How to Make Moving Avatars
Animated avatars are advantageous in that they catch people's eyes. Most Web surfers view a website or a Web page for a few seconds only, and an animated avatar is a sure way of keeping them on the website a little longer.
Note that the instructions given here are for a standard program, but programs may vary depending on the developer.
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Instructions
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1
Familiarize yourself with making a nonanimated avatar first. Nonanimated avatars are easier to make, and you can use them to practice for the animated ones.
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2
Obtain a video editing program to make the moving avatars. Most companies selling such video editing programs give free 15-day trial versions of the program---this may be enough. To obtain the program, all you have to do is a simple online search via any search engine and then download the video editing program.
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3
Click on the animator option on the program's desktop icon after downloading and installing the program. Follow the instructions and choose avatar dimensions as 100 x 100; this is the standard avatar size.
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4
Add the image by clicking on the "File" option and selecting the "Add image" option. This will give you a chance to choose the image you want from the computer or attached devices. Note that if this image shows up on the box in the middle of the screen, it means it probably will not fit. To make sure it fits, right-click on the picture and adjust the dimensions until they fit inside the square.
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5
Click on the "Insert frame" option if you want to add another picture. This is found near the bottom of the program's screen. Click on the "Empty frame" option and then repeat the process as in Step 4. The frame you will be editing will be shown in the middle of the screen and all the other frames will be along the bottom of the screen---they are usually in the order in which they will flash when you are done.
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Set the time each animation will take. In most programs, a 10th of a second is the default set for each image. This is too fast. This rate can be slowed down by double-clicking a frame and then choosing the animation time you want in the options given. Eighty is a good number that will cater to the young and the old. You can add creative transitions between different frames by going to the transformation menu that is found at the top of the screen and then selecting whichever transformation you want.
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Save the moving avatars as .gif files and upload them in your profile or your website. If the browser gives an error message that the website or profile is overloaded, keep trying, as this is a common problem.
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Tips & Warnings
To make the avatars more effective, consider adding text, objects, or whatever else you think will bring more visits.
Play back the animation before uploading it to avoid disappointment---badly done avatars can actually drive away Web visitors.
