Avatars 101

[Ron Thorne]

After witnessing the frustration some posters have experienced while trying to find and insert an avatar near their Screen Name, I felt it was time to have a thread dedicated to this process.

bluenoter and I (among others) have tried to assist several JC posters in this regard, including some very recent entries.

Here's a distillation of instructions from bluenoter and me on the insertion process, assuming you've already found a suitable image and sized it properly. I'm sure that Rita (bluenoter) will have some additional comments, including instructions of finding and re-sizing images. I know, I know, this is putting the cart a bit before the horse.

Maximum avatar size - 100 x 100 pixels

If necessary, print this out prior to starting the process. Do everything slowly and methodically without skipping steps and you'll be fine.

Here are the steps:

1. Right click on the image you chose for your avatar.

2. Select Save Image As.

3. When the Save Image box pops up on your screen, choose Desktop or My Pictures as the place to Save In:

4. At the top of the page on JC, choose User CP, then, Edit Avatar.

5. Select Use Custom Avatar.

6. Use the second option, Upload an Avatar From Your Computer. The process is exactly like creating an attachment in an e-mail--you select Browse, then open files in your computer until the file you want (the image you saved on your Desktop) appears.

7. Click on Save Changes.

You're done!

[bluenoter]

Originally Posted by Ron Thorne

I'm sure that Rita (bluenoter) will have some additional comments, including instructions of finding and re-sizing images.]

Finding, sure. I'll post some instructions in a little while. Resizing? Ron, I don't want to deprive you of the fun of explaining that!

(You know, I was just about to start a thread in which I asked for help with IrfanView, because I've mastered resizing [for all practical purposes] but would like to unravel the mysteries of certain other things.)

Re maximum avatar size: Yes, the maximum size in pixels is 100 x 100. But there's also a maximum size of 19.5 KB. The size of one's image in KB can be reduced by saving the image at a lower "save quality" in one's image-manipulating program, but that's also getting ahead of the story.

[Ron Thorne]

Here are a couple of possibilities for avatars which caught my attention today.


I love this taiko drummer, which is a little large for use on JC:




A wizard:





And this really cool catfish:

[bluenoter]

Originally Posted by Ron Thorne

2. Select Save Image As.

That selection may be worded as Save Picture As. It is on the menu that I see.

Originally Posted by Ron Thorne

6. Use the second option, Upload an Avatar From Your Computer. The process is exactly like creating an attachment in an e-mail--you select Browse, then open files in your computer until the file you want (the image you saved on your Desktop) appears.

As Ron noted earlier, you may have chosen to save the image in My Pictures (or elsewhere) rather than on your Desktop.

[bluenoter]

Originally Posted by Ron Thorne

Here's a distillation of instructions from bluenoter and me on the insertion process,

Hey, this is the Alley! How long is it going to take some wit to jump on that (so to speak)?

[Ron Thorne]

I thought of that very thing as I was typing, bn.

Larry must be enjoying some beauty rest.

[SinginSumo]

Ron, I must defer to you because I know how much you enjoy fishing...

How you KNOW that green avatar above is a catfish? I thought that all catfish had those "cat whiskers" looking things.


P.S. I'm crazy for both the taiko drummer (but of course!) AND the wizard.

I think I would like the fish more if it was fileted & blackened or crisply fried and served to me on a plate at Chez Thorne. Maybe some mashed potatoes or potato salad, cole slaw and a biscuit to go with it.

And a chocolate chip walnut cookie for desert.

[Ron Thorne]

Originally Posted by SinginSumo

Ron, I must defer to you because I know how much you enjoy fishing...

How you KNOW that green avatar above is a catfish? I thought that all catfish had those "cat whiskers" looking things.

a. It said so on the file name. Right click, then choose Save As to see it.

b. He's tipping his hat with his right whisker, a dead giveaway.

c. Nothing else looks very much like a catfish. Ummmm tasty, too. Blackened with hush puppies, cole slaw and iced tea.

[frankenmeister7]

Originally Posted by Ron Thorne

a. It said so on the file name. Right click, then choose Save As to see it.

b. He's tipping his hat with his right whisker, a dead giveaway.

c. Nothing else looks very much like a catfish. Ummmm tasty, too. Blackened with hush puppies, cole slaw and iced tea.

ron and rita,

well my file is complete and neatly tucked away. copied everthing from a -z.

now to practice.

went to a thread that had the visual mourning yada, yada, yada and can't bring over a picture to save my behind.

even with copied notes and everthing.

i hate dell, my unresponsive..................oh never mind. i will figure this thing out before its time to vote in november.

[bluenoter]

Originally Posted by frankenmeister7

went to a thread that had the visual mourning yada, yada, yada and can't bring over a picture to save my behind.

even with copied notes and everthing.

Franki--

Could you explain more clearly what you tried to do and couldn't do? I couldn't follow that.

I see that my original instructions for doing a Google Image Search called for Copying the URL (address) of one's chosen image and Pasting the URL into a JC post. (I gave that instruction so that the folks who were helping could locate the image easily, see what size it was, and resize it if necessary or fill editing requests.) But not everyone can Copy (and Paste) well enough to do that. Copying a URL is such a basic, useful, time-saving skill that it's well worth practicing, but there is an alternative.

The alternative is to save your chosen image to your computer directly from its original website, then attach it to a JC post if you think you might want help with resizing or editing it.

Edit: Please see #11 for revised and very thorough instructions on how to choose an image to use as an avatar--and what to do next.

[bluenoter]

How to Choose an Image to Use as Your Avatar
(revised instructions)
And What to Do Next

These are the Avatars 101 instructions, so I've purposely made them as basic as possible.

An efficient, systematic way to choose an image is to search for one on Google's Image Search, and these instructions focus on doing that. But first we have these wise words from Deke:

Originally Posted by Deke

Can I just point out that you don't have to get your avatar from Google? If you spot one you like you can steal it fro... sorry, USE it from anywhere (As long as you're not breaching copyright!...) .

True. But if you haven't spotted an image that you want to use in the course of your normal surfing, search for an image on Google's Image Search, as follows:

1. Go to Google's Image Search:

http://images.google.com/

2. Type a search term--Freddy Hubbard, Fellini, giraffes, monsters, happiness, What is this thing called love, or whatever kind of images you want to see returned as search results. Then click on Google Search.

3. Once the first page of search results appears, go to the line at the top right of the page that says "Show: All sizes - Large - Medium - Small." Click on Medium or Small. (If you click on Small and later see that most of the images returned look smaller than the avatars on JC, switch to Medium. It's not really practical to enlarge an image that's too small.)

Comments: Any image can be shrunk so that it's small enough to be "legal" as a JC avatar, but not all images will look good when they're reduced to avatar size. Complex, "busy" images may not look good at avatar size. Some images can be cropped or otherwise edited so that you can use only part of the image as an avatar, but that depends on whether you (or a "helper") can produce a good result.

4. Once you've chosen an image, click on Google's thumbnail (little picture) of the image. You'll be taken to the original Internet page on which the image appears.

5. Once you're on the original Internet page on which the image appears, look at the top of the page. If the top line says "Actual size," you'll be using the image that you see. But if the top line says, "Image has been scaled down. See full-size image," click on "See full-size image." Edit: If the scaled-down image doesn't look too small, you can use it if you want to. But someone will always be available to shrink an image for you.

6. Now you have three choices. Do just one of the following three things--A, B, or C.

---------------

6.A. Do you think (or know) that the image is small enough to be "legal" as a JC avatar? Do you want to use the image just as it is (or plan to change the image by yourself)?

If so, Save the image to your computer, as follows:

--Right-click on the image.
--Select Save Picture As (or Save Image As).
--For your Save In location, choose My Pictures or the Desktop, and make sure that the location you want appears in the Save In window at the top of the box.
--Click Save.

Now you're ready to put up the image that you've saved to your computer as an avatar, whenever you want to (or you're ready to make your own changes to the image first).

---------------

6.B. Do you want any kind of help with the image you've chosen, such as resizing or editing? Do you want JC folks to look at the image before you put it up as an avatar? If so, you'll be posting the image in a post in this thread. Would you rather Attach the image to a post than Copy and Paste the URL (address) of the image into a post?

If so, Save the image to your computer, as follows:

--Right-click on the image.
--Select Save Picture As (or Save Image As).
--For your Save In location, choose My Pictures or the Desktop, and make sure that the location you want appears in the Save In window at the top of the box.
--Click Save.

Now compose a JC post in this thread and Attach your image (the one that you saved to your computer), as follows:

--Click on Manage Attachments, which is way underneath the box in which you type your JC posts.

--Follow the prompts. You'll be using exactly the same process for putting up Attachments that you already know--browsing and opening files until the file you want (the image that you saved to your computer) appears. When that file appears, click Upload. When the uploading has finished, click Close This Window. (You won't be able to see the attached image in your message until you've posted.) Finally, click Submit Reply, as you always do to submit a post.

Now you're ready to have someone on JC resize your image, edit it, or comment on it.

---------------

6.C. Do you want any kind of help with the image you've chosen, such as resizing or editing? Do you want JC folks to look at the image before you put it up as an avatar? If so, you'll be posting the image in a post in this thread. Would you rather Copy and Paste the URL (address) of the image into a post than Attach the image to a post? (If you're good at Copying and Pasting a URL, you may find doing that more convenient, or you may want to practice--it's a very basic, useful, and time-saving skill.)

If so, Copy the URL of the image, as follows:

--Right-click on the image.
--Click on Properties.
--Select (highlight) the URL (address) of the image. You need to sweep your mouse over the URL kind of aggressively to make sure that you highlight the whole URL. Part of the URL may not be visible until after you highlight it.
--Right-click on the highlighted URL.
--Click on Copy.

Now compose a JC post in this thread and Paste the URL into the post, as follows:

--Move your cursor to the place in your post where you want the URL to appear.
--Right-click at that place.
--Click Paste.

Comments: There are several ways to Copy and Paste. IMO, Copying and Pasting in the way I just described is the skill that's most worth practicing, but that's a matter of taste.

If you surround the URL in your post with IMG codes (with the closing code preceded by a slash), the image itself, rather than its URL, will show up in your post. That's optional.

Now you're ready to have someone on JC resize your image, edit it, or comment on it.

---------------

7. Very important! Find out my mailing address and send me $50. Then find out Ron's mailing address and send him $35.

[Cem]

Originally Posted by bluenoter

Hey, this is the Alley! How long is it going to take some wit to jump on that (so to speak)?

dimwit checking in...& peeping in on the insertion...
ps. you folks must be as bored as I...

[Brian Olewnick]

"How to Choose an Image to Use as Your Avatar"

1) Go to www.erstwhilerecords.com

2) Choose an album cover not already in use at JC (warning: may have to resort to covers from the "jazzier" albums at this point)

3) Follow instructions as outlined above.

[Cem]

Don't listen to Brian! Album covers (especially those trendy eai ones) are soooo last year...go for a stoopid gaze, preferably from a great comedic figures. Might I suggest John Candy, Bill Murray, the US president or Larry Nagel (no photos available, but I think he's Norm MacDonald in disguise)...

[bluenoter]

Originally Posted by Cem

dimwit checking in...& peeping in on the insertion...
ps. you folks must be as bored as I...

Originally Posted by bluenoter

7. Very important! Find out my mailing address and send me $50. Then find out Ron's mailing address and send him $35.

[bluenoter]

Avatar? I'll show you an avatar. I got somebody's potential avatar right here!



But it doesn't look as good at JC avatar size, below, and I couldn't eliminate the charming crookedness. Just goes to show ya.

The caption is St. John Will I AM Coltrane. It was completely illegible at JC avatar size, so I got rid of it.

[Cem]

Yeah, Rita, I love those Trane images. I got a bunch of those postcards at the church in San Fran-psycho. Great ceremony/Sunday service!

[Ron Thorne]

Hey, now! Since when do I rate 30% less than bluenoter?

Just checkin' to see if I'm actually readin' the posts, bn?

Edit: Just send me $85.00, and I'll be sure that Rita gets her cut.

[bluenoter]

Well, I'm very pleased. (Everyone else may be retching, but I'm very pleased.) This is what I started with:



And attached below is what I got, in my latest color scheme.

As you can see, I gave Dennis a horizontal flip. I showed him my first, basic version of the avatar, to which no color effects had been applied, and asked whether I had his permission to use his image and whether he thought that the photographer would mind. He gave his permission and said he was sure that the photographer, who's a family friend, wouldn't mind. I hope and trust that my color experiments are okay with them too.

[Ron Thorne]

Solarize him, bn. I dare ya! That would take it to the next level, and I think both of you would dig it even more, perhaps.

[bluenoter]

Originally Posted by Ron Thorne

Solarize him, bn. I dare ya! That would take it to the next level, and I think both of you would dig it even more, perhaps.

For all I know, solarizing is illegal in DC. Besides, Dennis is a happily married man!

What's solarizing? Can I solarize with IrfanView?

[Ron Thorne]

Originally Posted by bluenoter

For all I know, solarizing is illegal in DC. Besides, Dennis is a happily married man!

What's solarizing? Can I solarize with IrfanView?

• Solarizing is probably illegal in D.C., unless you're the mayor or have connections.

• It wouldn't affect Dennis' marriage. At least it shouldn't.

• Solarizing is a process which can yield some very cool results if not overdone, even from B&W images. I can show you far easier than I can explain the process.

• No, IrfanView doesn't include that process among it's tools.

A couple of examples of B&W solarized prints:

[bluenoter]

Ron--

Thanks! But I wouldn't want to solarize Dennis's image anyway; it doesn't have enough sharp areas. It's hard for me to envision what a solarized version of a color photo would look like. I see that IrfanView has a Negative feature, but that's apparently not the same.

I played around with your avatar image using all kinds of effects in IrfanView, but I thought it prudent not to show you the results. Instead, here's a negative of an avatar that I've used--moi. I like it! It's the real me!

[Ron Thorne]

Originally Posted by bluenoter

Ron--

Thanks! But I wouldn't want to solarize Dennis's image anyway; it doesn't have enough sharp areas. It's hard for me to envision what a solarized version of a color photo would look like. I see that IrfanView has a Negative feature, but that's apparently not the same.

I played around with your avatar image using all kinds of effects in IrfanView, but I thought it prudent not to show you the results. Instead, here's a negative of an avatar that I've used--moi. I like it! It's the real me!

It's not much of a leap for me to say that you're very intuitive, Rita. I was about to post another response to your query concerning solarization, but you beat me to it, with a comparison which I was going to offer ... it's similar to a negative. Very similar, in fact.

I'm not sure what you mean by stating that Dennis' image"doesn't have enough sharp areas". Please explain. If you're talking about "sharpness" as in resolution or crisp detail, that's not really an issue with respect to this particular process. I like what you did with your photo, by the way.

Here's a rather spectacular image which has been solarized, from a cool, informative site if you care to learn more about the process.

[bluenoter]

Ron--

Thanks again. Something like "crisp detail" is what I had in mind, as was the case with your first two solarized examples.

The funny version of the photo of me is a straight negative; I didn't do any fooling around. I really do like it. What slays me is the "Red Note" logo on my shirt! (Well, it's kind of a brackish red. It registers with me as being red.)

Bedtime is fast approaching, but I'll look at that site another time. I'm very far from being a photographer; I don't even own a working camera.

[bluenoter]

Ron--

Attached below is my finished (I think) avatar. The little caption or signature will read Bizarro BN.

Speaking of not having any pupils, have you noticed that we don't, here in Avatars 101?

Come one, come all! Step right up and ask your avatar-related questions, absolutely free!*

*except for token gratuities of $35 to Ron and $50 to me

[Ron Thorne]

Please disregard bluenoter's monetary pleadings for "token gratuities" and the breakdown of same. Apparently she still hasn't caught up with the reality of the situation. Here it is:

Send $85.00 to Ron Thorne (PM me for mailing address) and I'll be certain that bluenoter gets her "cut".

Edit: Oh yeah, I dig the new avatar. It's distinctive, and won't be confused with anything Blue Note. Will you change your Screen Name to rednoter?

[bluenoter]

I wish I could change my screenname just for the duration of the avatar (which will no doubt be short), but I don't think that's possible without reregistering.

I think I somehow lost some of the quality (?) that was in my previously posted Bizarro BN image, so it might be back to the drawing board. (On the other hand, no one will know or care.)

So will anyone use this thread? I'd hate to think that no one will. Somewhere, Franki posted something about having trouble getting a couple of images onto JC. I don't know where those images reside now.

[Brian Olewnick]

Not sure if they can be resized, but some pretty cool, insectile, potential avatars here:


http://www.pbrc.hawaii.edu/bemf/microangela/gifanim.htm

[Ron Thorne]

Sure, they can be re-sized, Brian. Most anything within reason can be. It's usually when the original image is quite small or lacks clarity that you run into problems with a reduction.

This one's pretty intense-looking. It's colorized, of course, which lends itself even more for use as a potential avatar. And they're animated. Awesome!



Cockroach ... grooming?