FAQ: Everything you Always Wanted to Know About Avatars

Medievalist · 08-27-2010, 11:33 PM

Members often want to have a custom avatar, the image that appears to the left of a post.

There are some things you need to know about avatars. First, the size of the avatar as a file, and in terms of the image size, is limited:

Registered users with less than fifty posts:
Avatar
80 x80
20k

Super Members (50 posts+)
Avatar
175 x 240
75K

Kind Benefactors (people who have donated)
Avatar
200 x 250
75k

Secondly, in general, members may not upload or link to animated gifs as avatars. Mac may at her whim make an exception, but it's rare.

And then there are the people on whom Mac spontaneously bestows avatars. All bets are off on those . . .

There are free image editors, like Google's Picasa, and Flickr and Photobucket that have image editing, cropping and re-sizing abilities.

I'd suggest uploading an image from your computer rather than trying to upload from a URL/Web site. vBulletin will usually give you an error message if you try to upload from a Web site.

Check the vBulletin FAQ about your Profile and avatars.

Make sure that you're not confusing a Profile picture, which only appears on your CP User Profile, with an Avatar, which appears in every post.

To change your Avatar:

Click User CP
Scroll down to the section labeled Settings and Options
Click the link for Edit Avatar
Scroll down to the section labeled Custom Avatar
Use Option 2, and upload an avatar the first the image and file size limitations from your hard drive.

If you're truly stuck, PM me, and I'll take a look.

WriteMinded · 09-25-2010, 08:11 PM

Just the thread I was looking for. Howsomever, I did not find everything I wanted to know about Avatars. I'd like to change mine but need the HowTos. Is there a page that will give me that information?

DeleyanLee · 09-25-2010, 09:01 PM

Click on the User CP link in the header of each page

From the menu on the left side, find "Change Avatar" link. Click on that.

Follow the instructions.

WriteMinded · 10-07-2010, 12:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeleyanLee

Click on the User CP link in the header of each page

From the menu on the left side, find "Change Avatar" link. Click on that.

Follow the instructions.

I guess it's never too late to say thank you. Thank you. I appreciate the answer.

KerylRaist · 01-24-2011, 12:41 AM

Thanks for posting. I was wondering why 80x80 looked so much bigger for some people.

alleycat · 01-24-2011, 12:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Medievalist

And then there are the people on whom Mac spontaneously bestows avatars. All bets are off on those . . .

You do not want to ask for one of these. Just a word to the wise.

SaraP · 01-24-2011, 02:37 AM

I beg to differ.

*hugs sparkly pony*

Medievalist · 01-24-2011, 04:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SaraP

I beg to differ.

*hugs sparkly pony*

Yeah, but yours didn't come from Mac . . .

SaraP · 01-24-2011, 04:45 AM

HA!

I knew it!

telford · 01-26-2011, 07:17 AM

Hello Midievalist.
I've checked this post and the bulletin board with regard to changing the spiel under my avatar, but alas, no prize. Hope I'm not becoming prematurely senile but I appear to be missing the point. I'm not a pro but I like to think that I'm no longer a rookie.
Any thoughts on how to change this. Cheers.

Medievalist · 01-26-2011, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by telford

Hello Midievalist.
I've checked this post and the bulletin board with regard to changing the spiel under my avatar, but alas, no prize. Hope I'm not becoming prematurely senile but I appear to be missing the point. I'm not a pro but I like to think that I'm no longer a rookie.
Any thoughts on how to change this. Cheers.

UserCP-->Under Your Profile heading "Edit Your Options"-->Enter text in "Edit your User Title"

telford · 01-26-2011, 07:21 PM

Thank you Medievilist. Easy when you know how.

Working Spy · 03-05-2011, 06:09 PM

Must I log out and back in before my avatar actually appears in my replies? (And eventually my threads)

Working Spy · 03-05-2011, 06:10 PM

Never-mind - there he is...

GailD · 03-27-2011, 08:24 PM

I understand about the Avatar size but I would prefer mine to be about half the size it is here. I tried making it smaller but can't do it. Please help.

SaraP · 03-27-2011, 08:48 PM

Gail, how did you try to resize it?

Medievalist · 03-27-2011, 08:56 PM

Gail

Is it OK now or too small?

You had difficulty re-sizing it because the resolution -- the number of dots/pixels per inch was higher that the Web needs, so it was roughly twice the size it said it was.

GailD · 03-28-2011, 12:15 AM

Oh, this is perfect now. Thank you.

I tried to make it smaller in 'My Pictures' so I could upload a smaller version of it but that didn't work. Then I tried left-clicking and right-clicking it in User CP to see if that would do anything but nada. So I called for help.

Secret: I'm a bit of a techno-dinosaur. It takes me ages to figure out how most software works. Sometimes I feel like a real 'idjit'.

Thanks again.

Medievalist · 03-28-2011, 02:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GailD

Oh, this is perfect now. Thank you.

I tried to make it smaller in 'My Pictures' so I could upload a smaller version of it but that didn't work. Then I tried left-clicking and right-clicking it in User CP to see if that would do anything but nada. So I called for help.

Secret: I'm a bit of a techno-dinosaur. It takes me ages to figure out how most software works. Sometimes I feel like a real 'idjit'.

Thanks again.

This was a sneaky issue; so don't feel bad.

paperbackwriter · 04-20-2011, 01:38 AM

How do you write a tag line under your name above your avatar? Thanks!

SJL · 06-16-2011, 10:09 AM

Go into your Control Panel
Under the Your Profile section (1st one) click on Edit Your Details
Go to the Optional Information section
Type what pleases you in the Custom User Title
Done

(Now after looking at the date of the previous post and the title change, I see you've figured that out yourself).

WriteMinded · 06-22-2011, 02:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SJL

Go into your Control Panel
Under the Your Profile section (1st one) click on Edit Your Details
Go to the Optional Information section
Type what pleases you in the Custom User Title
Done

(Now after looking at the date of the previous post and the title change, I see you've figured that out yourself).

That didn't work for me. My change was derailed. At least I got rid of the "New Kid" identity.

Matera the Mad · 06-22-2011, 04:41 PM

I was just wondering why my av disappeared overnight, but after a look around here-n-there I see it's not the only victim.

ETA: Browser cache issue! Strangely selective.

mollieplayer · 09-08-2011, 10:17 AM

Hi,

Just wondering why you guys prefer us to use the generic pics (us newbies). I prefer seeing peoples' faces when possible... I'm sure there's a good reason -- just curious.

Mollie

Medievalist · 09-08-2011, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mollieplayer

Hi,

Just wondering why you guys prefer us to use the generic pics (us newbies). I prefer seeing peoples' faces when possible... I'm sure there's a good reason -- just curious.

Mollie

Because we get anywhere from 25 to 100 would-be-spammers a day creating new accounts, and some of 'em would post porn images if we let 'em.

Stick around and you can customize your avatar and profile pic.

And sometimes, they get spontaneously customized.

I reckon it's Cray or Haggis or Alleycat; they're mods but they strike me as likely committers of avatar mayhem.

08-27-2010, 11:33 PM	#1
Medievalist Cultus Gopherus MacAllister Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: þone þe in meoduhealle Posts: 22,671	FAQ: Everything you Always Wanted to Know About Avatars Members often want to have a custom avatar, the image that appears to the left of a post. There are some things you need to know about avatars. First, the size of the avatar as a file, and in terms of the image size, is limited: Registered users with less than fifty posts: Avatar 80 x80 20k Super Members (50 posts+) Avatar 175 x 240 75K Kind Benefactors (people who have donated) Avatar 200 x 250 75k Secondly, in general, members may not upload or link to animated gifs as avatars. Mac may at her whim make an exception, but it's rare. And then there are the people on whom Mac spontaneously bestows avatars. All bets are off on those . . . There are free image editors, like Google's Picasa, and Flickr and Photobucket that have image editing, cropping and re-sizing abilities. I'd suggest uploading an image from your computer rather than trying to upload from a URL/Web site. vBulletin will usually give you an error message if you try to upload from a Web site. Check the vBulletin FAQ about your Profile and avatars. Make sure that you're not confusing a Profile picture, which only appears on your CP User Profile, with an Avatar, which appears in every post. To change your Avatar: Click User CP Scroll down to the section labeled Settings and Options Click the link for Edit Avatar Scroll down to the section labeled Custom Avatar Use Option 2, and upload an avatar the first the image and file size limitations from your hard drive. If you're truly stuck, PM me, and I'll take a look. __________________ About.Me iPad Projects AWers On Twitter My opinions are my own. \| Who else would want them? Last edited by Medievalist; 03-05-2012 at 06:25 PM.

09-25-2010, 09:01 PM	#3
DeleyanLee Writing Anarchist Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: lost among the words Posts: 27,594	Click on the User CP link in the header of each page From the menu on the left side, find "Change Avatar" link. Click on that. Follow the instructions. __________________ "For unheard of means that it's undreamed of yet; Impossible means not yet done." --Julia Ecklar "You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist." --Friederich Nietzsche

01-24-2011, 12:41 AM	#5
KerylRaist Hi, I'm Keryl. I'm a writer. Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Charleston, SC Posts: 20	Thanks for posting. I was wondering why 80x80 looked so much bigger for some people. __________________ "You may have noticed we have no sex lives, as a result there's lots of chocolate in this house." Autumn.

01-24-2011, 02:37 AM	#7
SaraP The Sparkle Catastropony is back! AW Moderator Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: In the chatroom. Sometimes. Posts: 13,194	I beg to differ. hugs sparkly pony __________________ Lady Sparkles, Sparklepony, The Sparklepony of DOOOOOM, Sparkles, Sparkles McModderson, The Sparkler, Sparklegee, The Sparkling Portuguee... I think I see a pattern here. Oh, and Horny McPoarny. Where this is desire, there is gonna be a flame. Where there is a flame, someone's bound to get burned. But just because it burns, doesn't mean you're gonna die - You gotta get up and try. P!nk - Try *** Life getting you down? Come get a pick-me-up.

01-24-2011, 04:45 AM	#9
SaraP The Sparkle Catastropony is back! AW Moderator Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: In the chatroom. Sometimes. Posts: 13,194	HA! I knew it! __________________ Lady Sparkles, Sparklepony, The Sparklepony of DOOOOOM, Sparkles, Sparkles McModderson, The Sparkler, Sparklegee, The Sparkling Portuguee... I think I see a pattern here. Oh, and Horny McPoarny. Where this is desire, there is gonna be a flame. Where there is a flame, someone's bound to get burned. But just because it burns, doesn't mean you're gonna die - You gotta get up and try. P!nk - Try *** Life getting you down? Come get a pick-me-up.

09-25-2010, 08:11 PM	#2
WriteMinded Derailed Join Date: May 2010 Location: Above Paradise in California Posts: 1,996	Just the thread I was looking for. Howsomever, I did not find everything I wanted to know about Avatars. I'd like to change mine but need the HowTos. Is there a page that will give me that information?

01-26-2011, 07:17 AM	#10
telford We learn by doing Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Australia Posts: 497	FAQ: Everything you Always Wanted to Know About Avatars Hello Midievalist. I've checked this post and the bulletin board with regard to changing the spiel under my avatar, but alas, no prize. Hope I'm not becoming prematurely senile but I appear to be missing the point. I'm not a pro but I like to think that I'm no longer a rookie. Any thoughts on how to change this. Cheers.

01-26-2011, 07:21 PM	#12
telford We learn by doing Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Australia Posts: 497	FAQ: Everything you Always Wanted to Know About Avatars Thank you Medievilist. Easy when you know how.

03-05-2011, 06:09 PM	#13
Working Spy Reading is my eye candy! Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: The highest ground in Houston Posts: 42	Must I log out and back in before my avatar actually appears in my replies? (And eventually my threads)

03-05-2011, 06:10 PM	#14
Working Spy Reading is my eye candy! Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: The highest ground in Houston Posts: 42	Never-mind - there he is...

03-27-2011, 08:24 PM	#15
GailD The usual suspect Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Johannesburg, South Africa Posts: 5,165	I understand about the Avatar size but I would prefer mine to be about half the size it is here. I tried making it smaller but can't do it. Please help. __________________ Writing is the most fun anyone can have by themselves - Terry Pratchett New blog - Fact, Fiction and Dead Crocodiles

03-27-2011, 08:48 PM	#16
SaraP The Sparkle Catastropony is back! AW Moderator Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: In the chatroom. Sometimes. Posts: 13,194	Gail, how did you try to resize it? __________________ Lady Sparkles, Sparklepony, The Sparklepony of DOOOOOM, Sparkles, Sparkles McModderson, The Sparkler, Sparklegee, The Sparkling Portuguee... I think I see a pattern here. Oh, and Horny McPoarny. Where this is desire, there is gonna be a flame. Where there is a flame, someone's bound to get burned. But just because it burns, doesn't mean you're gonna die - You gotta get up and try. P!nk - Try *** Life getting you down? Come get a pick-me-up.

03-27-2011, 08:56 PM	#17
Medievalist Cultus Gopherus MacAllister Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: þone þe in meoduhealle Posts: 22,671	Gail Is it OK now or too small? You had difficulty re-sizing it because the resolution -- the number of dots/pixels per inch was higher that the Web needs, so it was roughly twice the size it said it was. __________________ About.Me iPad Projects AWers On Twitter My opinions are my own. \| Who else would want them?

03-28-2011, 12:15 AM	#18
GailD The usual suspect Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Johannesburg, South Africa Posts: 5,165	Oh, this is perfect now. Thank you. I tried to make it smaller in 'My Pictures' so I could upload a smaller version of it but that didn't work. Then I tried left-clicking and right-clicking it in User CP to see if that would do anything but nada. So I called for help. Secret: I'm a bit of a techno-dinosaur. It takes me ages to figure out how most software works. Sometimes I feel like a real 'idjit'. Thanks again. __________________ Writing is the most fun anyone can have by themselves - Terry Pratchett New blog - Fact, Fiction and Dead Crocodiles

04-20-2011, 01:38 AM	#20
paperbackwriter Paperbackwriter Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 196	How do you write a tag line under your name above your avatar? Thanks!

06-16-2011, 10:09 AM	#21
SJL Party Crasher Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Along the Eastern Seaboard Posts: 69	Go into your Control Panel Under the Your Profile section (1st one) click on Edit Your Details Go to the Optional Information section Type what pleases you in the Custom User Title Done (Now after looking at the date of the previous post and the title change, I see you've figured that out yourself).

06-22-2011, 04:41 PM	#23
Matera the Mad Ididdit Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Wisconsin's (sore) thumb Posts: 9,917	I was just wondering why my av disappeared overnight, but after a look around here-n-there I see it's not the only victim. ETA: Browser cache issue! Strangely selective. __________________ Inspiration can be as destructive as any other form of fire. Get a &%^$# dictionary! well, of course I have a blog! doesn't everybody? *Smash!* Last edited by Matera the Mad; 06-22-2011 at 06:02 PM.

09-08-2011, 10:17 AM	#24
mollieplayer figuring it all out Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Seattle, WA, USA Posts: 54	Hi, Just wondering why you guys prefer us to use the generic pics (us newbies). I prefer seeing peoples' faces when possible... I'm sure there's a good reason -- just curious. Mollie __________________ "Always do what you are afraid to do." - R. W. Emerson My blog: www.storiesandtruth.com

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