AJS Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 I can't for the life of me figure out how to resize a picture so it can be my avatar. in all my attempts, the picture I use has to be cropped. I'd like to be able to show the whole bike, not half of it. I'm using an iMac. Thanks in advance for any advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Duc2V4 Posted February 25, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted February 25, 2016 Typically you have to use the "resize" feature of your graphics editing program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Cogswell Posted February 25, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted February 25, 2016 There are some freeware packages available that can help. IIRC when you try to upload, it will tell you the max pixels allowed. http://www.mac-dvd.com/top10-free-mac-image-editor.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer RobF Posted February 25, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted February 25, 2016 If that doesn't work, send me a PM and I'll do it for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wera803 Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 I have just used Paint in the past and used the Resize function like Duc2V4 said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJS Posted February 25, 2016 Author Share Posted February 25, 2016 Thanks for the replies. I should have been a little more specific. I'm able to resize the pic, but I can't figure out what the values should be set at. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer RobF Posted February 25, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted February 25, 2016 Typically in these situations, there are two steps: 1. Crop your original photo to produce a new photo that is the correct aspect (length to width) ratio. VFRD avatar images have an aspect ratio of 1:1. They are square. 2. Scale your correctly-shaped image to the target size. VFRD avatar images are very close to 100 pixels by 100 pixels. They may be a bit smaller, but 100x100 will work. If your original is the wrong shape (too wide or too tall) relative to your target container, simply shrinking it down will introduce whitespace either in the top or side margins. This is why cropping is typically the step that most requires human intervention. You need to choose which portions of the original you are going to chop off in order to produce the proper shape -- exactly like trying to fit an old 5x7 photo into a 4x6 frame. You have to choose which parts of the original get the razor. The screen grab you are showing is for step #2 as I've outlined the process. Set the top right dialog box to "pixels" rather than "inches", and then the [Width] to 100. [Height] is ratio-locked (per the padlock icon) and will come along for the ride when you change [Width]. But again, you need to choose your cropping first. Different software does this differently, but generally you will either define a box size and then place the box on the image (like cutting cookies from dough), or you will grab edge "handles" and re-position them where you want the new edges to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJS Posted February 25, 2016 Author Share Posted February 25, 2016 Thanks Rob. I think that makes some sense. So, one way to do it is use a picture that wasn't taken in landscape mode or the subject is far enough away that i can crop the pic square. Right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer RobF Posted February 25, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted February 25, 2016 So, one way to do it is use a picture that wasn't taken in landscape mode or the subject is far enough away that i can crop the pic square. Right? Yes. There is a bit of a fundamental mismatch between a motorcycle in profile, which has a horizontal aspect ratio, and the smallish squares of our avatar images. If your original photo is a full-frame shot of the bike in profile, you may have some trouble getting to where you want to go. There are several solutions available. One would be to partially turn the bike, as Auspanglish did: Another would be to give up on the full profile and crop down to just a portion of it, as crakerjac did: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJS Posted February 25, 2016 Author Share Posted February 25, 2016 Thanks so much for your time and help! I think I've got it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Cogswell Posted February 26, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted February 26, 2016 Thanks so much for your time and help! I think I've got it I would say so too. Looks good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knight Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 To all, you may also give your subject a more accurate look via lens length and distance. If you have a zoom lens and it displays the focal length, set it to approximately 80mm. Then step away from the bike until it fits in the shot. This picture will have a different, and more accurate appearance from using a wide angle such as 30 mm and standing right next to the bike, even though you identically fit the bike into the viewer in both instances. The wider the lens the more dramatically it distorts the subject, expanding the size of the bike nearest you and shrinking the part of the bike furthest away. Of course photography is creative. Sometimes you may be seeking this distorted effect. A widely used exaggeration of the wide-angle effect is created by a fish-eye lens which shows 180° right in front of you and bends the scene dramatically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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