Avatar evolution

[Vince Massimo]

Hi all,

The keen-eyed among you will have noticed that I have finally decided on an avatar after 16 months of being a forum user.

Avatars are very personal things and often the reasons for their choice are known only to the user. I had not given mine much thought until a few months ago when I started going through this year's photos. I toyed with a few ideas, but nothing really worked. So, back to basics. Which are my favourite avatars? Well, I really like the Peacock wing close-ups used by Malcolm Farrow and our Spanish friend Inachisio because they are simple yet bold. Secondly, the chosen subject needed to come from one of my own photos. Thirdly, it obviously needed to say something about me or hold some significance.

I could not use my favourite species, because I love them all. I do however especially look forward to the first Orange-tips of Spring, but I needed something with more colours and finer wing detail. This was no time to be impulsive, bearing in mind that I would never change the design once chosen. Somehow an idea needed to be born and then evolve.

This is how mine "evolved"...........

larval stage 22-Oct-09

pupa 5-Nov-09

pupa 17-Nov-09

hatching 17-Nov-09

wing detail

What better choice of subject in this exceptional year? And I saved an estimated $300 million by doing it all myself

Cheers,

Vince

[Susie]

Inspired choice.

[Zonda]

Yeh! Nice story attached. I must fashion one for myself. You've spurred me on Vince.

[Lee Hurrell]

Wonderful shots Vince!

Cheers

Lee

[Zonda]

Gawd,,, Vince,,,how did you make your wing detail avatar? Try as i might i cannot make an avatar that is under 33kb. I've tried saving image at all compressions. Fraid my pooter, and software is not up to it. Oh well,,, the avatar i have is ok,,,i spose.

[Vince Massimo]

Mate, I am absolutly the last person to ask. Don't know if you're just doing it wrong or your system can't cope with the job. I only have the fairly standard ACDSee 8 Photo Manager on my machine and it's just a matter of cropping and reducing to get the desired file size. It was still a bit confusing however because the file size was expressed as three different figures depending on which box I was looking at on the edit screen. Try posting something even if the size looks wrong and see what happens, otherwise we are facing a "Pete-intervention-scenario".

Good Luck,

Vince

[Pete Eeles]

I've "upped" the limit to 50Kb.

Although most avatars I've ever created are less than 3Kb. Perhaps you could send me an example Zonda?

Cheers,

- Pete

[Zonda]

Yipee!.... 3Kbs ,,,,,,, dunno for the life of me how you manage that. I can do 33Kb, so should be ok now, i'll sort it out later.

[Zonda]

Hey,,,at last my own personal avatar. This is the wing 8 of the almost first Clouded yellow i ever saw/photographed, at Abbotsbury. I had to chase it all around the field to get this. Means a lot to me,,,,, am i getting emotional?

[Vince Massimo]

Nice going Zonda. The background stories surrounding avatar choices could be quite an interesting topic. Another good game would be suggestions as to what other things your new avatar may also look like. I will start the ball rolling with..................... an AZTEC PENGUIN

Susie has also got a new one but I cannot see it clearly enough to decide what it is. Can we have a clue please?

Cheers,

Vince

[Neil Hulme]

Eureka! After many failed attempts in the past (not sure where I was going wrong!) I have also just managed to work this out! Much more fun than the Christamas shopping that really MUST be started today
Neil

[Vince Massimo]

Brilliant, Neil. I never thought I would see the day.

Cheers,

Vince

[Neil Hulme]

Hi Vince,
Hannah never thought she would see the day I started my Christmas shopping either . I had to remove her shoe from my posterior last night!
Happy Christamas - see you in the spring.
Neil

[Charles Nicol]

Nice going Zonda. The background stories surrounding avatar choices could be quite an interesting topic. Another good game would be suggestions as to what other things your new avatar may also look like..........

Cheers,

Vince

Hi Ho Silver Away !!

Charles

[Charles Nicol]

Susie has also got a new one but I cannot see it clearly enough to decide what it is. Can we have a clue please?

Cheers,

Vince

i think it is Graeme Garden's death mask

C

[Mikhail]

Pardon my ignorance, but how does one add an avatar?

Misha

[Zonda]

Misha, you go to the 'user control panel', when you are logged in, then click on 'profile', it's under 'Edit avatar'. Of course you have to make the image first. Crop it down to 80X80, and make sure it's under 50Kbs, then upload it where it says browse. Then save the changes.

Charles that is just brill. I'm a big fan of westerns, and didn't see it.

[Mikhail]

Thanks Zonda. Done.

Misha

[Susie]

Hi Vince,
Hannah never thought she would see the day I started my Christmas shopping either . I had to remove her shoe from my posterior last night!
Happy Christamas - see you in the spring.
Neil

Haha, kinky.

[Susie]

Susie has also got a new one but I cannot see it clearly enough to decide what it is. Can we have a clue please?

Cheers,

Vince

It's quite seasonal, or it was at the solstice, Vince.