Starmen.Net

Okay, new thread, primarily so people know that I’m the Avatar Czar, so direct all inquiries to me. Also, some avatars have been too big lately, so I made the size guidelines a little clearer. Other than that, everything else is the same.

The Basics:

Requesting an Avatar: “Can I Have One?”

You can request an avatar regardless of whether you’ve earned one or not, but you have to earn one before you can use any of the avatar designs people make for you.

If you already have an avatar, you can change it once every calendar year (excluding temporary changes allowed for seasonal fanvatar events). If you want to change it more often than that, you’ll have to earn it!

Designing an Avatar: “What’s In It For Me?”

You can design an avatar for anyone, but if it doesn’t get used on the Starmen.Net forums, you won’t get anything for it.

For each avatar of yours that gets used on the forums, you get a prize! (Fanvatar badges courtesy of the lovely Meeellla.)

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• A brand new car! Your very own avatar!

Using Your Shiny New Avatar: “I’ll Take That One, Please.”

Once you’ve decided which avatar you want to use (provided you’ve earned it), send me (Falcon24) a PM with a link to the image, and I’ll get it set up for you as soon as I can.

Please do not PM me a link to the post with your avatar in it (the post will get lost somewhere down the page when all the images load), or quote the post with your avatar in it/make a post in this topic telling me which avatar you want to use (there’s a good chance I’ll never see it).

Fanvatar Guidelines:

Design/content:

• Your fanvatar design should incorporate the forum name of the person you’re designing it for. In other words, fanvatars should be nametags, or “namevatars.”
• Fanvatar designs should NOT incorporate any language or imagery that is crude of offensive in nature.
• Animations are acceptable, but must be subtle.

Technical Stuff:

Image Size:

• Max area (width x height): 9,500 px
• Max height: 80 px (width must be 118 px or less).
• Max width: 150 px (height must be 63 px or less).
• It’s a good idea to leave a few pixels of “breathing room” around the edges.
• Note that an avatar that is 150×80 is NOT acceptable. If your avatar has a height of 80, the width can be no greater than 118. Similarly, an avatar with a width of 150 can be no higher than 63. A lot of people have missed this lately.

Accepted File Types:

• 24-bit .PNG with alpha transparency (Recommended)
• 8-bit .PNG (matte color must be #1b2957)
• .GIF (matte color must be #1b2957)
• Absolutely NO BITMAPS (we will hunt you down).

File Names:

Please name your avatar after the person you’re making it for. Example: if you’re making a .png avatar for reidman, the filename should be “reidman.png” (don’t name it “avatar.png”)

Maximum accepted file size is 24 kB

General Guidelines:

Avatar Requesters:

• Try to be specific in your requests. Don’t just say “make something up,” or “hey I want an avatar.” Give everyone something to work with – an image, concept, style, etc.
• If you’ve already earned an avatar, set a deadline so that people know how much time they have to work with.
• Be humble and thankful. If you’re a jerk, you won’t get an avatar. Period.

Avatar Designers:

• Feel free to make an avatar for anyone, but don’t bug people about them, especially if they haven’t requested one.
• If someone doesn’t like your design, get over it.
• Follow the guidelines. If I have to edit your avatar, you won’t get a badge for it.
• Help each other! If someone doesn’t know how to do something, teach them.
• Get permission before using other people’s stuff in your designs
• Feel free to edit avatars for transparency, animation, touch-ups, etc., but don’t expect to get a badge just for touching up someone else’s work!

And Finally – How to Earn an Avatar/Redesign:

• Create four or more fanvatars that starmen.net members use here in the forums
• Donate $50 US or more.
• Win one in a funfest or other contest/event
• Do something very awesome in the eyes of the administrators (don’t bug them for one either, or you’ll probably never get one if you do)

Link to old thread

So, somebody gave me this avatar. It’s one that Katon made a while ago for me. Whoever bestowed this avatar upon me, thank you. I’m curious as to why I got it though. Not complaining or anything.

One down, three to go

Hey Phones, not to be pushy, but you never really told me if you were going to start on a mockup of the new avatar. Just asking for clarification is all.

Or better yet, this.

I’ll try. This may take a bit though.
Edit: Ok, I have the mask cut out. now to make the YMJ.

I changed my mind about the fanvatar I want; only problem is that I can’t transparentize images. Well, I can using an image service, but I can’t transparentize things with anti-aliased edges, because they end up looking messy. I made a mockup of what I want, and I’d love it if someone could just about replicate what I did and transparentize it so it looks good on a white background. Resources:

http://www.iaza.com/work/081109C/Officer_Pizza61462.PNG

http://www.dafont.com/orange-book.font

And the mockup:

Yes, there is meant to be a subtle glow in the upper left corner of each letter, and a glow behind him putting him in the ‘spotlight’.

The original sprite is in my link. Here’s the base. I intended for it to be an example which is why I put a dark background there already.

I mean the sprite in my other post:

OfficerJordan:

http://www.iaza.com/work/081109C/Officer_Pizza61462.PNG

Well, it isn’t exactly what I was looking for, but thanks for the attempt. I think that what I’m looking for probably needs someone else. (I’m going to give a better explanation)

OK. Well:

See how Falcon24’s “glow” blends into any background?

And, you see how the font has a blurred edge?

I provided the materials (base sprite and place to download the font), so that someone could do the image from scratch, make their own glow, and then transparentize it. Basically it would work so that the “edges” and the “glow” would fade into any background.

The image I had was really just a mock-up to show how I wanted it to look on the forum’s dark background when it was done.

Ah, thank you! That is most definitely the fanvatar I will use when the time comes.

listen:
if you make the avatar, and someone makes the transparency, YOU GET THE CREDIT.
trust me, it happened to me a few times. someone made the avatar, i made transparency… they get credit.

it’s ironic that i make ones for people without money or permission, but i edit ones for people who make ones for others that DO have permission and money.

Is it possible to do transparency in Paint? Because I lack Photoshop. Sad really
And while I’m here, How about making me an avatar that I’ll use when it’s time. The stuff I create just doesn’t work out for me. I also have an idea for Eyes5, but I would need Photoshop for that idea though. Is it possible to get credit for making an avatar if someone else made it but you told them what you wanted, or is the credit sent to the person who actually made it?

I’d try making an avatar for you, but you didn’t specify anything.

here’s one for mini saturn:

i have a pic for doreamon, but it’s a BMP at this pint, don’t want to post it.

Ahgrat ukmar.

gBev:

Phones, just a quick question.

I think that The Ultimate Chimera said a while back that you were the one that made "this":http://forum.starmen.net/forum/Fan/Forum/40959/page/26#post1039776 avatar, I just want to be sure.

Oh yeah! I remember that one! Yes I made that. My brother The Ultimate Chimera asked me to make that for him. Looking at it now, I think I can do a MUCH better job. Would you like me to try?

How ’bout this?
EDIT: I just realized the top and bottom of the glow are messed up… if you want, I can change that.

I wonder if you could fade the edges out around the clouds. That might look a bit better, but of course it’s not my avatar to dictate ;D

Geez, both of those look so awesome, it’s hard to choose.

I just have one more request:
Could you make a version where the beverage would be in the center instead? That would be great
(The one with the full clouds would be the best for this one)

No problem. But I thought everyone had off tomorrow because of Veteran’s Day? Maybe just me

Either way, I just draw all day.

for people who are working on my avatar, I’ll put my username in Japanese for those who want to make it a bit shorter and maybe a bit shnazier:サタん ミニ
those who actually know how to write in Japanese please correct me if I’m wrong

Here we go, gBev.