabilities, unify the block edit and single media interfaces, and improve upon the major media flows. [![Screenshot of the media inserter panel in the editor.](https://make.wordpress.org/core/files/2023/07/image-1.png)](https://make.wordpress.org/core/files/2023/07/image-1.png) On the management side, it’s time to look at categorization and tagging, better handling of attached media, design improvements to the library views and filtering. Several important functionalities are already present but not presented in the best way. For example, media attachment functionality (items anchored to a specific post) is often hard to discover, the interface is not the most intuitive, and the connection doesn’t necessarily carry through other editing flows in a clear way. For larger teams, media ingestion can often be an entirely separate process from writing posts. The ability to bulk attach media files and connect them to the relevant content pieces is thus an important part of the collaborative process. We should also revamp the image editing interface and align with the current block editor tools. Cropping tools in particular need to be unified and further improved. Iterate on how users can visualize and toggle between different thumbnails, while reducing the burden on picking the right file size (WordPress should determine that for you at runtime). Review default thumbnail sizes to accommodate current screen sizes distribution. It should also be possible to set a non-destructive duotone effect directly in the library. It’d be nice to bring UI tools like *focus point control* to the library flows, so that media objects can store that information and be leveraged automatically when inserting on a cover block, or when using an image on a cropped featured media container. When managing the media library, it should be easy to check and keep track of attribution. As we look into expanding the presence and touch points of [Openverse](https://openverse.org), it’d be interesting to see how contributions to the commons could work directly from a user’s WordPress install. Another area to look at is improving handling and presentation of other media types (audio, video, files) and their connection with blocks and the block APIs. We should resurface work on a native Playlist block, ideally powered by the [Interactivity API](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/03/30/proposal-the-interactivity-api-a-better-developer-experience-in-building-interactive-blocks/). Finally, we should take a look at the publishing flows for media and format driven posts (where only one block type is present) to allow more expressive freedom. #### Scope * Tackle design improvements of the media library elements and see about a path to migrate to `wordpress/data` and newer UI components. Make it even easier to reuse and connect the media experience anywhere on the admin and blocks plugins. * Look into adding categories and tags support. Explore better browsing organization (for example, date headings and other improvements to the filtering UI). * Improve inline and freeform cropping across block editor and standalone image editing. Connect cropping variations with defining custom aspect ratios across the block UI. * Explore how patterns could be incorporated into media flows. For example, being able to preview a selection of media (or all attached media) within different media patterns quickly. * Connect with [Workflows](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2023/07/04/workflows/): for example, to require certain steps, such as adding a caption, attribution, alt text, or prevent things like publishing with external images. * Media flows and block integration should be excellent. For example, make blocks aware of attached media so that inserting an image block could automatically display unused media or allow an author to cycle through those without opening the full media library or browsing through an entire collection. * Expose relevant media tools and actions in the command center. * Improve presentation of media in other editing contexts, like showing small media previews in the block list view. * Incorporate featured image in the canvas of the post editor when the single template uses a featured image block (this is a lingering task from the site and post editor interface work). * Look at the possibility of supporting other featured media types beyond images. * Improve upon bulk editing operations, including attaching already uploaded media to a post type. * Explore treating focal point as image data and make it available to plugins and blocks. * Allow operations like drag to upload media anywhere on the editor — and then maybe anywhere on the admin. * Follow through on updates to the attachment theme template and single image expand functionality. * Review outstanding tasks on main media blocks (image, gallery, cover, video, audio, file, etc) for enhancements and bug fixes. #### Get Involved! What other improvements would you like to see around the media library experience?, Media Library, Make WordPress Core, 01h5jn926hsw6gyfbrx7eznd7m.