How To Make An Avatar

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Ranked #849 in How-To, #8,398 overall

What Is An Avatar?

If you look up avatar on the Internet, you may come up with one of several definitions. The first is the incarnation of a god in Hinduism. The second is a Nickelodeon animated television series called Avatar; The Last Airbender. But the avatar this lens is about is defined as a picture representing a person on the internet. For example, the picture to the left is my avatar in the Squidu Forums.

Free Avatars
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Avatar Problems

Frustrated loading your avatar image? Don't worry, I'll show you how.

The problem most people have when trying to upload an image from their computer as an avatar on a forum or another Web bases medium is with image sizing.

In general, avatars come in 4 sizes, but can be anywhere from 50 x 50 to 96 x 96 pixels.

The first, and most common in forums and chatrooms is the avatar at 80 x 80 pixels. Many forums (like Squidu) also choose to use 60 x 60 pixel images for avatars.

Buddy Icons are another name for avatars and they are usually 50 x 50 pixels.

Desktop Icons are usually 32 x 32 pixels.

Emoticon's are usually 15 x 15 pixels.

If you try to add an image that is too large for the predetermined pixel parameters, your avatar simply will not load.

How To Add An Avatar Option One

Find a cool or eye catching picture that you want to be your avatar. It can be a digital photo that you took, or a digital JPG or GIF image that is on your computer.

You can use whatever photo editing software you have, like photoshop for example, and then crop the pic to make a square. After you crop it, then you can re-size it to 60 x 60 pixels, or whatever size you need your avatar to be. Then, save the image with a different name than the original image so you do not accidentally load the wrong avatar.

Go to the image loading section of your forum and select the new avatar image from your computer to load to the website and click the upload, then save button and you should have your avatar saved and ready to be viewed.

How To Add An Avatar Option Two

Using Free Software

This is my preferred method for creating avatar sized images. I use the free software, Avatar Sizer. It is quick and easy to use, and is the easiest way to resize an image for an avatar. Making your new avatar is as simple as the following four steps:

Select the image

Set the maximum width and height

Press the Next>> button and your avatar is created

Last step is to save your avatar and you are ready to go

Free Avatars

List of sites with free avatars

Don't have any good images of your own, or don't want to bother with resizing? Then these sites are for you. Below you will find anime, action, cartoon, and avatars from all genres. Even animated avatars!

Avatar downloads, free icons, free avatars for message boards, forums, blogs: Today best avatars: Icons and avatars for message boards, forums, blogs for free, downloads desktop wallpapers, PDA wallpapers, widescreen wallpapers, screensavers, game of life
free avatars, links, add avatar
Free avatars and icons for messages
CoolAvatars.Net - Free Cool Avatars: Free cool yahoo and forum avatars with codes available for easy linking.
Free Avatars - The Most Popular Avatars, Ranks and User Pictures On The Internet!: Download Free Avatars The Most Popular Avatars, Ranks and User Pictures On The Internet!. Free Avatars is the most popular resource for cool avatars, forum ranks, forum signatures, user pictures and free graphics. New stuff is added frequently. Submit and share your own custom made avatars with the
1Avatars.com: avatars and icons for free for your MSN, Yahoo, message boards, forums and blogs...
Free Avatars - Home: Download free avatars for Yahoo Messenger, MSN, AOL and other IM clients... )
AvatarPimp - Free Avatars!: Download FREE avatars for use in forums, blogs, instant messengers, websites and more.
Avatar downloads, free avatars for MSN/Yahoo, message boards, forums and blogs: Free avatars for MSN/Yahoo, message boards, forums and blogs... Just link them... all hosted in our server...
Free Avatars Pictures collection. Get an avatar for message boards, forums, blogs, myspace, yahoo etc.: Avatar Pictures
- Animals (266)
- Animated gif (933)
- Anime Female (393)
- Anime Male (315)
- Cars (119)
- Cartoons (494)
- Celebrities (829)
- Comics Creatures (141)
- Comics Female (265)
- Comics Male (217)
- Eye Pictures (78)
- Fantasy Creatures (338)
- Fantasy Female (420)
- Fantasy Male (504)

Was this lens helpful? Anything I missed or that you would like to see added?

Lensmaster

poutine wrote...

Very helpful lens.

Thanks for all the hard work that you put in.

Posted May 17, 2009

Lensmaster

BusyQueen wrote...

Thanks for sharing your Avatar knowledge. It's well done. 5 *****'s

Posted February 24, 2009

Lensmaster

chloecavanaugh wrote...

Angel Blessings from Squid Little, aka Chloe Cavanaugh!

Posted February 19, 2009

Lensmaster

Tipi wrote...

Great idea for a lens Jeff! :) Thanks for the information!!!

Posted February 09, 2009

Lensmaster

WindyWinters wrote...

Great Lens. 5* Fav I will enjoy those list of free avatars, too. Lensrolling:
http://www.squidoo.com/avatarvsrealpicdebate

Posted January 19, 2009

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