How to Upload Animated Avatars - Jeans

[Math Jeans]

Hello. I have seen a few animated avatars appear on the forums, however, whenever I try to upload an animated picture, I get told that animated pictures cannot be uploaded.

Is there a trick around this?

-Jeans

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Save the avatar gif file on your computer. On your userpage here at PF, enter the source for the avatar as the url, and your saved gif as the file.

There may be an easier way, but that's what worked for me.

 

[Redbelly98]

Save the avatar gif file on your computer. On your userpage here at PF, enter the source for the avatar as the url, and your saved gif as the file.

Isn't that just the same procedure as uploading a normal avatar from ones computer? I think Math Jeans can do that, but the problem is when the avatar happens to be an animated gif. Which is weird, because I upload animated gif's the same way I do normal avatars without any problems.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Isn't that just the same procedure as uploading a normal avatar from ones computer? I think Math Jeans can do that, but the problem is when the avatar happens to be an animated gif. Which is weird, because I upload animated gif's the same way I do normal avatars without any problems.

It may be that I'm doing it the hard way, but that was the first thing that worked for me.

 

[FredGarvin]

I upload animated gif's the same way I do normal avatars without any problems.

I get a message saying no animated images allowed. You must be special.

 

[Astronuc]

I wonder if it has to do with the date on which one joined. Perhaps the older accounts have some restriction that the newer accounts do not?

 

[Kurdt]

I just tried with redbelly's and loaded it fine and I'm ancient in PF terms. Remember there are other restrictions on avatars such as file size and pixel size.

 

[FredGarvin]

Size shouldn't be an issue. This is the only response I get...

 

[Math Jeans]

I just tried with redbelly's and loaded it fine and I'm ancient in PF terms. Remember there are other restrictions on avatars such as file size and pixel size.

The pic that I am trying to upload is well under the size and pixel restrictions. I just can't get it to upload.

Lucky me.

 

[robphy]

A while back [at least a year ago], when I saw someone had an animated avatar, I tried to update mine to one. But I got the same "cannot upload animated images" error. More recently [a few months ago], when I saw that someone had updated theirs to an animated avatar, I tried the same animated avatar again... and it worked. [My "Recognitions" have been the same for at least a year.]

So, try, try again... (?)

 

[Ivan Seeking]

The pic that I am trying to upload is well under the size and pixel restrictions. I just can't get it to upload.

Lucky me.

Did you try what I suggested? Are you uploading from a website or your computer?

 

[Math Jeans]

Did you try what I suggested? Are you uploading from a website or your computer?

Yes. I tried both.

 

[Redbelly98]

Hmmm, not that there should be any connection here, but:

Redbelly98, robphy, Kurdt: CAN upload animated avatars, and have received Visitor Messages on their profile page.

Math Jeans, FredGarvin: CANNOT upload animated avatars, and HAVEN'T received any Visitor Messages on their profile page.

Just for the heck of it, I'll be posting a VM to Math Jeans after posting this. MJ, see if that does anything with your avatar ability.

EDIT: I had a similar theory with Blog entries, but Kurdt has no blog entries yet can do animated avatars. Anyway, this totally a long shot, it would mean some weird bug or glitch is at work.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Yes. I tried both.

Could you provide a link? I'll be glad to see if it works for me.

 

[Math Jeans]

Could you provide a link? I'll be glad to see if it works for me.

Sure: http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee117/CorrectJeans/Givedamn.gif

Unfortunately, this may have to wait momentarily because my PF membership just ran out (great timing, eh?). I'll renew it a little later and get back to you.

-Jeans

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Sure: http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee117/CorrectJeans/Givedamn.gif

Funny!

Unfortunately, this may have to wait momentarily because my PF membership just ran out (great timing, eh?). I'll renew it a little later and get back to you.

-Jeans

Ugh!

I was able to get it to upload but it only displayed a static image.

 

[Kurdt]

I managed to upload it and it was animated but I had to resize it to the 75 x 75 pixel limit rather than the 100 x 100 of the original.

It still doesn't explain why some get error messages though.

 

[Math Jeans]

Ok. I renewed my membership, and luckily for me, it also restored all of my previous contribution status settings. Horray!

What my real question is is whether the edit that prohibits animated avatars was deliberate or accidental. Something with such a clear message doesn't look like it came accidentally, but it could also be an inherint program built into this particular web format.

 

[Math Jeans]

Well, I was just poking around the general discussion threads, and I saw Janus with the animated avatar that I've been trying to upload. No fair!

 

[Janus]

Ivan PMed me to see if I could help, so I was playing around to see if I could get it to work. I came up with the same solution as Kurdt. Re-size the image. As you saw, it worked for me. I have now gone back to my original avatar. (It took awhile as I has to find which CD-ROM I had archived it to.)

 

[Math Jeans]

Ivan PM me to see if I could help, so I was playing around to see if I could get it to work. I came up with the same solution as Kurdt. Re-size the image. As you saw, it worked for me. I have now gone back to my original avatar. (It took awhile as I has to find which CD-ROM I had archived it to.)

Yes. I just noticed that you had changed it back and was just about to edit my post to say so .

OK. So I went ahead and tried re-sizing the image to 75x75. Same problem, unfortunately.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Thanks, Janus.

Kurdt or Janus, how exactly did you enter the information in the user panel? Did you just link the url or upload it as a file from your computer?

 

[Kurdt]

I uploaded from my computer. I don't think the url upload is working very well. redbelly made a thread about that a few days ago.

 

[Redbelly98]

The symptoms are completely different when trying to enter an avatar from a URL, at least for me. Animated or not, I get this when I try to use a URL:

vBulletin Message
Upload failed due to failure writing temporary file.​

FYI, Kurdt is referring to this thread:
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=279096

 

[Janus]

Thanks, Janus.

Kurdt or Janus, how exactly did you enter the information in the user panel? Did you just link the url or upload it as a file from your computer?

Uploaded from my computer. I had to save the animated GIF from the link to my computer first, and then re-sized it with Animation Shop Pro.

 

[Math Jeans]

and then re-sized it with Animation Shop Pro.

You can't just use Paint? That's what I did unless I did something wrong.

 

[Evo]

You can't just use Paint? That's what I did unless I did something wrong.

You can use any software that allows you to resize.

 

[Redbelly98]

You can't just use Paint? That's what I did unless I did something wrong.

I just tried resizing an animated gif in Paint. Then when I saved the file, it was no longer animated. It was just a gif of the 1st frame in the animation.

Are you sure the file is still animated after you save it from Paint? The file currently linked to in post #15 is not.

 

[physics girl phd]

I just had a creepy thought about Kurdt's new avatar lifting its eyebrow.

 

[Kurdt]

I just had a creepy thought about Kurdt's new avatar lifting its eyebrow.

Muahaha!

Nothing like a creepy avatar to get the ladies talking. Evo has already expressed her fear of it.

 

[Redbelly98]

Back to our regularly scheduled thread.

I found the 100x100 original version here

I saved it onto my hard drive, then tried to make it my avatar. I did not get any error message, BUT the image was automatically resized to 75x75 AND it was no longer animated. My avatar became the 1st frame of the animation.

So, it looks like editing these files requires a special software that specifically handles animated gif's. A freeware program that does this is Microsoft GIF Animator (which I have been using):
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/win/12053

Jeans, you might try downloading that and seeing what you can do with it. It won't do the resizing, but you could save the individual frames as individual files, resize those in Paint, then put the resized frames back together using the GIF Animator program.

A question I have is, have you definitely tried an avatar that is animated AND of correct size (less than 75x75 pixels and 19.5 kB)? So far we have only seen an oversized 100x100 file as well as a non-animated 75x75 one.

Regards,

Mark

 

[Kurdt]

I think Janus and myself managed to have an animated version after we resized it but I used photoshop.

 

[FredGarvin]

Redbelly,
I tried DL'ing your animated avatar to my computer and then use it for mine. I still get the no no message I posted earlier.

Thanks for the link. I have been looking for something like that.

 

[Evo]

I think Janus and myself managed to have an animated version after we resized it but I used photoshop.

I must have used another software than paint, it's been awhile.

 

[Lisa!]

My avatar was too animated that it's been able to escap from here!

 

[Math Jeans]

I just tried resizing an animated gif in Paint. Then when I saved the file, it was no longer animated. It was just a gif of the 1st frame in the animation.

Are you sure the file is still animated after you save it from Paint? The file currently linked to in post #15 is not.

Yeah, sorry about that. I kinda messed around with the photo a bit on photobucket.

 

[Proton Soup]

i've noticed that my browser will play animated gifs just fine, even when the file extension has been renamed to jpg. maybe try lying. rename your gif to jpg and see if it works.

 

[Redbelly98]

In another thread I heard about this website:
http://www.smileygenerator.us/tools/animation_tools/gifresize/index.php
which will resize gif files, even animated ones. That should help with resizing the "give a damn" image and keeping the animation.

As for the problem of some users unable to upload animations, that's another matter.

 

[macarino]

I like animation avatar, and I like to have a signatuer :sad:
Why the forums don't let users freely edit it ?

...I am thinking...Hmmmm Is it because science forums have many members or visitors who are not actually good at web/internet ?

 

[Redbelly98]

You can have an avatar and a signature if you become a Contributor. Click on "Upgrade", at the top left of this web page, for more details. The cost is 15 $US.

 

[wavering]

I too am getting the message that I cannot have an animated avator. The engine (vBulletin) that powers this forum is used elsewhere and I seem to remember having the same problem on another forum (Xtreme VB)

I think maybe there is a restriction that animated avators are only allowed if you have made a certain number of posts? Anybody know?

eg see:

http://www.xtremevbtalk.com/showthread.php?p=1325264&highlight=avatars+number+of+posts#post1325264

 

[Hootenanny]

I too am getting the message that I cannot have an animated avator. The engine (vBulletin) that powers this forum is used elsewhere and I seem to remember having the same problem on another forum (Xtreme VB)

I think maybe there is a restriction that animated avators are only allowed if you have made a certain number of posts? Anybody know?

eg see:

http://www.xtremevbtalk.com/showthread.php?p=1325264&highlight=avatars+number+of+posts#post1325264

Hi wavering,

Only contributing members or staff (Mentors, Administrators, Homework Helpers and Science Advisers) can set Avatars.

 

[wavering]

Only contributing members or staff (Mentors, Administrators, Homework Helpers and Science Advisers) can set Avatars.

Sorry, I do not understand! When you say "set Avatars" what does that mean? Do you mean "HAVE Avatars"? Or did you mean to say "have ANIMATED avatars"?

Can you clarify?

 

[Kurdt]

It means only those members stated can have avatars. You, wavering not being one of the members stated can not have an avatar whether it be animated or not.

 

[Redbelly98]

And to find out how to become a member, click the "Upgrade" link at the top left of this page. It's $15.00 for 1 year.

 

[Math Jeans]

I tried converting my .gif to a .jpg, but I ended up with a series of images rather than a single animated one.

 

[Kurdt]

Its still odd how it doesn't work when its resized like redbelly and I have managed to do.

 

[Proton Soup]

I tried converting my .gif to a .jpg, but I ended up with a series of images rather than a single animated one.

yeah, the jpg standard doesn't support animation AFAIK. what i referred to above is not converting the file, just changing the extension(renaming it). my browser seems to recognize and play gifs even when they are mis-named.

 

[Math Jeans]

yeah, the jpg standard doesn't support animation AFAIK. what i referred to above is not converting the file, just changing the extension(renaming it). my browser seems to recognize and play gifs even when they are mis-named.

That didn't work either.