For example, if you post in gaming forums, consider using an image of your favorite video game character. If you post on car forums, choose an image of your favorite make and model.
For example, if you chose the name of your favorite comic book hero, you can use an image of that character as your avatar. If your username is “HorseRider”, then you might want to choose an image of a horse.
For example, if you’ve taken the time to cultivate a zany personality, your avatar should probably be off-the-wall and random.
Click the rectangular selection tool and select just the subject. Copy it to the clipboard and then open a new file in your image editor. Paste the copied piece so that only the subject is on your canvas.
Some forums may allow rectangular avatars instead of just squares. Some forums may allow very large avatars.
Whether you choose to scale or crop depends entirely on the subject and size of the image. If the subject takes up the entire image, such as a picture of a car, then scaling will ensure that it is all included in the avatar. If just a part of the subject will work for your avatar, such as a face, then you could crop out just that part. You can do a combination of the two as well. For example, if you have a picture of a superhero that’s way too big, you could scale it down a bit and then crop out just the head so that it fits the dimensions. When scaling an entire image, be aware that changing the proportions will result in a stretched or squished image. For example, if your original image is rectangular and you scale it down into a square, the image will be appear squished together. Crop your image first to meet the proportions the avatar dimensions to avoid this.
At this point, you may be finished. You can upload your avatar using the upload function in your user profile. If you want to add effects or text to your avatar, read on.
If you’re going to add text, it’s recommended that you use an image editing program like Photoshop or GIMP, as they provide a lot more options for fonts and scaling than programs like Paint. See this guide for details on adding text using Photoshop.
Add a drop shadow to make your avatar appear more three-dimensional. Adjust the lighting to make a picture appear sunlit. Add a glitter effect to make your avatar sparkle. Add lightning to your avatar to make it more fearsome. Turn your avatar into a blueprint to make it look more mechanical.