How do I Make Buddy Icons?
A custom buddy icon is a way to express your personality online without saying a word. Buddy icons represent you in online conversations and affect how people perceive you, especially if you haven't met the person with whom you're chatting face to face. Even when you are offline, your buddy icon will be visible to all your AIM contacts. Take your time to choose an icon that will be memorable.
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Create an Icon from a Digital Photo
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Almost any graphic file on your computer can become your buddy icon. AIM has a built-in photo cropping tool that will allow you to select any portion of an image you want -- allowing you to select only your own face out of a group, for example. Simply click on your current buddy icon in AIM, and then select "Upload a Picture" to choose the photo you wish to use.
After you select the file, drag and resize the scaling box so that you have selected the portion of the picture you want to set as your icon. Then click "Save," and your new icon is ready.
Paint your Icon
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To paint your own buddy icon, you'll need to use a painting program or a graphic editing program. On Windows computers, Paint is a free program you can use to create a buddy icon. Paint is usually located in the Accessories folder, under All Programs. On Macs, you will need to download and install a graphic editing or painting program, such as Paintbrush or GIMP. (See the Resources section for links.)
Set the dimensions of your canvas so as to form a square so your image isn't stretched when you import it into AIM. For example, set the dimensions to 100 pixels wide and 100 pixels tall. Then, create your icon using the paint tools. Remember that the image will be scaled by AIM to a 50-by-50 square, so very small details may not be visible once you import your icon. When you're finished, save your icon to a folder on your computer as a JPG, GIF, BMP or PNG file. Import it to AIM by clicking on your buddy icon and navigating to the file.
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Create a Custom Icon Online
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You can also use third-party sites to create your own custom icons with pictures and text of your choosing. The site "Frank's Icons" is one such location that allows for many customizations and contains many commercial characters as well. On sites such as this, you choose from many categories to select an image, and then add comments that will appear as an animation. When you've finished customizing, download the file to your computer. Then, click on your buddy icon and navigate to your downloaded file to apply.
Download an Icon
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AIM's website contains hundreds of icons you can choose from simply by clicking on your icon and then on "Find a buddy icon." Also, the website "Meez" allows you to create an avatar for your buddy icon that will react when you enter certain terms. For example, if you type "LOL", your avatar appears to laugh. If you type "ROFL", your avatar falls to the floor laughing. Many movie and TV websites contain downloadable icons as well.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
