I know that many (or maybe most) of you already know what features are and how to give them, but I realized that many deviants don't know how features work and don't even realize they have access to giving out features. This is just a little guide for those who aren't as informed, and for those who already are, maybe it'll encourage you to give out some more features. =)

What are features?

A feature is just what it sounds like- a feature.
On deviantART, a feature refers to a collection of deviations (merely a nickname used to describe a particular piece of art that has been submitted to deviantART¹). This collection is normally displayed in someone's journal or in a news article in the form of thumbs.
Many features have some sort of theme meaning that a feature can revolve around a particular artist, a certain color, a specific medium used, ect. Or a feature can have no theme at all and it can simply be a bunch of works that you like. The possibilities really are endless.

Some examples of features

I think the best way for you to understand exactly what a feature is is to show you examples of some, so here they are.

• [link]: This is a feature that was given out in the form of a news article and revolved around a particular artist.


• [link]: This is another feature that was given out in a news article, but instead of revolving around one artist, it revolved around a theme- animals.


• [link]: This is a feature that was displayed in a journal and revolved around a certain medium used.


• [link]: And this is just a random feature of things that I liked.

What are thumbs?

Before I go on to tell you how to give a feature, it's important to know what thumbs are. "Thumb" is short for "thumbnail" which is basically a miniature version of an image and on deviantART, a thumb is clickable and leads to the original piece of art. Thumbs are the backbone and foundation of a feature since a feature is a collection of art displayed as thumbs.
This is a thumb:

^{Go ahead, try it out and click on it. :D}
To display a thumb, you're going to need a thumbcode. A thumbcode looks like this:
:thumb192941684:
and it can be found on the right side of a deviation.

To use a thumbcode, simply copy and paste the code where you'd like the thumb to be displayed.

Who can give features?

The answer really is 'everyone'. Everyone on deviantART has the ability to give features, the only difference is where/how you can give a feature.

There are three main ways a feature can be given:

• Through a journal entry
• Through a news article
• Through custom boxes on your profile

Regular members, or non-premium members, really only have access to giving out features in one way, through news articles. (What you're reading right now is a news article.) If you're unsure about whether or not you're a premium member, just go to your profile page and look at the top. If it says "Need Premium Membership", you're not a premium member.

Premium members have access to giving out features through all three. This is because premium members are given extra features which allow them to use thumbcodes on their profile. If you're not a premium member and you try to use a thumbcode on your profile, instead of showing up as a thumb, it's just going to show up as the thumbcode itself.
But all members on deviantART are given the privilege of using thumbcodes in news articles. =]

How can I give a feature?

And now onto the main reason why you're probably here. =]


Giving a feature in a news article

Giving out a feature in a news article is perfectly acceptable, but if you're going to do it, don't forget to consider whether or not your feature is really newsworthy! Certain things are better left in journals since news articles pertain to the entire deviantART community and journals are more of a personal thing. For example, I do a lot of features as a thank you to members who have helped me out in some way. Features like that are better in a journal rather than a news article because it really doesn't have to do with the entire community. Here's another example. A feature is a common prize given out to the winners of contests and normally a feature is offered from multiple members.  Those features are better off in a journal because we don't need ten different members to give out a feature to the same people ten different times in ten different news articles.

If you're a regular member whose only way of getting out a feature is through a news article, remember to use moderation. Don't constantly shell out tons of features. Members of this community don't like spam, whether that spam is intentional or not. ;)

I think it's fair to say that features that are given out solely for the purpose of drawing more attention to the works featured are fine as news articles. Although I have access to giving out features in my journal, I like occasionally giving out features in news articles. Normally, these features have some sort of theme to them like reading, the culinary arts section, and my Amazing but Unseen Artists series.

:faq687:
:faq886:
:faq209:

1. Go to the news section located here and click on the "Submit News" button located in the top right.
   


2. Copy and paste the thumbcodes of the deviations you want to feature.
   


3. Optional: Hit "preview" just to make sure you copied and pasted the thumbcodes correctly because once you hit submit, you can't go back and edit it. =]
   


4. Select the topic of your news article. Most features should go under the Culture > Art Features category.
   


5. Submit! :D
   

Giving a feature in your journal

Like I mentioned before, if you're a premium member, you have access to giving out features in your journals.

1. Go to your journal.
   


2. Click on "New Journal Entry".
   


3. Copy and paste the thumbcodes of the deviations you want to feature into the "Content" section.
   


4. Submit! :D
   

Giving a feature in custom boxes

Custom boxes are boxes that can be placed on your profile. They're considered 'custom' because you can put practically anything you want in them, including thumbs! Again, this is a feature only premium members can use.

1. Go to your profile and click on the "Edit Page" button which is located in the top right.
   


2. Find "Custom" under the list of featured widgets. Click on "Add this Widget".
   


3. Click the "Edit" button, which is located on the top right of the box.
   


4. Copy and paste the thumbcodes of the deviations you want to feature.
   


5. Click on "Save and Preview".
   


6. Click on "Install Now".
   


7. Move the box to where you want it to be displayed on your page.
   


8. Click "Done". :D
   

And that's it! Now you should know how to give a feature!
Giving a feature is fairly simple to do, yet so many deviants don't know how to do it and some probably don't even realize they can do it. Features are probably my favorite feature (no pun intended ;D) on this site because it's such a simple and easy way to put art on display and give attention to it.
So now that you know how to give a feature, go and give one!


_{¹FAQ #15: What is a deviation?}