We're turning on the Avatars.

If you like, you can include an Avatar on your profile by following these steps: How to Update Your Avatar. These Avatars can be chosen from a default group (that will be expanded as we move forward) or a custom image you've personally created and uploaded.

Since one of the concerns you all expressed was the loss of the large, personal pictures that used to be present on our profiles we figured out an alternative. We've created an album on Slow Photos, Slow Travel Talk Forum Profile Pictures. Any member desiring to maintain a larger photo can follow these instructions: How to Have a Profile Photo in order to have a link to the larger photo underneath the member's Display Name in the member's posts (see the link under my member name to the right for an example).

Hopefully we can have some fun with these going forward.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the survey and provided feedback.

LOVE them!

I am not wild about having our photo on every post, and though I like photos in our/and everyone elses profile I think it clutters posts. Just MHO

Um... should I change it? I kinda of like my calendar girl avatar. Do you guys remember when I first posted it? It was when my back went out and I didn't get to go to the Loire. It was on my birthday and it was the only day I could stand up straight for about 3 weeks.

Ginger

quote:

I am not wild about having our photo on every post

Wendy, I didn't want my photo on every post either, so I changed my avatar to a sculpture that had meaning for me. (I'm actually in the picture but too small to see at that size.)

Anyway, you can remove your avatar altogether or change it to something else by following Kim's instructions. Also, you can post your portrait pic in the profile picture album that Kim also explains above.

- Roz

I am going to give it time, I will say that it is good to be able to quickly put a face to the writer, I just think that it clutters the posts... but we'll see.

Whoopee !

Love the avatars! Great addition to Slow Travel.

Jo

I'm enjoying this.

And Ginger, I do remember the photo and your back.

I am really enjoying putting a face to people I have "known" for a few years now. Nice addition for those of us who don't mind our pictures in public and easy enough not to do it if we don't want to. Thanks, Kim, for the choice. BJ

So much fun! Thanks!

Cameron

I think it's really nice to be able to put a face to those Slow Trav members that I have not had the pleasure of meeting yet!

Tery

Great to have WONDERFUL faces to put with names I've seen over the years! I have a question: my avatar photo is distorted (really) and I don't know if I missed doing something? I tried another pic but it still is distorted. Please help.

Thanks
Val

Let me see...

And how nice to "see" you all!

Oh I was resisting... but I think maybe I do like it!

Kathy

I like it!!!

I'm pretty neutral about this, but if we're going to have photos, I wish they were facial photos rather than including landscape. It's hard to see some of the folks.

Thanks for trying the idea, though !

Charity

Hi Val,

It could be distorted because you originally uploaded a larger photo and the system is squeezing it into that 80x80 space. If you need help resizing or want to upload another, let me know.

Something I totally forgot about until last night, (for Wendy ), if you don't like the avatars because you feel they clutter the posts, you can also hide them (not just yours but from everyone).

To Hide Avatars and Signatures

Click Go -- Personal Zone -- Preferences
Click the box next to "Yes, hide avatars and signatures for all users"
Page down and click "Submit"

Hi Kim,

I love the Avatars so I do not want to eliminate them from postings! Can you help me with the resizing issue please? I have tried to post many pics to join into requests for photos (i.e. "Sweet") and all are "too large". Have to shamefully admit to my lack of skills

Appreciate the help,
Val

I have to admit that at first I thought this would "crowd" the page and the brain, but I think that it is looking good. Definitely nice to see faces for people you have not had the pleasure to meet. It also makes me think perhaps I should find a more recent picture.

Val, just email me your photo.

I have tried shrinking pictures and they come out awful.

I may have done it.

I tried to shrink one of my own photos.
I followed the instruction given by ST - 80 x 80 pixel - and got a result that is way too blurry. You won't be able to tell if it was Aretha Franklin, Joan Rivers or I. Could be any of us.
. In fact none of the Avatars shown seem to be 80 x 80 pixels, including the one I am using now.
Could mods review this "80x80 pixels" mystery?
(Maybe I do look like Aretha or Joan?)

Hi Kim,

Thank you for the offer of assistance with resizing digital pic. Tried to email using slowtrav email and I keep getting a "failed" message. Also tried PM'ing a pic to Kim to look at size to use as Avatar, and it would not load as "too big".

Val

They max out at 80x80 - it can be smaller on either dimension (so for example your picture is 51x80 as the height was the longer side).

I find cropping works better than resizing sometimes. If anyone is having difficulty using any of the resizing software out there, email me the photo.

Kim, I don't have a current photo. Can you just take mine out completely? I'd rather be a blank than look like an elephant with a misshapen head. Which I do in that picture.

checking if I uploaded mine correctly.

Sometimes I use one of the on-line resizing tools for creating a profile photo. This site works pretty well. Upload the photo, then set the size to 80x80. If the part you want for your avatar doesn't fit in the 80x80 box, then slide down the zoom until it fits and looks good. Then save it to disk and upload it to your Slow Travel Profile.

Hi Marta,

Which network do you select to save the photos?

Val

Eden, was that one of our shots from SB? It's a nice image, but if it is Rob's then it was shot at 12 mp, so definitely needs to be resized.

The two of you photograph so well, great subjects.

I hadn't noticed that setting before, Val. I can see how that might be confusing. I left it at 'Choose' and just changed it to 80x80. Then clicked pictrit. Then you see the pop-up below which allows you to save it to disk or email it to yourself.

Thank you, Wendy... and thanks to Rob for the photo too. I must have taken it from the SLOWBOWL photo album.

I did resize but it still looks blurry. I love the original... It looks like we were really doing some Cabarnet research... LOL

I found that if I resized it skewed but if I cropped with the dimensions (80 px by 80 px) put into the crop (and 72 dpi or ppi whichever it is), I didn't get the skewing and didn't look like "RubberWoman"! BJ

Eden, if you want a copy file, of either of our shots, just let us know. We can email them to you or make a cd. Plz let me know.

Really, the two of you photograph so beautifully together.

quote:

Originally posted by Marta:
I hadn't noticed that setting before, Val. I can see how that might be confusing. I left it at 'Choose' and just changed it to 80x80. Then clicked pictrit. Then you see the pop-up below which allows you to save it to disk or email it to yourself.

Marta,

I cannot get it changed to 80 x 80, as the "1" will not go away so lowest number accepted is 100 x 100. I think I am jinxed. This is when I throw my hands up and give up

Val

100x100 works fine also. I find that if you highlight the number and then type 80, it will replace it. It seems that trying to backspace or delete the number doesn't work.

quote:

Originally posted by Wendy & Rob:
Eden, if you want a copy file, of either of our shots, just let us know. We can email them to you or make a cd. Plz let me know.

Hi Wendy, Thank you for the compliments and the offer. Perhaps you can put it into a CD and I can get it from you in the summer. I will make sure to remind you as we get closer to the summer Monterey GTG. Thanks again.

Please do remind me, Eden. I could also mail it to you, but July works, too. W.