Setting Up A Custom Avatar [OUTDATED]

[Oseyerys]

What is the software used to create said avatars and upload them to photobucket?

[ChristianSt]

What is the software used to create said avatars and upload them to photobucket?

To upload stuff to photobucket you don't need any special software (other than a regular browser).

To make a avatar you can use any image processing program you want to use or are familiar with. Free options are GIMP or Inkscape. If you want a stick figure avatar Inkscape is probably the better choice, because it is a vector based program, but I haven't used it, so I can't say anything about it.

And probably this sort of questions is better be asked in the Arts and Crafts subforum, too

[Oseyerys]

I figured it out. And many thanks to you sir!

[Felandria]

But how do I fix the size, it's cutting the bottom off of my picture.

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/4083/xech.png

[Savannah]

The maximum avatar size is 120x120 px. Yours is 120x150, so you need to crop and/or resize it to be 30 pixels smaller in height. If someone created it for you, you can ask them to edit it, or if you created it yourself, edit it in whatever program you used to make it. Some hosting sites also allow you to edit a hosted picture, but as far as I know, ImageShack is not one of them (may be worth double checking, though, as it's been a while since I used it).

[Rawhide]

The maximum avatar size is 120x120 px. Yours is 120x150, so you need to crop and/or resize it to be 30 pixels smaller in height. If someone created it for you, you can ask them to edit it, or if you created it yourself, edit it in whatever program you used to make it. Some hosting sites also allow you to edit a hosted picture, but as far as I know, ImageShack is not one of them (may be worth double checking, though, as it's been a while since I used it).

Likewise, you have that same image in your signature, which is also limited to 120 pixels high. You will need to remove the image from your signature, or reduce it to 120 pixels high using the above quoted information.

[Felandria]

Likewise, you have that same image in your signature, which is also limited to 120 pixels high. You will need to remove the image from your signature, or reduce it to 120 pixels high using the above quoted information.

I dunno how to make it any smaller, I made it from one of those custom avatar sites, but I forgot which one and all I have is an iPad, can anyone help?

[Rawhide]

I dunno how to make it any smaller, I made it from one of those custom avatar sites, but I forgot which one and all I have is an iPad, can anyone help?

If you only have an iPad, I don't know the answer, sorry. I do know that there are image editors which can resize it for you, some free, some not, but I do all my editing on the computer. You can also upload it to a site which allows you to resize the image after upload. But, again, I do all my editing myself on the computer, so I couldn't tell you which sites do that.

[Sermil]

On the first post in this thread, Gorbash Kazdar says:
It is suggested you read over the avatar and signature rules before you get started so that you don't run into any problems later.

"avatar and signature rules" is a hotlink to http://www.giantitp.com/forums/announcement.php?a=39, but when I go there, I get an error:

Sermil, you do not have permission to access this page. This could be due to one of several reasons:

[ChristianSt]

On the first post in this thread, Gorbash Kazdar says:
It is suggested you read over the avatar and signature rules before you get started so that you don't run into any problems later.

"avatar and signature rules" is a hotlink to http://www.giantitp.com/forums/announcement.php?a=39, but when I go there, I get an error:

Sermil, you do not have permission to access this page. This could be due to one of several reasons:

Unfortunately the OP is a bit outdated (it was done before the forum software updated, and even then it was out of date). The Avatar & Signature Rules can be found as part of the regular Forum Rules (which can normally be found in the upper region of each forum page).

Spoiler: Avatar & Signature Rules

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Avatar & Signature Rules
The total width of images in your signature may not exceed 470 pixels. This may be comprised of one or more images.

The total height of images in your signature may not exceed 120 pixels. This may be comprised of one or more images.

Any images in a spoiler may not exceed 300 pixels high by 470 pixels wide.

Total height of your signature may not exceed 12 lines or equivalent. A smaller font may allow additional lines and a larger font will count against multiple lines. A 120 pixel high image is equivalent to 8 lines, a spoiler with no blank lines around it is equivalent to 2 lines. Please be aware of text wrapping as long lines will count as multiple lines at our discretion.

The maximum size for any avatar is 50kb.

The maximum total size for your avatar and every image in your signature, including those in spoilers cannot exceed 300kb.

Avatars and signature images must be static (ie. not animated). Animated avatars or signature images will be subject to immediate removal.

Animated images are still allowed as post content (preferably in a spoiler) but not in your signature or as an avatar as they detract from the rest of the forums when they are attached to every post.

Also, please note that if a change is made to your signature or avatar either directly by a moderator or by way of a moderator request, changing it back to something that does not comply with these rules would lead to an infraction. This falls under the existing rules regarding changing moderator made edits or ignoring/disregarding a moderator.

[DocViking]

Is this still a thing? Theres no Control Panel button I can see. Nor is it in the settings from what I can see.

[ChristianSt]

Is this still a thing? Theres no Control Panel button I can see. Nor is it in the settings from what I can see.

The OP is a bit outdated (we had a forum update since then).

Click "Settings" in the upper right and then find "General Settings" on the left (or take this link). At the bottom there are avatar related options.

[Sitri]

Is there a way to still resize avatars? Not seeing that option. Also, I don't have permission to view the rules concerning them.

[Southern Cross]

I've been having trouble with my custom avatar:http://s923.photobucket.com/user/Sou...darkwizard.jpg.

[Southern Cross]

Lets see if this works: http://s923.photobucket.com/user/Sou...d.png.html?o=0

[ChristianSt]

Is there a way to still resize avatars? Not seeing that option. Also, I don't have permission to view the rules concerning them.

To quote myself from a few posts up this thread:

Unfortunately the OP is a bit outdated (it was done before the forum software updated, and even then it was out of date). The Avatar & Signature Rules can be found as part of the regular Forum Rules (which can normally be found in the upper region of each forum page).

Spoiler: Avatar & Signature Rules

Show

Avatar & Signature Rules
The total width of images in your signature may not exceed 470 pixels. This may be comprised of one or more images.

The total height of images in your signature may not exceed 120 pixels. This may be comprised of one or more images.

Any images in a spoiler may not exceed 300 pixels high by 470 pixels wide.

Total height of your signature may not exceed 12 lines or equivalent. A smaller font may allow additional lines and a larger font will count against multiple lines. A 120 pixel high image is equivalent to 8 lines, a spoiler with no blank lines around it is equivalent to 2 lines. Please be aware of text wrapping as long lines will count as multiple lines at our discretion.

The maximum size for any avatar is 50kb.

The maximum total size for your avatar and every image in your signature, including those in spoilers cannot exceed 300kb.

Avatars and signature images must be static (ie. not animated). Animated avatars or signature images will be subject to immediate removal.

Animated images are still allowed as post content (preferably in a spoiler) but not in your signature or as an avatar as they detract from the rest of the forums when they are attached to every post.

Also, please note that if a change is made to your signature or avatar either directly by a moderator or by way of a moderator request, changing it back to something that does not comply with these rules would lead to an infraction. This falls under the existing rules regarding changing moderator made edits or ignoring/disregarding a moderator.

Copyrighted Material and OotS Images
Using copyrighted artwork as an avatar is technically illegal unless you have the permission of the copyright holder. Even if the art is modified in some way, the original copyright still stands and you can't use it as an avatar. Rich Burlew has specifically requested that people DO NOT use his OOTS art as avatar image, other than those he has specifically provided as the default message board avatars. Also, please do not take, alter, or use the provided avatar images, comic images, or other pieces of Rich's art without express consent. If you want an OOTS-style avatar, there are many burgeoning avatar artists hanging around the Arts and Crafts forum who might make one for you.

Any avatar image that is found to be used without the permission of the copyright holder will be removed. If the creator of an avatar personally approaches the GITP staff and claims that their creation is being used without permission by another poster--as might be the case if they requested credit for the avatar and then were denied such--the Moderators will remove the avatar immediately. The first instance of this will incur a Warning, but should the member reinstate his or her violating avatar or create another avatar that also violates the rules, he or she will be issued an Infraction.

As for resizing Avatars, that is no longer an option. if you want to change the dimensions of your Avatar you have to change/edit the file directly.

[AuthorGirl]

This guide is intended to lay out the steps necessary to set up a custom avatar to display on each of your posts. It is suggested you read over the avatar and signature rules before you get started so that you don't run into any problems later.

The guide assumes you already have an appropriate avatar image and have uploaded it to appropriate webspace. General information about these steps is provided in Appendices A & B.

Part 1: Get the URL & Image Variables
Make sure you have the image's URL address. Have it open in a separate window or copy/pasted into a document so you can grab it easily.

The image URL needs to be complete - this means you must include the http:// prefix, and have the full address to the exact file (usually this ends with the file extension type). Make sure there are no spaces (%20) or other special characters in the address (other than dashes or underscores; -,_). Many times the URL will be case sensitive as well.

Also make sure you have the height and width of the image in pixels handy.

Part 2: Bring up Custom Avatar Options
From any page on the GiantITP forums, click on the User CP option in the upper right toolbar.



This will bring up your control panel where you can adjust numerous options. In the Control Panel on the right, under the first section Settings & Options, click on Edit Options (it should be the last in the list).



Scroll down to the last section, Miscellaneous Options.



Part 3: Set Your Variables
Under the Avatar section of Miscellaneous Options, click the toggle next to Custom.



Now, under Custom Avatar URL, paste or type in the URL of the image.



Under Custom Avatar Width, enter the width of the image in pixels.



Under Custom Avatar Height, enter the height of the image in pixels.



Lastly, click on Save Changes.


You should now be brought back to the main Control Panel page.

To make sure the avatar is entered correctly, go find a post you have recently made. The image should now show next to your posts.

Part 4: Troubleshooting
If you image is not showing up, first make sure the site has fully reloaded and is not simply pulling from your browser cache (press Ctrl+F5 to force a complete reload of the page).

If the image still does not show up, go back to Miscellaneous Options and make sure all the image variables are entered correctly. Any incorrect values, such as having the height or width off by a pixel or the a typo in the URL, will prevent the image from showing up.

The image URL is usually case sensitive - if there are any capitalizations, make sure to have these match.

The board software does not support spaces or most special characters. These will show up as '%##' in the URL; spaces are %20 and are the most common problem in a URL that prevents an avatar from showing up. Dashes or underscores (-,_) are allowed; remove any spaces or replace them with these characters.

Make sure the image actually is a .gif, a .jpg, or a .png. If it is not, you will need to convert it into one of these formats or find another image.

Finally, try opening the image in a separate window to make sure it shows up at all. Your hosting site may be down, the image may not have uploaded correctly or have been deleted, or something else may be preventing the image from loading at all.

If none of this corrects the problem, please feel free to ask for help.

Appendix A: Acquire an Avatar

Spoiler

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Acquiring a custom avatar is actually relatively easy. You can check out the custom avatar request and avatar adoption threads for OotS style avatars, or you can always make your own.

On the GiantITP forums, you may use a .gif, .jpg, or .png image. The image can have a width of 20-120 pixels, and a height of 20-120 pixels. The forums default to 117x117.

To double check these variables to make sure an image would fit within the rules, on most browsers right click (or Control + click on most Apples) on the image and select 'Properties.' This will display the image height and width in pixels, its URL, and its size. Right clicking generally also allows you to save the image. Some websites disable right clicking on images, however.

.gif and .png images both support transparency, while .jpg does not. Also please keep in mind that animated .gif images are not allowed as avatars.

Appendix B: Uploading the Image

Spoiler

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You need to upload the image to a separate hosting service; the GiantITP forums do not allow you to upload directly to our server.

Free solutions include PhotoBucket and ImageShack, both of which are commonly used throughout the forums. If you have your own server space or other location you can upload to, you may certainly use that as well. These free sites are generally very simple to use and off their own tutorials. Generally, simply select the Upload option, click Browse when it asks you for the file path of the image, find the image on your computer, select it, and upload. After the image uploads, it should provide the image's URL for hotlinking.

Keep in mind that you will be 'hotlinking' the image from this space, so make sure this is allowed. Many free website hosting services do not allow image hotlinking, which will cause an error image to show up. Worse is hotlinking from someone's personal site without permission - not only is this considered impolite, many webmasters discourage this behavior by setting up obscene or insulting 'trap' images that replace hotlinked images. It is always encouraged that you get your own webspace to host any images you intend to use. Some avatar artists will allow you to hotlink from their hosts, but again it is better to set up your own space.

ok but what I actually want to do is make my avatar, BlackDragon, from the avatars list, show up (it doesn't)

[Southern Cross]

Do you have the image url?

[Gadora]

ok but what I actually want to do is make my avatar, BlackDragon, from the avatars list, show up (it doesn't)

If I'm understanding the problem correctly, head to settings, then find the General Settings option. Scroll down until you find the avatar section and select Order of the Stick. Save the settings, and you should be good.

[Seek For Truth]

I want to ask why my avatar url link will not work, but its kind of hard to do when you apparently cannot post the site address without a post count of 10 or higher, even in a thread whose entire purpose it to help newer people.

[Hamste]

I want to ask why my avatar url link will not work, but its kind of hard to do when you apparently cannot post the site address without a post count of 10 or higher, even in a thread whose entire purpose it to help newer people.

Just post the link with a space in it or without the www. (Don't know what it exactly checks as it started well after my first 10 posts)

[Zherog]

The most common problem is a space in the url. (Which will display as "%20") If that's not the issue, then Hamste's suggestions for posting will get you on the path to getting help.

[CuriousWanderer]

1) Why is there no upload allowed?

2) Why does the site not have a mechanism for resizing images properly.

3) Why does the site not allow direct link urls that have too many characters?

[Rawhide]

1) Why is there no upload allowed?

2) Why does the site not have a mechanism for resizing images properly.

3) Why does the site not allow direct link urls that have too many characters?

1) Basic necessity to keep the forums running.

2) Because they are not uploaded to the server, so the server has no control over them.

3) I think you answered your own question, they have too many characters. A limit needs to be placed somewhere, and the current limit allows the vast majority of use cases for using images hosted on sites designed to allow you to upload and embed images.

[CuriousWanderer]

1) Basic necessity to keep the forums running.

How so?

I see many forums running that do that.

[Rawhide]

How so?

I see many forums running that do that.

Please don't colour the text of your posts red. Red is reserved for official moderator messages. Additionally, please don't colour the entirety of your posts a different colour. It can greatly affect readability, quotability, and moderatability of your posts, and if it becomes an issue may fall under the "excessive formatting" rule.

We will not be going into the details of how the forums run behind the scenes. Suffice it to say, most other forums aren't as large or busy as these are.

[armadaledoor]

i don't have any idea.

[Southern Cross]

Then why did you post?

[nyjastul69]

Then why did you post?

That looks like a spambot.

[Magery]

I'm trying to get a custom avatar.

As you can see, it's currently looking incredibly zoomed-in and blurry.

The problem is that this is not the avatar before I've tried resizing it so that it'll fit.

This is the avatar after I have resized it. The version that I'm currently using is 80 x 80; before that it was 117 x 117, which was slightly less-zoomed in and slightly less blurry, and before that it was 150 x 200.

Paradoxically, it was the 150 x 200 avatar that was the least zoomed-in and blurry - it didn't quite fit in the 'box', so to speak, but it was actually recognisable.

Can anyone explain what's going on and how I can fix it?

EDIT NOTE: I have tried using Gravatar links as well. Despite the fact my link differs only from a friend's in the email hash at the end (since obviously we have different emails), his works and mine doesn't.

EDIT 2: It's finally working, though for no explicable reason.