Enlargeable Avatars

You have a lot of room on your Profile "Biography" section to talk a bout your interests and you can use pictures. When someone clicks on your avatar they will see your profile page (which includes the Biography), so I think this is pretty much what you want.

Thanks
- Mark

I suppose it is just the luck of the draw, but I have yet to find anything on a biography page that explains what someone's avatar is, much less provides an enlargement of it that can actually be viewed. That goes for other forums as well, not just CR4. Granted, I seldom go looking, but the odds can't be good . . . I've seen quite a few avatars that I cannot identify.

If it's just an enlargement you seek, why not Print Screen using the keyboard key; then paste into a document--or into an email to yourself. Use text processor application controls to enlarge. In email, right click on object to open shortcut menu; then resize; then view enlargement. You can x- up by 100's of percent. Some very small detail might be obliterated, but you still should be able to see the object better at some magnification point. Better still, if you have a screen shot application.... Then you can frame just the object you want--an avatar pic, for example--and not capture the rest of your monitor screen as well. As to enlarging avatars on the board...bigger avatar, less room to write. Haven't seen anyone who wants that. Or wants to wait longer to get it.

Using the suggested procedures, I have now seen larger blurry thumbnails of Mikerho's avatar at several magnifications. I also tried using a cheap magnifying glass on the original screen version, and the results were just as good - or just as bad, depending upon whether the [magnifying] glass was half-full or half-empty.

Perhaps the question should be rephrased: is there a way to STORE the avatar in uncompressed and larger-than-thumbnail form, and only DISPLAY it that way upon, say, clicking on the [existing size] thumbnail? This would seem to be similar to what is done in many online galleries and photo editing programs, but I am not sufficiently knowledgeable in that area to know for sure. That would avoid both slower downloading of normal posts or needing more space for avatars. (Mikerho, please feel free to say whether this would support your original goal. Thanks!) Of course, it won't help on other forums, unless they choose to provide the same type of support.

Hi Ron,

Thanks - that sounds good. I came back here out of curiosity; I was wondering if my question was so stupid that no one responded. I have not gotten any emails related to this thread.

At any rate, you did phrase the question better than I did (closer to how it would actually work).

So then - do you know what my avatar is?

Mike

So then - do you know what my avatar is?

From the appearance of unequal spacing between the straight items, the apparent taper, [as opposed to perspective on a rectangle] and POSSIBLE variation in height of the lighter items crossing right-left, I'm guessing perhaps a vertical or horizontal stabilizer for an aircraft, with only one skin in place. "Forward" would be on the left. Colors are reasonable for spruce and aircraft mahogany plywood. Reinforcing this is the truss-like darker structure to upper left, which could be a portion of a fuselage.

But the short answer to your question is "No, not for sure."

OK - I'll tell you. It is a hammered dulcimer; a stringed musical instrument. Working on the same principle as a piano, the strings are struck with handheld "hammers" and it is capable of producing some of the most awesomely beautiful sounds - quite distinctive.

I found general instructions for building one on the Smithsonian web site, so I decided to go for it. I wish now that I'd taken pictures - it would've been great for the DIY forum. Looking back now, and after (trying) to play it, I know it needs some work. This will require restringing 54 strings, not a trivial undertaking! Someday I may even learn to play it the dang thing.

Best Regards,

Mike

Aaah - I've heard hammered dulcimers, and probably seen photos, but it would have been a very long time before I'd have guessed right. I note that several others guessed wrong too, though, so I don't feel bad. It seems like your own avatar makes a good case for improved viewable / expandable avatars! Thanks for the info, Mike, and good luck getting it fully under your control.

ron

This is a better view of the Tzambal, an instrument largely used in East Europe. It has four octaves, and the folkloric music sounds great on it.

Yes, I now know I should have tried it myself...before I suggested....

Judging by Mark's reply above—and that's where the final say-so rests—what you envisage appears to be something that cannot or will not be done.

But, please read more, farther below.

Hi CowAnon,

I don't think I will use the method you suggested. However it is a great idea! What I will do is use a screen capture program, take the captured image and enhance it (if necessary) with PhotoPaint. Hopefully, I can get enough resolution to see what it is.

Thanks!

Mike

Hi back, Mikerho,

and Hi again to you, Ron

You've rendered me a bit perplexed, Mike. Are you able to enhance your own avatar screen shot using your method, to the point that even I would know what it is? By the weigh, what is it? I tried to discern some cues in the background, with no luck. As far as capturing the screen image, it occurred to me that probably what the image actually lacks is sufficient detail, not sufficient size. As far as opening the screen shot with a photo editor, well, read on. Another thing--I stand to be corrected but--it appears what has been overlooked is that avatar images are masked--i.e., unable to be copied or manipulated....unable to be opened in a photo editor. (Left mouse over the image on the forum page, or magnify a screen shot about 8x and you can see what I mean.) I would guess there are many good reasons, some self-explanatory, for masking--that masking serves a good and necessary purpose, both from the host's and from members' points of view.

If you want your present avatar to "read" better, perhaps a re-shoot with some lighting adjustments would help; perhaps even something to reduce reflectivity. Using the screen shot and magnification routine might be a good way to evaluate the photo before uploading it to become your avatar. Just a thought.

CA

A room divider?

Waaaaaaay off!

Read post #8

Mike

Hi Everyone:

I have a similar problem with my avatar. It is an animated gif of a Smiley face with a welding helmet. The welding helmet is supposed to flip down over the smiley face and a welding spark appears. From my computer the animation does not work. Is there a special way to save an animated gif to my profile so that it works. Or do you guys seeing it working from your computers???

Thx

UFG

I would say Mark, post #1, answers your question...so far without your realizing it. Suggestion: Get a dictionary and look up the definition of Avatar. As Mark implies, your profile is the place for permanent and changeable "personal" interests (including entertaining presentations) you want others to see (if they want, by clicking on your avatar). This (forum posting) space is for topic-related interests and entertainments you want "the public" to see. Avatars have a sense of permanence...just as you are a permanent member entity. To have one's alter-identity symbol constantly in flux, and depicting constantly changing interests, subject matters, and entertainment values...would be like rejoining under multiple membership names. Can you imagine...if everyone joined CR4 numerous times under as many alter egos as struck their present fancy?

While I don't personally want to encourage animated avitars (I find them distracting, sometimes to the point of not reading posts with them), you may have better luck setting up an animated avatar is you resize the original (working) animation to the allowed CR4 dimensions before you upload it.... basically, if the site has to resize it then it will not preserve the animation.

Thanks
- Mark

Mark,

What exactly are the "allowed CR4 dimensions," both in terms of photo-editor inch/mm size and in terms of pixel dimension. I'd like to tag the information for future reference.

Also, is there an "ideal" dimension for uploaded pictures (especially hand drawn illustrations) submitted for publication as board post with minimum "resizing" by the service? I've found that posting uploaded "pen and ink" type drawings can be difficult because resizing removes already sparse information and sometimes renders lines and labels difficult to see. Knowing the right/optimal upload size to minimize data throw-away (for service resize purposes) should help minimize this effect.

(...Anyone?)

Thank you.

CA

The max dimensions are shown on the page where you upload a new avatar, and they are 80x80 pixels.

Images in posts are resized to 400x400 max, so anything less than that will be left alone. FYI, you can make an image into a link so if you wanted to post your larger image somewhere else (flickr, etc), you could link the smaller version to your original.

(FYI, I have a feature request on file to automatically save the larger/original images and make the smaller image in the post link to it, but I haven't had the time to do it and there are some issues with the idea that are also holding me up. Short answer: don't wait for it.)

Thanks
- Mark