How do you make your avatar

[Joshrzmeup]

I would like to know how to make an avatar. Can someone please post directions for the people like me who have a million ideas for Avatars, but don't know how to make them?

Thanks!!!

[sealightbreeze]

well, you can choose one after 50 posts from your profile. to Custom make one, you need Photoshop or something along the lines of that

[Joshrzmeup]

I know I can choose one, but i'd like to make one myself. Something that reflects me and my interests.

[sealightbreeze]

Well, you can find an image and crop it down to size, or make a background that you like using filters, and borders.

[Disney Guru]

To make an avatar, just use Photoshop. Or you can do what I do a lot. Just use Microsoft Paint. It isn't as professional as Photoshop, but it makes it unique.

[RJKD23]

you can use Photoshop
it's the best..it's what I use to edit the pictures and brighten them to show more for the avatar.

the easiest one to use is Microsoft Paint, like DG said.

[JaneMccoy]

you can definitely make good avatars with Microsoft Paint, good old cut and paste and paintbrush it here and there, and you're all set.

if you have windows xp, it should come with Microsoft Photo Editor. It's not like Photoshop, but it does have some effects in it, like adding texture or making a pic look like a mosaic or watercolor painting, etc. But the program can be a bit tricky sometimes.

if you want to do the animation stuff, like making it blink/glow/move/etc, you need an animation program from Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro.

i made these w/o photoshop. The "Chad Fan" one was made using Microsoft Photo Editor and Paint. The "Kate" one was made w/ just Paint.



Chad Fan
1. Scale down to size using Paint or Editor
2. Microsoft Editor: Effects - Negative - Blue Channel Check
3. Mic. Editor: Effects - Texture - Canvas (play w/ proportions)
4. Mic. Paint - add words using Text tool

Kate
1. Scale down first pic (Face one)
2. Scale down 2nd pic
3. Erase background of 2nd pic so that it's just the body.
4. Copy and paste 2nd pic onto 1st pic.
5. Add words using Text tool and inside border using the pencil tool.

To add the extras using Paint, like words and shapes. it's easier to position them to the place you want if you do the following:
1. change the canvas size so that you have a bunch of white space around your avatar image. type your word(s) in the white space.
2. Click on the "select" tool (dotted rectangle) Under the shape buttons, you should see two different pictures, make sure the second one is highlighted.
3. Draw a rectangle around the word you typed by click and drag.
4. Move to desired position on your avatar image
5. Shrink canvas size back to avatar image size.

i hope all that made sense.

it's good to read the "Help" Section if you don't know what the tools do.

have fun making avatars!

[Marielle]

Photoshop is probably the best program to use for an avatar. Usually avatars are about 100x100 in size. Start off with a blank image of that size. Open the image you'd like to use and resize to your liking. Once you do that, you can copy it over to your blank image. With Photoshop you can add cool effects to spice up your avatar.

[Starion]

You can also use MS Paint or The GiMP. I don't have $500 USD to spend on PhotoShop CS.

Later

[Iago]

If you're luck enough to have an avatar, what tools etc... do you use to make it?

[HalRoachFan]

I use both Paint and PictureIt Publishing 2001.

[Noriel]

I use Adobe Photoshop Elements.

[Zoltack]

I used Microsoft Office 2003 Picture Manager. The things I do with software that suppose to help me out in school. Meh!

[RJKD23]

<<-- the only way to put Jack-Jack and Boo in a picture together.
Adobe Photoshop!


and then there's Paint Shop Pro. which I hardly touch because I prefer Photshop better!

[Loomis]

I just cropped the existing photo Ichabod made in the Awards thread! (But the face in the photo was obviously made by my parents).

[Zoltack]

Very carefully.

[Leonia]

I use Paint Shop Pro, and it does the job decently enough for me.

[CJ]

I use Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator.

[RJKD23]

I just cropped the existing photo Ichabod made in the Awards thread! (But the face in the photo was obviously made by my parents).

wow, Loomis, you look so much better in that outfit than Snow white! Ah, that clever Ichabod!