Avatar editing

[W4KRR]

I attempted to make my own avatar for use on this site. I used my digital camera, and edited the size of the picture to 100x80 pixels using IrfanView, but it came out to 8.75kb, whereas the max size allowed is 8kb. So, using IrfanView, I reduced the colors to 256, but the image was still too big.

What is the best way to make a 100x100 pixel avatar that can be used here? Is the key to success the camera settings or the image editor? Lots of folks here have nice looking avatars that are sharp and colorful.

 

[loumaag]

Image editor software that can optimize the image. You don't have to reduce the color palette to 256 (although that won't hurt) you just need to reduce the color depth some so that it fits. I use Paint Shop Pro but most good editors will allow you to automatically optimize prior to saving a JPG. Try both optimizing first and then reducing to size, and reducing first then optimizing to see which provides the best result.

 

[W4KRR]

Even if I reduce the color depth to 2 colors (i.e., black & white) it makes little or no difference in the size of the image. I have images that are three times the size (300x300 pixels) that are full color, and are still less than 8kb. Yet a 56x75 pixel image in black & white that I took is 8.97kb. I'm missing something here.

 

[Joseph11]

Post the image here, lets see if someone else could shrink it.

 

[unitcharlie]

Hi W4KRR:
I use "A Square Image" from this site: http://www.trivista.com/products/asquareimage/
I don't know exactly how it works, but it has been good for my stuff.....
Good Luck!

 

[W4KRR]

Hi W4KRR:
I use "A Square Image" from this site: http://www.trivista.com/products/asquareimage/
I don't know exactly how it works, but it has been good for my stuff.....
Good Luck!

I might download this and give it a try. Thanks for the tip!

 

[eyes00only]

I don't know how to do the fancy add a link thing, but I use gifworks.com. You don't need to download anything.

Jerry

 

[W4KRR]

I think I've got it now. I saved the same file as a .gif, and that in itself made the file smaller. For some reason I was under the assumption that avatar files had to be in .jpg format, but I guess not.

I suppose I need a crash course in what file formats take up the most and least space. I do know that .bmp files are bigger than some other formats.

Thanks to all who responded.

 

[eyes00only]

Ken / I'm a little cornfused :? . Your avatar looks the same in your first & last post.

Jerry

 

[W4KRR]

Ken / I'm a little cornfused :? . Your avatar looks the same in your first & last post.

Jerry

Yes, when you change your avatar, all your avatars in all your posts change, even in all your old posts from the past.

 

[eyes00only]

DAH, I should know that, considering I change mine often. I guess I'm too sober today to think :lol: .

Jerry

 

[loumaag]

Yes, when you change your avatar, all your avatars in all your posts change, even in all your old posts from the past.

Just an informational point, the same applies to your signature block. Neither is stored with the post, both are read from your profile data at the time the web page is constructed in response to each request to view it.