The editor supports four types of image uploads: thumbnail, embedded images in the paper body, and images inside the metadata fields. Each type is stored and handled separately.

Thumbnail

The thumbnail is the cover image for a paper. It appears at the top of the public paper page and is used as the default value for the ogImage metadata field if you haven't set one manually.

• Uploaded from the paper sidebar in the editor.
• Stored independently from the paper body.
• Removing the thumbnail does not affect any embedded images.

Embedded images

Embedded images are images you insert directly into the paper body using Markdown syntax:

![alt text](image-url)

You can upload images directly from the editor toolbar. The uploaded image URL is inserted into the body automatically.

• Maximum 20 embedded images per paper.
• This limit is enforced on every save and on every individual upload attempt.
• If you hit the limit on save: Paper image limit reached (20). Remove some images before saving.
• If you hit the limit when uploading a new image: Paper image limit reached (20). Remove some images before uploading a new one.

Deleting an embedded image from the body doesn't automatically delete the uploaded file from storage, but it does free up a slot in the count for that paper.

Metadata images

The metadata panel has its own image upload fields, specifically for ogImage and twitterImage. These are separate from the thumbnail and from embedded body images.

• Uploaded from inside the metadata editor panel.
• Stored separately from body images.
• Not counted toward the 20 embedded image limit.

If you want the thumbnail to also serve as the OG image, you can copy the thumbnail URL into the ogImage field in the metadata panel, or let auto-generate handle it.

Upload behavior

All image uploads go to Whitepapper's storage. Uploads are tied to the paper they're uploaded from. There is no global media library shared across papers.