How to Create A Moving Avatar
 

Many people want to know how to create their own moving avatars. The moving avatar is called an animated gif. It's a series of pictures that have been grouped together in one file with a certain amount of time allotted to each picture.


Some graphic programs come with animation programs, but for those of you who don't have such a program, Photoscape offers a free program that's easy to use. Photoscape : Free Photo Editing Software Download. Just download the program, and go to the AniGif part. Set the size for you avatar where it says, "Set Canvas Size", most people use a square the size of 125x125 pixels. If you make a rectangle, the largest size can't be over 125 pixels. This is the size for a donating member; non-donating members have to use a smaller file size, which can be no bigger than 75x75 pixels.

You also have to set the frame time. Most people set this at around "200" per picture, this is measured in tenths of a second. More time will make the pictures change slower; less time they will change faster. The overall file size can't be over 48.8 KB and this means probably no more than 5-6 pictures, but this varies, but the amount of time spent on each picture does not change the file size. For non-donating member overall size can not exceed 20 KB this usually translates to about 4 pictures.

You then just drag a picture into the program, and it will group them together and make the animated gif. If you want to add frames or other special effects you must first go to the "Editor" part of the program and put frames, add lettering, and/ or crop the pictures. After this is done you would save the pictures and drag these new pics to the AniGif part. It's really fun, once you get use to it.

Once you are finished, just upload the animated gif to YorkieTalk. Go to the user "CP" located on the top left of the page. Go to "Edit Avatar," and instructions will tell you the maximum file size for you avatar. For donating members the maximum size of your custom image is 125 by 125 pixels or 53.7 KB (whichever is smaller). For non-donating members the size limits are 75x75 pixels and 20 KB (whichever is smaller).

For those of you who already have custom made avatars and wish to update them by adding a picture or holiday theme, just use the same program and open your animated gif with that. It will show your gif as a series of pictures and you can add or subtract pictures as needed. Save the gif and upload it to YorkieTalk.


I did want to mention to those of you who are interested, you can also create those cute animated gifs that people post on the profile pages with this program. Just take photo you like and you can add lettering, sparkles, and other special effects. To create sparkles for example, go to the "Editor" part of the program. Go to "Object" than point to the little mountain scene and select "Effect" you can there choose from several different sparkles. Add these to the picture and save. Then go to AniGif part of the program and choose both the original and sparkle picture, set the frame time for 10, and choose a size. Some of these sparkles gifs have a series of three pictures, each slightly different.

Thank you :D

For those of you who use the Mac, I don't know anything about the software programs for that. Here's a link with Mac Graphic Software Pure Mac: Graphics - Software for Macintosh. Look for programs that use the word animations. Anyone knowing of a good program please post in this thread. These are two programs that I have been told that work with the Mac GIMP - Free software downloads and reviews - CNET Download.com, and one that sounds more difficult Blender (PowerPC) - Free software downloads and reviews - CNET Download.com.

You're welcome, are you going to try it?

Thank you Nancy for posting that information. I may have to try that also. I still havent totally attempted and mastered how to get the cute greetings for our visitor pages!! Maybe over the weekend I can work on them both!! Thanks again!

Yeah, you can blow an amazing amount of time creating one of those cute gifs.:D

Thank you for posting the sites for us Mac users....will have to give it a try...:)

Thanks so much for posting the Mac info, I'm going to try and make one soon!!

Thank you Nancy!!!....I tried it and it worked!!!....Believe me if I can do it anyone can!!! lol.....


I needed to change my avatar to add J.J. and I was able to do it!!!.....Now I need to get better photos and do it again!... Thank you, thank you, thank you, again!!

This should be in the "How to Guides" section!

Thank you so much!!!!! I've wanted to do this for so long. I could follow your directions and it all makes so much sense. I just did my first one. It still needs to be tweaked a little but what do you think?

Great information! I am going to go to the Mac site and look it over....thanks!!

thank you soo much for this info! i was wanting to do this and didnt know how.. its something ill tackle this weekend!

thanks for sharing!

Thank you Nancy!

Mine is set for 75 x 75 but it looks like it could be a little bigger. Can it?

I love it! Great job! I'm going to try later!


Nancy, thank you so much for making this so simple~ I've been wanting to do this forever and I have all these different graphic programs (Photoscape is one) but had no idea how to do it and was actually going to do the tutorial (eventually :rolleyes:), but you've made it so clear to understand! I am sending your instructions to a good friend of mine who introduced me to computers and she's been wanting to do it too and can't figure it out....so thank you from BOTH of us! You're awesome:D

Oh.. Thank you so much. I have been wanting one.. but I didn't know how to do it. You are great for sharing your knowledge.

Thank you so much for this post. The instructions were very easy to follow and the program works great.

Wow, I totally impressed, I love it and see you also got the 4th of July holiday theme going on. That's one thing I think is so neat, you can change a picture in it for certain Holidays. Good work!

Thanks, from one Nancy to another! I have a program that can do this, but never had the time to do it. This is so much easier!! Thanks so much for all your help!!

Nancy

75x75 is the biggest for a non-donating member, yours looks a little smaller since you chose rectangle pictures so the vertical area on yours (from top to bottom) is even smaller than 75. Some people take rectangular pictures and crop out a square in the editing part of the program. This makes the avatar look bigger. You can also set the animation program to make a "rectangular" gif, by choosing 75 for the width and perhaps around 56 for height, and you won't have the top and bottom white border but it would look the same size, although the borders look fine. By the way, when resizing a picture try to keep it in the same proportion or the picture gets a squished look, so the figures 75x56 are just an estimate, but the biggest size has to be 75.

Some of these programs can be a little intimating, but then you try them, and think – that was so easy. Can't wait to see what you’ve done.

Thank you for the info...I will try this on my lap top at home.

Great information, thanks...from the not so computer literate...me!!!

Great, I like the writing you did on yours.

Peanut (Kim) made my animated avatar. I absolutely love it. It is nice to know that there are so many generous members here at YT. Nancy for sharing information about "do it yourself" and Kim for being willing to give her time and expertise to make them for those of us who just don't want to.

I love Peanut's avatar's and I love looking through her thread to see all the different ones she's made. I just don't know how she keeps coming up with all the different ideas that makes each one so unique and special. You never know we may have another budding "Peanut" in this crowd.

BarbiesMoMmY posted a link to a site that lets you add some cute things to your photos, sunglasses, hats, cigars, and things like that. Some of you might like to add one or more of these funny photos to your avatar picture. Here's the link to her thread and lots of sample pictures made by other members. http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/gen...yone-cute.html

THANKS! I was going back to look and c if I could figure this out later after I got done chaten.Hopfuly I can figure this out if not maybe Ill be back to ask! hey tthanks again.

Nancy - there will never be another Kim (Peanut). There might be people here who can do some nice avatars, but Kim is a one and only who tirelessly gives to others and I'm not just talking about tirelessly creating spectatular avatars. You would be amazed if you only knew how much Kim gave of herself to help others here at YT.