Avatar questions and issues

[acid_rain3075]

how often are the avatar galleries updated?

 

[Elspeth]

Every so often. Not regularly, but whenever we have a batch of new ones. At the moment we're working on the historical-royals avatars since it was a very small gallery and needed to be expanded.

Are you seeing gaps anywhere in particular?

 

[acid_rain3075]

Every so often. Not regularly, but whenever we have a batch of new ones. At the moment we're working on the historical-royals avatars since it was a very small gallery and needed to be expanded.

Are you seeing gaps anywhere in particular?

oh no, not at all! I was just sort of wondering because i just noticed some were deleted and nothing was put in to replace them that was all...

 

[norwegianne]

oh no, not at all! I was just sort of wondering because i just noticed some were deleted and nothing was put in to replace them that was all...

We generally do clean-up if we spot avatars that are unclear, very similar to existing avatars or of fuzzy quality. We try to avoid doing this to avatars that are in use by members, but as there is no way of telling which avatars are in use (other than going through 17,000+ profiles) - we can't guarantee anything.

We've also moved some avatars from the Norwegian, Belgian and Monegasque galleries to the historical gallery.

 

[Warren]

The avatar gallery as a whole was beefed up when we had the software problem that made uploading avatars directly from a PC very hit and miss.
Now that situation has been mostly resolved, there are a large number of avatars that can be found in the various avatar threads in most Forums.

Any of the 80 x 80 images can be copied to a PC then uploaded as a personal avatar via UserCP > Edit Avatar > Upload an Avatar From Your Computer (found at the bottom of the Edit Avatar page).

 

[coco]

may I use every pic for my avatar? I mean there are rules for posting pics that you may post the link to a pic only It would be illogical if I had the permission to use every pic, I found in the internet, for my avatar.

I just don't want to break the rules.

 

[Mandy]

may I use every pic for my avatar? I mean there are rules for posting pics that you may post the link to a pic only It would be illogical if I had the permission to use every pic, I found in the internet, for my avatar.

I just don't want to break the rules.

The rules that prohibit the posting of obscene or vulgar material and material containing nudity or violence also apply to avatars. Have a look at the FAQs regarding avatars for your answer.

Are there any rules about what avatar I can have?

Avatars should be no larger than 80x80 pixels. Our rules about prohibited content in posts also apply to avatars; avatars considered by the moderators to be nonconforming will be removed. Avatars with a royalty-related theme are encouraged but not mandatory. Please note that many vbulletin boards have been having some problems with custom avatars, and some of our members are unable to upload them. We have extensive avatar galleries for members who can't upload custom avatars. If you don't find an avatar of your favourite royal in the galleries, you can contact a member of the moderation team to ask if an avatar can be added to the galleries for your use.

 

[Elspeth]

Coco, as long as the avatar you want to use is a small portion of a larger photo, there shouldn't be a copyright problem with it. As you can see, most of the avatars in the galleries are just headshots which have been cropped out of full-length photos or family groups or whatever. Just don't take a photo, shrink the whole thing, and try to use it as your avatar, because that may well be a copyright infringement.

 

[coco]

It works!!! :w00t2:

 

[Elspeth]

Congratulations!

 

[coco]

Meaning of avatars

I'm not sure if this is the right place to write this but I just want to say that for me, avatars are very important. I mean, if I read somebody's post, I have a short look at his name, his avatar and maybe at his origin. But the avatar is the most important, and maybe the only, indication for his personality. I always connect a member with the avatar he uses. And I'm a bit confused if women use a man's photo, for example. Maybe I am misguided and I should think about it more rational . . . but I want to say that for me, avatars are of importance. And I like to see members who use significant avatars.

Thank you

 

[Elspeth]

Well, I can assure you that my avatar reflects my personality perfectly. Or so I've been told...

Seriously, if someone really very badly wants an avatar of a particular royal and there isn't one in the galleries already, you can always contact one of the moderators or admins with a request. I know how you feel, because when I first joined there really weren't any historical avatars and I asked if some could be added, and they were.

 

[Princess_Beatrix]

Which members are able to use the bigger avatars?
Only the Moderator team?
Or can you use them when you have a higher number of posts?

 

[LadyK]

Only the mod squad and the picture of the month committees have larger avatars. It's their little perk.

 

[acdc1]

I like the avatar galleries here, but I would really like to make some of my own. I have this program, it's like Jasc Paintshop or something like that, I think it came with the computer. I mostly edit pictures from my digital camera on them, or touch up old photos, and even view my photos of royalty on there. You can crop, take out red eye, sharpen, etc. Could I make an avatar with this?

And if I can't, what programs are there out there that I could use without burning a whole in my wallet? I read somewhere on here that you could get like a 30 day free trial. If I did that, and went avatar-happy, when the time was up would all of my patience and hard work be for nothing and the avatars disappear?

 

[Elspeth]

I shouldn't think so; all you'd have to do would be to save them to your computer when you'd made them, and it wouldn't make any difference if you still had the software or not.

As for the software you need, since I'm a complete ignoramus about this sort of thing, I'll let the more technically minded members respond to that one!

 

[acdc1]

Ha! I did it!! I'm going to make some more!

 

[Elspeth]

Blimey, there'll be no stopping her now...

Nice avatar, btw!

 

[acdc1]

When people posts avatars they've made in the avatar sections for each royal house, etc., are we allowed to use them, or are they just for looking at and admiring? Some are pretty good, and would be fun to use, but you can't find pictures like that or they're not in the gallery.

 

[Elspeth]

They're in those threads for people to help themselves, so please go ahead. As we clear out some of the photos from the avatar galleries, we'll probably be moving some of the spares to those threads.

 

[crisiñaki]

Animated Avatars

hey, I wanted to ask a question
I used to have an animated avatar (custom made) but I had to ask one of the admins to upload it to the gallery so I was able to use it...
Now it's gone and I tried to upload it both from my PC and from a URL but I always get the message: You may not upload animated avatars or something like that
Can something be done to fix this, please?
Thanks a lot in advance

 

[norwegianne]

As stated in the announcement thread there was a clean-up in the avatar galleries last weekend. I saved all the avatars that were deleted - for a limited length of time. If yours was one of them - send me a PM with the details - and I'll see if I can get it reuploaded for you.

Norwegianne

 

[LadyK]

Today, when I'm viewing the threads, very few of the avatars are showing up! The avatars, including mine, show up as the little blue question mark box. Even odder, some do show up. For example, on this thread, I can see Warren and Norwegianne's avatars, but no others, and I see the avatar coco made, but not her actual avatar. Is this an issue on my end or on the forum's?

 

[Lady Jennifer]

I'm having issues seeing some avatars as well. I can't see Elspeth's or acdc1's.

 

[Avalon]

I have exactly the same problem as both of you.
If you are using a custom avatar, try to upload it again. If you are using an avatar from the gallery, refresh the setting. Or cruder method, select a random avatar from the gallery, save it, and only then select the avatar you actually want to use.
Crude, but it worked for me.

 

[Empress]

Well, I am having some issues as well. And I can't even save the avatars at the moment. Vbulletin gives me an error.

Mind you the site did have a melt down this morning, so it probably has something to do with that.

avalon,

Can you explain a bit more in detail what you mean?

 

[Avalon]

If you are using a custom avatar, do the following:
1) Go to Control Panel > Edit Avatars
2) Select "Do not use an avatar" (it's right next to your avatar)
3) Save
4) Then upload the avatar you want to use again and save again

If you are using an avatar from the gallery:
1) Go to Control Panel > Edit Avatars
2) Select "Do not use an avatar" OR choose another, random avatar from the gallery
3) Save
4) Select the avatar from the gallery you want to use
5) Save

Both options worked for me. Hope it will work for you as well.

 

[Elspeth]

I've let Andy know there's a problem and that there seemed to be a glitch with the site earlier this morning which might have something to do with it.

 

[RhapsodyBrat]

just to let you know that i can't view my avatar as well as those of kimebear, crisiñaki, Lady K. i'll try a couple of other threads first before doing the steps Avalon recommended.

 

[acdc1]

right now i can only see the Mod avatars, except for Empress'. No others.