Step 2: Create your avatar
Once you have one picture (or more), open the image editor on your computer. Most PCs come pre-installed with a graphics tool these days, so any graphics program will do as long as it can save to the JPEG file format (".jpg" or “.jpeg” files).
There are literally hundreds of
image editors available on the market, from the very basic and free
"paint" accessory on Windows to very professional, very
complex and very expensive programs such as Adobe
Illustrator.
Some of the most popular image editors happen to be Corel
PaintShop Pro,
Ulead PhotoImpact,
Serif PhotoPlus,
and Adobe PhotoShop.
Most of these programs can be trialled for free for 30 days, which
gives you plenty of time to create hundreds of avatars. There are
also free programs on the market, such as Gimp.
Some companies also offer older versions of their commercial image
editor for free, and usually distribute them through computer
magazines.
For those who consider themselves computer
illiterate, I recommend a two-step approach:
Get familiar with the “paint” accessory under Windows (button “Start”, menu “Accessories”, program “Paint”). Read the “Paint Tutorial” if you need guidance. Then experiment at will until you know how the tool palette works, how to select part of an image, how to paint in different colors, how to type text, and how to save your creations. You need to spend some time, at least an hour, to get familiar with your image editor. Do not be afraid of making mistakes, the worst that can happen is forgetting where you saved your creations. Your kids already know how to use “paint”, so there is no reason you can't use it too!
Once familiar with how a graphics editor works, I recommend downloading and installing Gimp or use an image editor from a magazine. In both cases, there is no trial period. Trial periods force beginners to quickly (and sometimes, painfully) learn how to use an application, then to produce avatars in a rush, then loose their newly acquired skills when the trial expires. With Gimp or other free image editors, once you know how to use your image editor, you can simply continue using it without investing more time or money. Downloading and installing Gimp is easy. First, open the Gimp for Windows Download page and click on the first three “HTTP Download” links to download both Gimp, “GTK” (a system used by Gimp) and “Gimp Help”. Then double-click on each setup programs and follow instructions to proceed with each installation. Although Gimp uses the same concepts as “paint”, it works slightly differently. So you will have to do some more experimentation with Gimp to become familiar with it.
To create an avatar do at least the following in your image editor:
open one of the pictures you selected.
optionally select and crop the part of the picture that interests you.
resize that image. The height should not be more than 300 pixels (remember that a majority of people uses a 600-pixel high screen). Do not worry about the width, it will be recalculated proportionally by most programs. The exact command name you must use actually varies from program to program, so you will need to do a bit of searching inside your menu bar.
add your name, nickname or pseudo on your avatar. To do this, locate the "A" or "T" tool and type the name you will be using.
optionally add a frame, but only if you like it . Not all image editors have such a feature however.
save your avatar to a new file. Make sure you use “Save as” or “Export” so that the original picture will not be lost. And make sure you remember where you saved your avatar on your hard disk!
When it comes to avatars,
simplicity is king, so do not overdo them! Do not for example create
multi-frame GIFs that are just plain annoying to others and take more
space to store. Do not try to superimpose several special effects to
impress people. Remember that other chatters probably use the same
tool as you, and so won't be impressed. Just keep your avatars
(relatively) simple even when the day comes when you master each and
every function in your image editor.
As a guideline, once you
are familiar with your image editor, you should not spend more than 2
minutes creating an avatar. If you take more time, you are probably
already overdoing it.
Introduction , Step 1: Find a picture , Step 2: Create your avatar , Step 3: Host your avatar , Step 4: Display your avatar.