Source: Low-res Artist vs. High-res Site?

Hi everyone, I have a question regarding the 'Source' field when uploading. Recently, I uploaded some wallpapers where I provided a link to another wallpaper-hosting site as the source. I noticed that these links were later removed or changed to ArtStation links. My dilemma is this: Often, the original artist's page (like ArtStation or Pixiv) only hosts a low-resolution or watermarked version. However, I find high-resolution or upscaled versions of that same image on other wallpaper sites.

1. Is it allowed to link the wallpaper site as a source since that's where the high-res file actually came from?
2. Or should I always link to the original author, even if their page only provides a lower-resolution version than the one I am uploading? I want to make sure I’m following the rules correctly. Thanks for the help!

My understanding is the source should be the original source (e.g., artist page), not where you happened to find it. The rules say "attribute the author wherever possible". It's about giving credit, not pointing to the exact file you uploaded. Since the high-res is posted here, I don't see an issue with the source link being low-res.

But I'm not an admin, so grain of salt.

high-resolution or upscaled versions

You don't find high-resolution, it's always upscale or image with same quality, but different (fake) resolution. And it's worse, than original. Better upload original Reason, why it's worse, because of artifacts or AI oil paint effect. Also, this is confusing, because, people want to get 4k image, but they get hd image instead, and thus, waste their time, because, there aren't more details in upscale or pics with fake resolution

Added 2 minutes after

If we're talking only about source link, then, there're two reasons, in my opinion First, we need to know original author. Second, original resolution

Thanks for the replies! Regarding the second point: I definitely want to avoid 'fake' resolutions. I sometimes see versions on other sites that look significantly better than the artist's public preview, and I assumed they might be leaks from Patreon/paywalls. Moving forward, I’ll stick to the original artist as the source link. I'll also be more careful to check if a high-res file is a 'real' high-res or just an AI upscale before uploading. If I’m unsure if a file is an upscale or a legitimate high-res leak, is there a specific way the staff prefers we handle that?

I assumed they might be leaks from Patreon/paywalls

Uploads from patreon, onlyfans and other platforms with paid content are forbidden, and pretty quickly deleted by moderators

If I’m unsure if a file is an upscale or a legitimate high-res leak

So, you can maybe upload preview versions and attach the source link (original, where author published), but not leaked one. If you're not sure about original resolution, you can do the same, as I, when I browse WH

Usually, when I browse images on WH, I check similar images. If I find duplicates, then I check each duplicate's source link. If one is absent, I'm trying to find source (yandex images, google lens, tineye). The source is usually deviantart or any similar platform. If I don't find any of them, I'm checking the oldest and images with the biggest resolution. And of course, don't forget about cropped images, there's plenty of them. When I find uncropped image (or the most complete among other images), I'm trying to find it's source the same way as before. And after it, if I don't find it, there're two options: if WH upload is cropped, I upload more complete image, if not, I give up. Anyway, the last step is to report any duplicates, and leave the best image

Thanks for the detailed breakdown. To clarify—I definitely didn't mean OnlyFans (which I know is banned); I was specifically curious about Patreon creators who sometimes release high-res versions later.

I checked the 'Banned Sources' list and didn't see Patreon there, but I understand the point about respecting artist paywalls.

Your tip about searching for uncropped/complete versions through Yandex or SauceNAO is very helpful. I'll focus on finding the 'most original' version rather than just the highest resolution from now on to avoid those AI artifacts you mentioned. Thanks for the guidance on how to spot the fakes!

You're welcome!