Tech Handbook: Creating an avatar from a photograph

Creating an avatar from a photograph
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DonaldG on 18/11/2009 10:54:00
 
Creating an avatar from a photograph By DonaldG
Many folk like to have an avatar created from a photo of their pet or other
animal photo.
An avatar for use in the Tech Support Forum has a maximum size of 100 by 100
pixels or 19.5 KB (whichever is smaller).
A modern 8 Megapixel digital camera will produce an image in the order of
3504x2336 pixels and have a file size of about 3 Mb. This photograph is
invariably saved in the camera or on the computer as a .jpg file and contains
millions of colours
Whilst it is easy to reduce the image down to 100x100 pixels, it is not easy to
get a .jpg file size down to the allowable maximum of 19.5 Kb. To get a .jpg
file size down to 19.5 or below would require severe compression. When
introducing this compression, .jpg artifacts make the resulting image very poor
quality.
The best way of getting your photograph to comply with the maximum size and
still retain virtually all of its quality is to convert it into a different
format.
The .gif format is a format that only allows 256 colours, not the millions that
a .jpg allows. For the proposes of creating an avatar, this reduction in colour
levels does not matter.
For example, the first photo of the robin is a .jpg and has a file size of
32Kb. The second is a .gif with a file size of 9 Kb. Both images are 100x100
pixels.  a .jpg at 32Kb
a .gif at 9 Kb
The difference in quality is hardly noticeable.
As in most things to do with computers, there is usually more than one way of
doing things. Converting from .jpg to .gif is no different. There are several
ways of doing so. Most imaging software will allow you to save an image as a
.gif
One essential point to take notice of is that you must always work from a copy
of the photograph, never from the original. That way if things go wrong you have
not destroyed the original and you can then revert back and start over again.
Let us assume the original file name is similar to ‘img01234.jpg’. A quick
way of making a copy is to open the file in your favourite imaging software,
then use File>Save As. In the example ‘img01234.jpg’ was saved as
‘robin1.jpg’. All subsequent work was done with that file.
The example process shown below was done using Adobe Photoshop. The process
will vary, depending on the imaging software you have. The principles are the
same. When selecting a suitable photograph for use as an avatar, try and make
sure that the subject stands out from the background and is suitable for use in
a family oriented forum.
Select a suitable photograph. In this example a photograph of the Luxor Hotel,
Las Vegas was chosen:
The starting image.
The starting image in an imaging program (Photoshop).
The first job is to crop out unnecessary parts of the image. Crop as tight as
you can. This will make the wanted part of the image appear larger in the
finished avatar.
Select the cropping tool and drag over the required portion of the image. When
done, hit return.
The cropped image, cutting out unwanted and distracting parts.
Select from the menu, Image and click on Image Size.
If your photo is a horizontal one as it is in the example, then the width must
be set to 100 pixels. On the other hand, if it is a vertical image, then the
height must be set at 100 pixels. If your software allows it, also set the
resolution to 72 pixels per inch.
The image resized down to 100 pixels wide.
In Photoshop the conversion to .gif is done via the Mode>Indexed colour
process. In Paintshop Pro, it is done through Image>Reduce Colour Depth If you
are using Paintshop Pro select a depth of 256. Other software will vary. In fact
you may only be able to reduce the colour during the Save As process. See below.
Continuing in Photoshop:
In the menu, select Image>Mode>Indexed Color
This is where the amount of colours is selected. Highest quality for a .gif is
256. Depending on the image itself, it is sometimes possible to use even lower
levels of colour.
Once the colour level reduction is completed, you will need to save this as a
.gif.
Always use File>Save As. This will open up a dialogue box where the file is
named (or renamed). In all probability the Format option will default to .jpg or
the format specific to the program. It is important to select .gif. (Also known
as ‘CompuServe GIF)
That is it.
Depending on the software you have, the setting of the colour levels may be
different to the process described above. If you have difficulty, consult the
software’s Help file. Most software has excellent Help files that will
describe the process.
Once you have completed the newly made avatar, use Windows Explorer to confirm
that its file size is below 19.5 Kb.
And finally… Here is a selection of photographs converted to a size suitable
as avatars.
Copyright declaration & public domain release.
The following photographs are copyright to DonaldG of the Tech Support Forum.
Permission is hereby granted to anyone to use them as avatars only, no larger
than 100 pixels over the widest dimension. The use of the larger original
images, found elsewhere on Internet, is not allowed without written permission.
In other words, the following avatar images are in public domain:
The use of a custom avatar in the Tech Support Forum is subject to certain
conditions. Please refer to:
http://www.techsupportforum.com/comments-more/comments-announcements/186033-custom-avatars.html
(c) 2008 Donald Gray
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