Multiple Links in Image Captions: WordPress Image Source Separators Explained

You’ve found the perfect photo. But it doesn’t come from a single source – it has multiple “creators” or involved parties:

Maybe it’s a stock photo from a platform, but the original photographer needs to be credited. Or it’s an edited image where several people were involved. Or the licensing terms require you to link to multiple pages.

The result: You need multiple links in a single image caption.

How do you fit them all in without creating an unreadable mess?

This is where Image Source Control’s segment feature shines. It lets you split a caption into multiple linked sections, with each section pointing to a different source. Clean and organized.

A classic example is images from Wikimedia Commons, which often require linking to the photographer, the original file page, and the license. But the feature is useful for many scenarios.

The Four Separators

Image Source Control supports four ways to split image sources and their corresponding URLs:

Comma (,)

The simplest option. No additional space required before or after the comma.

Source text:

Photo by Alice Studio, Shared by Bob's Portfolio, Published on Unsplash

Source URLs:

https://alicestudio.com, https://bobportfolio.com, https://unsplash.comCode language: JavaScript (javascript)

Frontend result:

Photo by Alice Studio, Shared by Bob’s Portfolio, Published on Unsplash

Best for: Traditional lists, multiple contributors.

Pipe (|)

A modern, visually distinct separator. Space required after.

Source text:

Photographer | Content Creator | Platform

Source URLs:

https://example.com/photo | https://example.com/creator | https://platform.comCode language: JavaScript (javascript)

Frontend result:

Photographer | Content Creator | Platform

Best for: Clean, modern designs. Less cluttered than commas.

Note: Foo|Bar without spaces is treated as a single source, not split due to missing space after the symbol.

Colon (:)

For hierarchical or categorical attribution. Space required after.

Source text:

Getty Images : News Division : Photographer Archive

Source URLs:

https://gettyimages.com : https://gettyimages.com/news : https://gettyimages.com/photographersCode language: JavaScript (javascript)

Frontend result:

Getty Images : News Division : Photographer Archive

Best for: Multi-level organizations, parent-child relationships.

Note: The colon in https:// is never treated as a separator, so your URLs stay intact.

Forward Slash (/)

A breadcrumb-style path. Space required after.

Source text:

Original Photographer / Image Editor / Archive

Source URLs:

https://example.com/original / https://example.com/editor / https://example.com/archiveCode language: JavaScript (javascript)

Frontend result:

Original Photographer / Image Editor / Archive

Best for: Workflow paths, sequential attribution chains.

Note: URL paths like /path/to/resource are never split—only visible separators with spaces count.

Mix & Match Separators

You can combine different separators in the same image caption for maximum flexibility:

Source text:

Photographer : Studio, License Terms

Source URLs:

https://photographer.com : https://studio.com, https://creativecommons.org/licensesCode language: JavaScript (javascript)

Frontend result:

Photographer : Studio, License Terms

All separators and their original spacing are preserved exactly as you enter them.

When a URL is Missing

What if you want to credit someone but don’t have a link for them?

Source text:

Photo by Alice, Edited by Bob, Published on Unsplash

Source URLs:

https://alicestudio.com, , https://unsplash.comCode language: JavaScript (javascript)

Frontend result:

Photo by Alice, Edited by Bob, Published on Unsplash

Leave the URL position empty, and that section displays as plain text. Perfect for giving credit when you don’t have a link or additional context.

Quick Reference

Separator	Syntax	Spacing	Best For
Comma	A, B, C	No space required	Traditional lists
Pipe	A | B | C	Space required after	Modern, clean design
Colon	A : B : C	Space required after	Hierarchy, chains
Slash	A / B / C	Space required after	Breadcrumbs, sequences

Pro Tip: Whitespace is Preserved

Leading and trailing spaces around your text are kept in the output:

Source text:

Photo by Alice  ,  Edited by Bob 

Frontend result:

Photo by Alice , Edited by Bob

This gives you fine control over how tightly or loosely your caption elements sit together.

Note: For License Links, Use the License Feature

If you’re primarily linking to a Creative Commons license or usage terms, Image Source Control already has a dedicated Image Licenses feature. You can assign a license to each image without using separators:

• Configure your licenses in Settings > Image Sources(?) > Image Licenses
• The license link is automatically added to your caption or overlay
• No need to manually add it as a separate section

Learn more about the License feature

Separators are best for multiple human contributors or platforms, not for legal license links, as ISC handles those separately.

Using This in Image Source Control

Whether you’re editing in the Block Editor or Media Library, just paste your multi-section source and URL into the respective fields. ISC automatically detects the separators and creates the linked sections in the image caption for you.

Not Using Image Source Control Yet?

If you’re managing image attributions manually—or worse, tracking multiple contributors in your head—you’re risking inconsistencies and legal issues.

Image Source Control handles all the heavy lifting: centralized credit management, bulk editing, automatic overlays, multiple links per image, and removing unused images across your entire site.

The separator feature is just one of many ways ISC makes complex attributions flexible and effortless.

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