This new feature may be a blessing for some, but the way it was implemented is very very wrong
First, it is rolled out in an update, but this is a major change that should not be hidden. WordPress update release notes contain hundreds of small mostly code-geek notes. Finding a major feature like this is not something a casual web site admin has time for.
Second, there is an existing media size dialog in Settings/Media. Here there are three sizes: Thumbnail, Medium, and Large sizes. These sizes have been around some years, and as a developer, I expect these to be adhered to. However, many plugins have their own image sizes, and the system has not enforced these limits.
In my case I carefully control image sizes and compression using a plugin. All my images are well under the WP maximum – except one, which is intended as a printable 300 dpi image. This image is tied to other data that is added and is dependent on the size of the image WHEN designed. I just spent 2 hours looking for why this was broken.
The CORRECT way to implement this would have been to ADD a new field to the Settings/Media/Image Sizes list: MAXIMUM SIZE. This should have bene set to NONE for existing installs upon upgrade. Admins could then update the value at their discretion. Add advisory text – “WP best practice … ”
Instead of a user-friendly rollout, it’s a geek friendly rollout. And while instructions for overriding the maximum with a function are available, the policy was implemented with a break-and-fix strategy and a hidden rule.
It would have not required much effort to put this in the admin backend with the rules that an admin has every reason to believe are the real rules.
