How Should I Choose My Avatar to Maintain Image Quality at Small Sizes?

  • Thread starter honestrosewater
  • Start date
In summary: I don't like how it looks scaled down to 64x64 pixels. No one seems to like my first choice (I don't really like it much anymore), but I can't find a replacement. Here are my options so far: I like the clouds. They are my only other photo I have now that would work.Doorknob - my current oneClouds - my only other photo I have now that would workOther ideas:I love hands, especially drawings/sketches, especially by Leonardo da Vinci.I could crop something interesting from a painting (in the public domain). Renaissance, Dutch Masters (Gerard
  • #36
honestrosewater said:
Sorry, I'm moving very slowly - rough day.
Try some vinpocetine.
http://store.yahoo.com/iherb/vinpocetine3.html
 
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  • #37
zoobyshoe said:
I love Chuck Close.

It's funny you should discover they work well as "small avatars", though. The originals are like, 3x larger than life.

I know. That's why they're so good, even when reduced to small size. The detail is incredible. Seeing one 'in person' just throws you on the floor.
 
  • #38
honestrosewater said:
I always saw it as little lamb. I don't know where the little part comes from though. Both of my grandfathers were pastors, and my siblings and I all have Biblical names: Jason, Rachel, Rebecca, and Nicholas.

My first sister's name is Gaelic (which makes sense, since we are half-Irish). I suppose she's the only one whose name is not biblical at all - her name is Tara. Jessica is originally derived from the Hebrew "Yiskah" (transliterated through the Greek "Ieshka" and Latin "Jesca"), who was a daughter of Haran in Genesis. Danielle is simply the feminized version of Daniel.

Hm, is that Adam Daniel?

Yes. The full name, including surname, would be "man formed from the ground, God is my judge, of the coast." The surname is Spanish.

My middle name is Diane, BTW. I think it's from Diana, the Roman's Artemis.

Diana was later associated with Artemis, probably by Ovid, but was originally the Roman goddess of virginity and hunting.

Interestingly enough, my two old neighbors (who were sisters) were named Cynthia and Diana. Diana was said to have been born on Mt. Cynthus and both names are associated with the moon (Cynthia literally translates to "moon").

There are two great sites for finding character names:
http://www.behindthename.com/
http://www.kabalarians.com/cfm/surf-by.cfm?Baby=Yes
Eh, it looks like the second one is now requiring subscriptions for something, I don't know. They were my favorite.

Thanks. I'm not interested in names so much, but etymology in general fascinates me (in case you couldn't tell by now).
 
  • #39
zoobyshoe said:
Actually, no. If you want to focus on the Mona Lisa's smile and you're resricted to a square, you need only make the smile the size you want it to be in that square, and center it there. Let the nose and chin fall where they may, they aren't going to strike the viewer as "invasions" as you predict. People's eyes go to the center of focus, and the brain automatically understands things at the periphery are not important.
Okay, I let the smile determine the width and centered it:
http://xs41.xs.to/pics/05324/smile.jpg
Sure, I focus on the smile first, but then what? The rest is just 'there', or at least, it seems that way to me. There's nothing pleasing about the image as a whole, unlike, say
http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/vermeer/little-street/little-street.jpg
(well, that's not really a fair comparison :rolleyes: but it's in the right direction.)
You can practise cropping any image you can get up on your screen ...<snip>... to see how it would look cropped that way.
:cool: I've seriously done that before. I was going to make one for the avatars, because the editor I'm using doesn't have a grid or any way to measure anything other than going into resize it. But I didn't feel like measuring it myself.
 
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  • #40
loseyourname said:
Yes. The full name, including surname, would be "man formed from the ground, God is my judge, of the coast." The surname is Spanish.
I don't know what my last name means. Someone said my mother's name, Rawley, was changed from Raleigh when they came to America. But I don't know whether it's true. They're from Virginia. There's a Rawley Springs in Virginia too, I think.
Diana was later associated with Artemis, probably by Ovid, but was originally the Roman goddess of virginity and hunting.

Interestingly enough, my two old neighbors (who were sisters) were named Cynthia and Diana. Diana was said to have been born on Mt. Cynthus and both names are associated with the moon (Cynthia literally translates to "moon").
I think Diana and Artemis were both moon goddesses. Artemis was also goddess of hunting but fertility instead of virginity, which was Athena. I think - I'm not quite with it now.
etymology in general fascinates me (in case you couldn't tell by now).
Yeah, I noticed. :smile:
 
  • #41
honestrosewater said:
the editor I'm using doesn't have a grid or any way to measure anything
Bring out The Gimp. It's free (as in beer).
http://gimp-win.sourceforge.net

http://gimp-win.sourceforge.net/gimpwin.png
 
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  • #43
hitssquad said:
Bring out The Gimp. It's free (as in beer).
http://gimp-win.sourceforge.net
I was just going to search PF for some free editor I remember them talking about - that's the one. One of these days, I'm going to have a problem that you won't be able to solve.
 
  • #44
honestrosewater said:
One of these days, I'm going to have a problem that you won't be able to solve.
No. That is not part of my programming.
 
  • #45
hitssquad said:
Try some picamilon.
easycart.net/BeyondACenturyInc./Neurological.html#4090
This time I know what I need: :zzz:

But I'm settling for:
natprodcaffeine_220.jpg
. (I hope that's correct; I know jack about chemistry.)
 
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  • #46
honestrosewater said:
This time I know what I need: :zzz:
Aha. Why didn't you say so? Try some Modafinil.
http://smart-drugs.com/ias-Modafinil.htm

I have used Adrafinil, which is related to Modafinil. Adrafinil has the same effects, but is one-third as potent (which makes it 3 times as harmful to the liver since 3 times as much has to be taken). It really works. You don't feel tired or groggy at all. It isn't anything like caffeine and it doesn't make you feel wired.
 
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  • #47
Why did you post the molecular diagram for gasoline, Rose?

just kidding
 
  • #48
hitssquad said:
Why did you post the molecular diagram for gasoline, Rose?

just kidding
We knew you were tricksy.
 
  • #49
honestrosewater said:
"Sure, I focus on the smile first, but then what? The rest is just 'there', or at least, it seems that way to me. There's nothing pleasing about the image as a whole..."
I see what you mean. The shadow under her nose is much darker than I recalled and unbalances the composition. The viewer wants the camera pulled up to include her eyes.

I guess if you're going to do a disembodied mouth, you'd have to "airbrush" out all the distractions. I wonder if, in her case, it would then still be recognisable as La Giaconda?

Anyway, I think the Vermeer makes a good avatar.
 
  • #50
zoobyshoe said:
I see what you mean. The shadow under her nose is much darker than I recalled and unbalances the composition. The viewer wants the camera pulled up to include her eyes.

I guess if you're going to do a disembodied mouth, you'd have to "airbrush" out all the distractions. I wonder if, in her case, it would then still be recognisable as La Giaconda?
I've tried mouths before but don't remember ever making them work - even with no restrictions. Everywhere you go - chin, cheek, nose - it's just not a good setup. You don't want just the mouth, but what else do you include? (I don't know.)

I don't recognize her mouth immediately in the image above. I think I would figure it out eventually.
 
  • #51
honestrosewater said:
I've tried mouths before but don't remember ever making them work - even with no restrictions.
Ever see The Rocky Horror Picture Show?
 
  • #52
zoobyshoe said:
Ever see The Rocky Horror Picture Show?
No, but I've seen the mouth. I wasn't thinking of a stand-alone mouth. And that's an open mouth, which changes everything! :biggrin: (:redface:)

Or did you mean something else?
 
  • #53
hitssquad said:
Bring out The Gimp.

A Pulp Fiction reference from he who rarely watches movies?
 
  • #54
honestrosewater said:
No, but I've seen the mouth. I wasn't thinking of a stand-alone mouth. And that's an open mouth, which changes everything! :biggrin: (:redface:)
No, it's a singing mouth. The opening song is done by a disembodied mouth with very red lips.

I suppose they put a black hood on the lip-syncher, and filled in around the lips with black greasepaint, then painted the lips with very red lipstick. All you see is lips, teeth, and the occasional glimpse of tongue, singing the song. It's a closeup shot: the mouth takes up most of the screen.

Science fiction double feature.
Doctor X will build a creature.
See androids fighting Brad and Janet.
Ann Francis stars in Forbidden Planet

At the late night
Double feature
Picture show.
 
  • #55
What about the Mouth of Sauron?

MouthofSauron.jpg
 
  • #56
Oy, what have I started? And why didn't you guys mention the Stones? Heh, okay, I'm not comfortable calling them the Stones. I mean the Rolling Stones.
 
  • #57
honestrosewater said:
And why didn't you guys mention the Stones?
Because we were thinking of Tap.
 
  • #58
hitssquad said:
Because we were thinking of Tap.
The spinal kind?

The Gimp rocks, BTW. :biggrin:
 
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  • #59
honestrosewater said:
The Gimp rocks, BTW.
He doesn't say much, though.

http://www.kmlager.com/albums/album01/simp4.jpg
 
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  • #60
Surprise! I couldn't do anything with Gw/PE. :frown: I may try later, but I really like this one. What do you think? Do I need to brighten it or such?
 
  • #61
honestrosewater said:
Do I need to brighten it or such?
I like subtlety, so I like it dark and rich the way it is now. The extroverts might want it brightened.
 
  • #62
Are you really going to take advice from a man who has a hairless humanoid beaver in a jar as an avatar?
 
  • #63
Not a beaver. Leave it to Fetus.

attachment.php?attachmentid=3498.jpg
 
  • #64
Ah. I had always just associated you with beavers, since you live in Corvallis.
 
  • #65
I guess I should associate you with cows, then.

http://www.sonomacows.com/assets/images/logo456.jpg
 
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  • #66
hitssquad said:
Not a beaver. Leave it to Fetus.

attachment.php?attachmentid=3498.jpg
I thought it was some weird statue. Now it just makes me sad. :frown:
 
  • #67
honestrosewater said:
Surprise! I couldn't do anything with Gw/PE. :frown: I may try later, but I really like this one. What do you think? Do I need to brighten it or such?
I think you did a good job of selecting the brightest elements of the picture, so no need to brighten it.
 
  • #68
hitssquad said:
I guess I should associate you with cows, then.

http://www.sonomacows.com/assets/images/logo456.jpg
[/URL]

Okay, that got me rolling on the floor.
 
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