How to Upload Icons to LiveJournal

LiveJournal icons are small 100 x 100 pixel images that help identify you in your posts and comments. These icons, or userpics, need to become a part of the LiveJournal system before you can add them to entries. In just a few quick steps you can upload icons to LiveJournal and get your creative images online!

Things You'll Need

• 100x100 pixel, 40KB journal icons in JPG, GIF, or PNG format

Instructions

1. 

   Go to "Profile" then "Manage Userpics" on your LiveJournal main menu bar.

2. 

   Locate the "Upload a New Userpic" section on the "Manage Userpics" page. It should be in a blue box on the left of your screen.

3. 

   Click the "Browse" button next to the box for "From File". A menu box will appear where you can search for your saved journal icons.

4. 

   Select the icon you want. The name of that icon should appear in the "File Name" box. Click "Open" to choose that icon for uploading. (An icon must meet LJ's requirements: 100 x 100 pixels; JPG, GIF, or PNG format; 40KB or less).

5. 

   Choose the "From URL" option if you have journal icons saved on a website or photo sharing service, rather than your hard drive. Type in the exact web address of the icon image.

6. 

   Enter keywords that help you identify the icon. When you make a post or comment, you choose an icon from a drop down menu that only lists these keywords. The keywords can also be where you list credit for the maker of the icon, either yourself or another artist. Credit can also be given in the comments section, which can be viewed on your userpic page and read by your LiveJournal friends list. The comments section can have any additional information about the icon you want to give that the keywords don't always make clear. Please note that keywords separated by commas will be alphabetized, so if you want your keywords to appear exactly as you've entered them, don't use commas. The LJ system is also case-sensitive.

7. 

   Check the "Make this your default userpic" button if you want this icon on your main user info page. The icon will also appear at the top of your LiveJournal menu, and will be the icon added to your posts and comments if you don't specifically choose another one. Press the "Proceed" button when you are finished entering all information.

8. 

   Look for a message bar that says "Your userpic has been successfully uploaded". Your new icon should appear in the "Current userpics" section on the right side of your screen. As you can see in the screen capture, you can verify and edit your keywords and comments and choose to make this icon the default. If you alter any part of the icon information, be sure to click the "Save settings" button at the bottom of the icon list. Your LiveJournal icon is now uploaded and ready to be used.

Tips & Warnings

• It's fairly simple to make your own icons using images on your hard drive.

• You can often find ready-made icons in special LiveJournal icon communities or in artists' personal LJs. Always give credit to the person who made the icon, either in keywords or comments.

• If you use an icon with permission from another artist, *always* upload the icon to your *own* hard drive or web space. Linking to someone else's web space is called "hotlinking"--it eats up their bandwidth and is frowned upon in any Internet community

Resources

• LiveJournal