Jump to content

Official Pictures Topic


Than the Moa

Recommended Posts

The Pictures Topic

 

This serves as an FAQ about pictures here in the Q&A forum. Everything you need to know about pictures is here, or is linked to in here. Some of the things we will be covering are:

 

IMAGES AROUND MY NAME

 

  • What is an avatar, and how do I change mine?
  • How do I get the masks to the right of my proto bar?
  • How do I get the pictures under my rank?
  • What is the PE bar under my name?
  • How do I get that spinning mask to the left of my proto bar?

SIGNATURES AND PERSONAL PHOTOS

 

  • How do I get a sig?
  • How do I get an animation in my sig?
  • How do I link images to use in my sig?
  • Am I allowed to use regular images (from the news articles and such) for avatars, sigs, etc.?
  • What are the size limits of sigs and avatars?
  • What info is there about the Personal Photo?

POSTING MY PICTURES

 

  • Are there any guidelines for posted images' dimensions and file sizes on BZP?
  • How do I post pictures?
  • How do I make a picture also be a link?
  • How do I get a picture from my computer to the web?
  • How do you get pics from the web to my computer?
  • How long do upload images remain on BZP?
  • How do I put emoticons in my post, and what is the limit?

EXTRA BUT USEFUL INFO

 

  • How do I get a still image from a moving picture?
  • How do you locate the properties (filesize, image size) of a flash image?
  • Is there anything else I need to know?

Now, onto the answers...

 

IMAGES AROUND MY NAME

 

What is an avatar, and how do I change mine?

 

An avatar is the image right below a member's name. On the new forums, your personal photo is synonymous with your avatar. As such, to change your avatar, you will now need to change your personal photo. To change your avatar click here. This will take you to your control panel. Next, click on "Change your photo..." which is the first option you should see under "General Account Settings." From here, you can upload a photo from your computer, or import a photo from an external URL. Allowed file types are GIFs, JPEGs, and PNGs. Before the November 2nd software update, uploaded avatars smaller than 200x200 pixels would sometimes not display. This should be fixed, however; if you are still experiencing issues, try re-uploading your avatar.

 

Please note that GIFs will not animate anywhere but on the profile pages.Once you have uploaded a photo, you will be asked to crop it. The selection you crop will appear as your avatar on the forums; the uncropped image will appear as your personal photo on your profile page.

 

As a secondary option, you may sync your avatar using Gravatar. Gravatar is an abbreviation for "globally recognized avatar." While the Gravatar service is mostly intended for bloggers and not forum-goers, the IPB software allows you to make use of the service here on BZPower. Once you register your email with Gravatar and upload your photo, you may use that email here to sync your "gravatar" with your BZP avatar.

 

How do I get the masks to the right of my proto bar?

 

You will see that certain members have mask images (some shifting) to the right of their proto bar. Here is what each one represents:

 

  • maskofvictorytiny.gif -- Outstanding BZPower Citizen Copper Mask of Victory
  • copperkomau.gif -- Retired Staff Komau
  • staff-kakama.gif -- Reporter Kakama
  • s-team.gif -- Forum/Blog Assistant Noble Huna
  • staff-akaku.gif -- Forum Leader Akaku
  • team.gif -- Administrator/Global Moderator/Blog Leader Hau

Please do not use these in your avatar and signature or elsewhere without having earned them.

 

How do I get the pictures under my rank?

 

You can get the rank image by being a Premier Member. More info on Premier Membership can be found here.

 

What is the PE bar under my name?

 

This is a visual representation of your standing in BZPower's merit/demerit system. You can learn more about Proto Energy in this topic over here.

 

How do I get that spinning mask to the left of my Proto bar?

 

Members get the spinning masks underneath their name, to the left of their Proto bar, to indicate how long they have been a part of BZPower.

 

  • oneyear.gif 1 year: Vahi
  • twoyear.gif 2 years: Avohkii
  • threeyear.gif 3 years: Great Huna
  • 4year.gif 4 years: Rahaga Norik head
  • 5year.gif 5 years: Olmak
  • sixyear.gif 6 years: Faxon
  • sevenyear.gif 7 years: Ignika
  • eightyear.gif 8 years: Ackar head
  • nineyear.gif 9 years: Hau
  • tenyear.gif 10 years: Hapori Tohu's disembodied yet gloriously spinning head
  • 11year.gif 11 years: Rocka's helmet
  • 12year.gif 12 years: Furno, or something like that
  • 13year.gif 13 years: Breez!
  • 14year.gif14 years: Gali's mask, Gen 2 style

SIGNATURES AND PERSONAL PHOTOS

 

How do I get a sig?

 

To add or edit your sig click here. When editing your signature, please do keep in mind the signature guidelines. There is an 800x300 pixel reference box on that page to allow you to check the legality of your sig's dimensions.

 

How do I get an Flash animation in my sig?

 

For flash images, use the following tags:

[media='width,height']URL HERE[/media]

Put the width and height where indicated; however, I believe if left blank, the image's default dimensions will be used.

 

Am I allowed to use images from the news articles and such for avatars, sigs, etc.?

 

Yes, but it would be appreciated if you saved the images and hosted them through an image-hosting site or your own site as opposed to taking them directly from BZPower. It is true that we no longer enforce the direct-linking policy; however, it is considered courteous not to link directly from this site.

 

What are the size limits of sigs and avatars?

 

The file size of your avatar and signature may not pass 250 kB COMBINED. Your entire signature is limited to a space of 800x300 pixels. You can use any combination of up to ten images and text to fill this area. Should you use an 800x300 image, however, you will have no room for additional text. Larger images have larger file sizes, so please do always check the file size.

 

What info is there about the Personal Photo?

 

Your personal photo appears on your profile page and is now synonymous with your avatar. To change it, go here and select "Change your photo..." Keep in mind the following rules:

 

  • All photos must be no larger than 250 kB in file size.
  • Allowed file types: .gif, .jpg, and .png.

POSTING MY PICTURES

 

Are there any guidelines for posted images' dimensions and file sizes on BZP?

 

Yes, all posted images must be within 750 kilobytes. As for dimensions, the board software will automatically scale down large images, but keep in mind that this will not reduce the file size.

 

How do I post pictures?

 

You post pictures by pressing the IMG button in the rich text editor (image.png). Then, paste in the image's URL.

 

How do I make a picture also be a link?

 

Using the rich text editor:

1. Click the "Image" button on the top bar and use this to insert your picture.

 

2. Highlight/select the picture using your mouse.

 

3. Click the "Link" button on the top bar (bottom row) and type in or paste the URL that you want the picture to direct to.

 

Using BBCode:

Use this code:

[url=URL here][img=URL of Image Here][/URL]

How do I get a picture from my computer to the web?

 

To get a picture here, you must do one of two things:

 

  • Upload directly by being Premier; for more info on this, GO HERE.
  • Upload it to a hosting site, then copy and paste the URL.

How do you get pics from the web to my computer?

 

Right click on the image, and select the save option from the drop-down menu. If you wish to use the image on BZPower, upload it to Brickshelf (if it's LEGO-related), Majhost (if it's not), or any other image-hosting site first. Then, use the image's URL and the steps above to post it here.

 

How long do uploaded images remain on BZP?

 

Avatars that are uploaded will stay until you remove them.

 

How do I put emoticons in my post, and what is the limit?

 

To get emoticons into your post, click the " :)" icon on the top bar. This will bring up a list at the bottom of the post field. Use the small blue arrows to navigate, or click "Show All" to bring up a menu.The current limit is fifteen, but let's not go overboard and abuse the system; please try to use only a moderate amount.

 

EXTRA BUT USEFUL INFO

 

How do I get a still image from an animated picture?

 

When the animation reaches the frame you want, press the "Print Screen" button on your keyboard, which will save the image. Then paste the image in an image-editing program.

 

How do you locate the properties (filesize, image size) of a flash image?

 

There are two ways you can do this:

 

  • You could right click on the page (not on an image) and select View Source to see the HTML.
  • The file is also stored in your browser cache if you want to look at it, but it could be scaled on the page, so the sizes could be different.

Also, let it be known that you may use flash files if they do not "disrupt the page," be it by automatically playing music, closing the window, or causing pop-ups. This is prohibited -- if you don't know whether or not it's okay, ask a Q&A staff member.

 

Is there anything else I need to know?

 

When quoting someone with a picture in the post, it is preferred that you do not keep the picture in the reply. Go down to the Quote box and delete it, or better, link it. It is especially preferred that you refrain from quoting very large images.

 

Feel free to use this topic for any image-related questions you may have; however, we do please ask that you search through the post above for your answer before you post.

 

Recent Updates:

07/24/2014: Updated sig+av combined file size limit (250 kB) and other limits (750 kB).

01/09/2014: Fixed formatting issues.

Edited by -Windrider-

Yo.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...

You can now only upload things from your computer or with Gravatar. The box is probably due to the image not being 200x200 or more -- since profile pics and avatars are the same now, you gotta use a bigger picture. newso1.png

"As a writer you ask yourself to dream while awake." ~ Aimee Bender

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I noted that there doesn't seem to be a size limit mentioned for pictures in posts. Has this been done away with since the move, or was it just something forgotten along the way?

69 Days to a Better Body

Days left: 45 | Days completed: 24 | Yesterday: Shoulder's & Glutes - Today's: Triceps - Tomorrow's: Biceps

Miles Completed: 123(+2 Miles) | Today's Time: 1H

8330_s.gif

Exercise time was too bloody hard to fix...forgot to track a few days...sorry.

 

MOCs: Sah n Dibum - Vehicles Part 1 - Mouldi Pheats - Daleks

Stories: Adventures in the LegoVerse

Interesting Stuff: Shows You're Watching

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the Kb limit I understand, but I was thinking more along the lines of pixel size. I mean, obviously we don't want anyone posted 3000X3000 pictures in every post, but what is the set-in-stone rule at the moment?

69 Days to a Better Body

Days left: 45 | Days completed: 24 | Yesterday: Shoulder's & Glutes - Today's: Triceps - Tomorrow's: Biceps

Miles Completed: 123(+2 Miles) | Today's Time: 1H

8330_s.gif

Exercise time was too bloody hard to fix...forgot to track a few days...sorry.

 

MOCs: Sah n Dibum - Vehicles Part 1 - Mouldi Pheats - Daleks

Stories: Adventures in the LegoVerse

Interesting Stuff: Shows You're Watching

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There used to be a problem with what we'd call "screen-stretching" where an image was so wide that it extended the dimensions of a topic's page itself, and members had to scroll horizontally, to the right, in order to see the whole image. This was bad. These pictures would always be edited into links by the moderators. But no more! According to B6's April 23rd post on the old forums,

BZPower's forum software will automatically resize very large images so they don't require users to scroll left and right to see them. This does not, however, affect the filesize of the images.

So it would appear that screen-stretching is some antediluvian relic. I am assuming this feature is still present in the upgrade. Let me test it. untitled.gifYes! It still works. My egregiously long banner-like image was resized to fit the page. Because of this auto-resize feature, in theory the only limiting factor for a posted image is its file size. And for this, the 500 kB rule remains in place. There is no rule for an image's dimensions, save for in BBC (and I assume SBC), where there is a 640x640 pixel constraint. However, we must not forget common courtesy. I for one do not like to have to scroll vertically in order to view a whole image. I would rather click on a link to that image so that my viewing pleasure be not interrupted by the grating clicks of the scroll wheel. There is no rule for this, but if an image is exceedingly tall (and somehow manages to come short of the kB limit), then I would consider just making a direct link to it. So I suppose that with the resize feature, it comes down to using your own judgment. When in doubt, just link to the image. Usually, it is the more aesthetic option. Edited by -Windrider-
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The box is probably due to the image not being 200x200 or more -- since profile pics and avatars are the same now, you gotta use a bigger picture. newso1.png

well my avatar is exactly 200x200, and it doesnt work as the profile pic!

Visit www.BZPRPG.com to view my project of archiving BZPower's RPGs, and also access the BZPower Roleplaying Wiki

BZPRPG Profiles - Ghosts Of Bara Magna Profiles

Exo-Force RPG Profiles - Six Kingdoms: Apocalypse (Knichou, Berys, Arnex, The Taku, Exuze)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Other members have had this same problem. Unfortunately, it appears that the dimensions need to be > 200 pixels, not ≥. In other words, a 201x201 picture should display just fine, but a 200x200 one won't.The administration is aware of the problem and will hopefully fix it soontm. Until then, just resize your image to be larger than 200x200 and your photo should be displayed in your profile.Edit: As of November 2nd, this issue should be resolved with the upgrade to 3.2.3. Try re-uploading your photos. Edited by -Windrider-
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been having trouble accessing my Avatar settings. When I click the link it says I need to log in (even if I already have), and after I do so it says that I do not have permission to access the settings. Has anyone else had this problem? "That is not dead which can eternal lie, / And with strange aeons een death may die."

bionicle_2017_banner_3c.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been having trouble accessing my Avatar settings. When I click the link it says I need to log in (even if I already have), and after I do so it says that I do not have permission to access the settings. Has anyone else had this problem?

The link you are using, the one under "What is an avatar, and how do I change mine?" is outdated and was used for the old forum. To change your avatar (also called your photo) here on the new board, first go to your settings: untitled3.jpgand then the first option you see should be "Change your photo." Use this to upload a new avatar. Just make sure the dimensions of whatever you are uploading are larger than 200x200 pixels, and that the filesize is less than 100 kB. Edited by -Windrider-
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Err... How do I resize a picture? The one I want to use for my Avatar is a bit enormous:http://img.ponibooru.org/_images/d94bd19d2621897f6d0f9ff054066789/69146%20-%20like_a_boss%20minigun%20sunglasses%20twilight_sparkle.png

Signature Guidelines: Signature may not exceed the 800x300 limit. For more reference use the box located in your signature editor.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The picture changed my Personal photo, not my Avatar...

*Is confused

I went into my CP, clicked on the change photo button, and used the picture you made, but it didn't change my Avatar, just the Pic on my Profile.

Signature Guidelines: Signature may not exceed the 800x300 limit. For more reference use the box located in your signature editor.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm trying to put a custom content block in my blog, but (this regards the image) I have put media tags around this to try to make it work.here it is http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/ryo786/BZP/clone_trooper_hapori_tohu.gif

Visit www.BZPRPG.com to view my project of archiving BZPower's RPGs, and also access the BZPower Roleplaying Wiki

BZPRPG Profiles - Ghosts Of Bara Magna Profiles

Exo-Force RPG Profiles - Six Kingdoms: Apocalypse (Knichou, Berys, Arnex, The Taku, Exuze)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok I keep doing it but then I check my avatar and it hasn't changed well not for me.This is what I want it to be http://www.majhost.c...hbackground.png

It's showing that avatar for me, at least.

I'm trying to put a custom content block in my blog, but (this regards the image) I have put media tags around this to try to make it work.here it is http://www.brickshel...hapori_tohu.gif

Use the IMG tags:
[IMG=http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/ryo786/BZP/clone_trooper_hapori_tohu.gif]
The image is a little large, so you might want to scale it down before you put it in your blog. Edited by -Windrider-
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

I went and updated the old links in the first post to their equivalents on the new boards, including Control Panel and topic links.I also added an updated explanation on how to change your avatar. I held off on the Gravatar explanation as I am not familiar with its workings.There were a few minor edits, too, such as changing "ask an ST" to "ask a Forum Mentor." :PIf anyone finds something that needs fixing, please let me know in a PM.EDIT: I added the Gravatar information and did another general revision: some outdated info has been removed, some instances of improper grammar fixed, links bolded, etc.

Edited by -Windrider-
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
Personally, I use frufru's Image Randomizer, though you're limited to 1500 hits/day. If you have your own web space, you should be able to set up an unlimited randomizer fairly easily; try googling for a tutorial. Edited by GSR

Hey: I'm not very active around BZP right now.  However, you can always contact me through PM (I have email notifications set up) and I will reply as soon as I can.


Useful Topics: The Q&A Compendium | The Official RPG Planning Topic
Stories: Fractures | An Aftermath | Three Stories | LSO 2012 Epics: Team Three | The Shadow and the Sea | The Days They Were Needed | Glitches | Transformations | Echoes | The Kaita and the Storyteller | Nui

BZPRPG: Komae · Soraya · Bohrei

Blog: Defendant Lobby no. 42

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

I was wondering: sometimes when I change my avatar there is a kinda "lag" before It shows instead of my old avatar. sometimes up to multiple days. what is the average time before the forum updates my avatar?

Edited by Bulik

Visit www.BZPRPG.com to view my project of archiving BZPower's RPGs, and also access the BZPower Roleplaying Wiki

BZPRPG Profiles - Ghosts Of Bara Magna Profiles

Exo-Force RPG Profiles - Six Kingdoms: Apocalypse (Knichou, Berys, Arnex, The Taku, Exuze)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was wondering: sometimes when I change my avatar there is a kinda "lag" before It shows instead of my old avatar. sometimes up to multiple days. what is the average time before the forum updates my avatar?

If you want a lag of no more than a few seconds, clear your browser cache after updating your avatar. ;)~Gata. ;)

- Gata

signoffLarge.png

 

Please don't use my avatar or signature without permission, thanks! ^_^

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i got question hereseveral days ago i posted three MOCs in bbc topic (link in my sig), the next day i open it to reveal that all the images' size have been reduced to thumbnail size by the admin with the reason of file size exceeding 100 kb, now i wanna ask does resizing image actually reduce the size ? and if yes how do i do that in bzp ? thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What -Wind- did was simply post the thumbnail brickshelf provided to link to the full image. Yes, resizing the image does reduce the filesize of the image -- for example, the thumbnail is ~3.5 KB whereas the full image ~265 KB. However, there is no way to resize the image on BZP. You could do what Wind did (as in, you post the thumbnail and link that to the larger image), or you could resize the larger image yourself and then post it on BZPower. To resize the image yourself you'll need some sort of photo editing program -- one program that's free is Gimp, but a little tricky to use. Another way to reduce the filesize of the image would be to reduce the quality. newso1.png

"As a writer you ask yourself to dream while awake." ~ Aimee Bender

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a question. My old signature consisted of this:

[url="http://www.bzpower.com/board/index.php?showtopic=2793"][img=http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn27/Toa_Z/Banner%20Shop/Toarobot.jpg][/url]
Now, when I try to replace it with my own image, using this code:
[url="http://www.bzpower.com/board/index.php?showtopic=2793"][img=http://i43.rc743/11c9ocg.jpg][/url]
It doesn't work; I get a broken image. Any ideas?Thanks, Toarobot

nban.jpg

Credit to Zeddy! ------------------- Click the banner above!

And please also enjoy my other fine comedies:

The Bionicle Entrepreneur - Nuva Join the Navy - Toy Wars - A Comedy of Comics

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Edit: Oops, thought your problem was with the link; I see it's with the image.Perhaps use brickshelf or some other hosting site? Then it should work.newso1.png

Edited by Velox

"As a writer you ask yourself to dream while awake." ~ Aimee Bender

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry, misread your post (yes it is broken for me, too); try using a different image hosting site such as Brickshelf, photobucket, etc. It looks like it's a problem with the actual image, not the coding.newso1.png

Edited by Velox

"As a writer you ask yourself to dream while awake." ~ Aimee Bender

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hm. The website is a subsidiary of Photobucket, and I've never had issues with their hosting with images posted on other websites, so it must be a BZP interaction thing or this particular image. I'll see what I can do. I think I created another image-hosting account somewhere...

nban.jpg

Credit to Zeddy! ------------------- Click the banner above!

And please also enjoy my other fine comedies:

The Bionicle Entrepreneur - Nuva Join the Navy - Toy Wars - A Comedy of Comics

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, it looks to me like part of that got filtered for some reason, or that you accidentally cut out part of the URL. It's definitely not a valid URL.

Hey: I'm not very active around BZP right now.  However, you can always contact me through PM (I have email notifications set up) and I will reply as soon as I can.


Useful Topics: The Q&A Compendium | The Official RPG Planning Topic
Stories: Fractures | An Aftermath | Three Stories | LSO 2012 Epics: Team Three | The Shadow and the Sea | The Days They Were Needed | Glitches | Transformations | Echoes | The Kaita and the Storyteller | Nui

BZPRPG: Komae · Soraya · Bohrei

Blog: Defendant Lobby no. 42

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...