An avatar can be anything you want it to be: an abstract image, a cartoon version of yourself, or a picture of your pet. Making an avatar is akin to creating your own personality for the web. Who do you want to be?
Why You Should Make Your Own Avatar
Creating your own avatar gives you Internet street cred, so to speak. Sure, it's easy to go to a website that will make one for you, but why do that when you can impress your friends with something you made yourself? Since the avatar is an extension of yourself and how you want to be represented, creating something that is unique to you is like staking your claim on the Internet so you can proclaim, "This is who I am!"
Before You Make Your Avatar
What You'll Need to Get Started
In order to make your avatar from scratch you'll need an image editing program, such as Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop. A scanner is a great tool to have, but it's not necessary as long as you have images of yourself or whatever you want to create an avatar from already on your computer.
Decide What You Want Your Avatar to Be
You can make an avatar look like anything you want. You can use a picture of your pet, your favorite musician, or you can make a cartoon version of yourself from your favorite photo. Once you decide what route you want to go you can get started.
How to Make an Simple Avatar from a Photo
Websites such as message boards and online journals usually call for a square shape for an avatar. This makes it very easy to resize your image to suit the website you're uploading your avatar to. When just turning a photograph into an avatar, the steps are very simple:
1. Create a blank canvas in your photo editing program of choice by selecting "File," and "New," and then entering equal dimensions as the canvas size, such as 200 pixels by 200 pixels. Most websites call for a square avatar, and it's easier to resize something larger than scale up something smaller.
2. Paste the image you want into your workspace. Resize and move it around the area until the part of the photo you want is in the frame.
3. If you want to add any text on top of your avatar, pick a font that is legible and a color that contrasts with the picture.
4. Save your file, then resize it as necessary for uploading. Save any resized files as a web-friendly format, such as a JPEG or GIF.
Make a Cartoon Version of Yourself
One popular style of avatar on the web is the cartoon portrait. To create a great portrait of yourself, you'll need Adobe Illustrator and a clear photograph of your face. Even if you're an Illustrator novice, this won't be very hard. You'll only need to use the pen and pencil tools to accomplish what you're looking for:
1. Open a new canvas in Illustrator. The default 8½ by 11-inch size is just fine.
2. Place the photograph of yourself onto the first layer and reduce the opacity down to 50% to 25%, enough so you can still see the contours of your face. Lock this layer and create a new layer on top of it.
3. Select the pencil or pen tool and begin tracing the contours of your face, hair, and clothing. Create closed paths for anything you want to be a separate color, including highlights, shadows, and makeup.
4. Color your paths appropriately using the color swatches. Fill the paths with color but leave the strokes transparent.
5. Once you are happy with the vector illustration you've created, create a new document in either Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator with a square canvas size that's larger than what you'll need so resizing won't be a problem.
6. Fill the background with whatever color you want to be behind you. You can place image backgrounds or textures there too, it's up to you.
7. Copy the entire vector illustration you created in Illustrator, then past it onto your new document. If you're pasting into Photoshop, select to paste it as "Pixels" or "Smart Object." Resize your portrait so it fits nicely on the square background.
8. Save your final product as a web-friendly file, such as a JPEG or GIF.
Since its launch in 2006, the popular online world of Zwinky has let more than 18 million users create personalized avatars and interact over the Web. Like most computer games, Zwinky has a few cheats and tricks that can help you access new features, items and mini-games. Zwinky cheats for wardrobe bonuses are some of the most popular.
Get New Shirts and Pants
Beating the Campus Dash mini-game unlocks new clothing items. Winning twice gives you a new shirt and new pants. Three victories unlocks another shirt and pants combo, as well as a new pet, for your Zwinky character. Just go to your closet to find out what you've unlocked.
Enter the Safety Room
Enter the Safety Room on the Zwinktopia page by clicking "Life Preserver" and enter the password "zafety." This is a great place to earn lots of Zbucks and bonuses by playing games. You'll need those Zbucks to purchase the latest additions to your Zwinky's wardrobe.
Stay Asleep
If getting all that new clothing has taken the energy out of you, type "//afk" to have your Zwinky character stay asleep for extended periods of time. When you're ready to break out of your slumber and show off your new threads, use your mouse to start moving or begin to chat with someone.
Founded in 2003, Gaia Online highlights that it's the "leading online hangout on the Web" with more than 7 million visitors frequenting the site each month. Gaia is an active online community that offers entertainment to site visitors in the form of virtual friends, discussion forums, movies and virtual theaters, as well as a wide selection of online games.
Gaia Mini-Games
Gaia Online's platform features intellectual options such as "Jigsaw," where you solve jigsaw puzzles, and "Word Bump," a speed spelling race. Other games include "Slots," where lining up three holes wins the jackpot, the arcade-style "Pinball" game, and "Cards." Sport-inspired games include the "Rally" car race and "Fishing" at one of Gaia's virtual fishing holes. You must complete a simple registration process to play these games.
zOMG!
Gaia's "zOMG!" is the site's massively multiplayer online, or MMO, game, in which a large number of players can play and interact at the same time in the virtual world of the game. It's free to play and does not require a download. In the world of "zOMG!," there are a variety of areas, including grassy fields, jungles, beaches, ancient ruins and beyond, and multiple "zOMG!" characters, monsters and Animateds, who are creatures that were previously inanimate. You start with a training mission and are able to experience different areas of the game after you complete certain tasks and earn badges. You can also find special rings that allocate various powers to assist in your trek. A separate game forum allows for interaction between players.
Game Prizes
You can earn Gaia Gold, the site's virtual currency, by playing any of the games. Gaia Gold allows you to personalize your online Gaia experience by buying clothing and accessories for your avatars, as well as items for your virtual home and car. Games such as "Jigsaw" and "Pinball" grant Gaia Gold directly to you, while other games such as "Slots" and "Cards" award you tickets. The "zOMG!" game gives you gold when you complete certain levels or quests. You can cash in tickets for virtual prize items, including hats, shoes and quirky trinkets, in the Prize and Joy online store. You have the option of later selling these items in exchange for more Gaia Gold in Gaia's Marketplace.
Log on to any Internet message board, check out the posts and you'll see that most people have a graphic image associated with their user name to give themselves a unique identity in online communities. Use avatars for video games, instant messaging software and in chat rooms. Avatar images can be as generic or as outlandish as you desire -- the possibilities are unlimited.
Personalized Avatars
Many instant messaging programs, email providers and video games offer options to create personalized avatars. Choose a character similar in appearance to yourself and adjust its hair and eye color, clothing and accessories. Options to choose fashionable dress, sports team uniforms, religious garb and swimwear are available. Personalized backgrounds are a part of the fun too. Place yourself on a beach, a ski lift, in front of a roaring fire or in a ballroom to convey where you'd really like to be.
Generic Avatars
Many people choose to select an avatar from an available library of images associated with programs they use frequently. Choose your favorite flower, a cuddly kitten or puppy, a catchy saying or a caricature to represent yourself. Cartoon characters are favored options for avatars as well. Garfield, Betty Boop, Fred Flintstone and the Roadrunner are just some of the hundreds from which to choose. Others prefer nature scenes, photos of expensive or stylish automobiles or anime characters.
Free Avatars
When you're not happy with the selection of avatars offered on a particular message board, video game or instant messaging program, scour the Internet for a selection of free avatar images available for download or copying. Check out websites offering avatar databases like Free-Avatars, AvatarDB, AvatarsDB and CoolAvatars. Free avatar sites typically organize images by category, so you're less likely to waste time scrolling through pages of graphics of no interest to you and helps you zero in quickly on what you want.
Photographic Avatars
If you're not into cartoon characters, animations or DIY personalized graphic images, consider choosing from the large library of photographic images on the web. Better yet, choose from your own personal photo library, or take your own picture to use as an avatar. Have a friend take a flattering photo of you the next time you're dressed up for a night out or use a professional photograph like an image of you in your wedding dress, cap and gown or military uniform.
It's not unusual to see people connected to their phones, computers and social networking sites around the clock. Now more than ever, 3-D virtual worlds are popular, and there are many options to choose from. For teenagers looking to have a bit of fun in the virtual world and get away from the real world, there are a lot of safe choices. Everything from sports to music to fashion awaits today's teens in 3-D virtual worlds that they can chat in.
The After School Life
After school, many teens get online to continue chatting and talking with their friends about the day's events at school. Websites such as Second Life allow teens to pick from several different types of genres to engage in chat with their friends. They can choose to be pirates at sea or hair stylists in a chic salon in a big city. The possibilities are endless on Secondlife.com, and they give teens a chance to have fun using their imagination with virtual world characters.
Situation Simulation
The ever-popular 3-D virtual game The Sims is another option for teens that are looking to have a bit of fun in online chat rooms. The Sims allows players to create everything from their own news channels to big city lofts to rock bands at the click of a mouse. Teens can chat with friends and check out the projects that their real world and virtual world friends have been up to. There are limitless options for teens to explore and create their own 3-D magic.
It's a Small World After All
Another wildly popular virtual 3-D world is the aptly named Small Worlds website. With over three million registered users, there are lots of fun activities for teens to engage in. Small Worlds allows teens to chat with friends, design their own avatars and find out what's happening with other users around the world. Teens can chat with their friends online while choosing hairstyles, clothing and shoes in their virtual world. They can enjoy having green hair and tattoos in the virtual world without fear of punishment from parents!
Educational Tool
Aside from the many fun activities that a teen can enjoy in the 3-D virtual world, teens can also learn how to run their own businesses and become interested in entrepreneurship while having fun. Teens can use these virtual worlds to learn the ropes of business ownership in the virtual worlds. If they've always wanted to be a music industry mogul, they can do that while in the comfort of their own home while chatting online with friends that have been signed by their online record label. The possibilities are as endless as the Internet!
Supermodel games give girls the opportunity to express their creativity in the world of fashion. There are many simple flash games on the Internet that allow you to help models before they hit the runway. However, there are also games in which you can create your own supermodel from scratch and decide every little detail, from her shoes to the background of her photo shoot.
"Super Model 4"
"Super Model 4" by 2Grand Arcade starts with a basic model with brown hair, wearing a top and skirt. It allows you to change everything about her, starting with her skin color. The categories include hair color, tops, bottoms, jewelry, shoes, as well as the background of the shot, with each category offering up to 10 options. On the right side of the screen you can turn the music off, return to the default settings, or print a picture of your supermodel.
"Tasha Supermodel Dressup"
On "Tasha Supermodel Dressup" by Gamelist, Tasha is placed in the middle of a large wardrobe and you can drag clothes and accessories to try on her until you create the perfect outfit. You can click on the haircut buttons to change Tasha's hairstyle. When you are done, click on the "Next" button, enter your name and create your own background using the tools at the bottom-right of the screen.
"Super Model Dress Up"
"Super Model Dress Up" at Daily Free Games offers similar play as the previous games but what makes this title different is its detail. You may dress a model by choosing from one of the many clothing options and you can alter the item's color, adjusting the hue, saturation, brightness and contrast. Afterward, you can apply makeup to the supermodel and edit her hairstyle. You can also change the background by pressing the envelope-like button on the bottom-right of the screen. Click on the camera to preview your creation and print or send the picture to a friend by email.
"Super Model Makeover"
With your model posing on the couch, "Super Model Makeover" at TopMakeoverGames allows you to change her skin color and hairstyle, as well as to add clothes and accessories by clicking on the filmstrips around her. Click repeatedly to cycle through the available options on each category. If the game's sound annoys you, you can switch it off by clicking on the speaker icon at the bottom of the page. If you want a copy of your creation, click on the printer icon next to the speaker.
Purpose of MapleStory Files
MapleStory files, or .wz files, are archives that store MapleStory game data. These files are installed within the application folder for MapleStory, and are loaded by the game. MapleStory is a free side-scrolling 2-D MMORPG, or a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, developed by Wizet, a Korean game studio, and owned by Nexon Corporation.
MapleStory File Type
Wz files are of the archive file type, meaning that they are a collection of different files gathered together for ease of loading MapleStory game data without taking up too much hard drive space. MapleStory files are lists of files organized under a directory structure, and are accessible via "My Computer" after MapleStory has been installed.
Installing MapleStory
To install MapleStory, first download and run the MapleStory Downloader at the MapleStory website. Next, open and start InstallShield Wizard, agree to the License Agreement and confirm the folder destination. Finally, install the game, return to the MapleStory website via a Web browser or a MapleStory desktop icon and launch the game.
Finding a List of MapleStory Files
Once MapleStory is successfully installed, open My Computer and access the C: drive. Next, open "Program Files." Find the MapleStory application folder and open it to see a list of MapleStory files. This list should generally not be changed so as not to interfere with the functioning of the game, but it can be backed up or transported elsewhere.
The Meez website provides a three-dimensional Internet ID for users to use around the web. A Meez can look similar to you in style, or you can create a completely different look for yourself depending on your preferences. To run Meez on your computer, you must use the recommended browser for your operating system.
Windows
The Meez program is able to run on a Windows operating system using either Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher, Firefox 1.0 or higher, Netscape 7.2 and higher and AOL 6.0 and higher. Any lower versions of these browsers are not compatible with Meez on Windows. The website is also not able to run on the Safari browser on Windows.
Mac
For users operating on a Macintosh computer, Safari 1.3.2 or higher is recommended for Panther users and Safari 2.0 is recommended for Tiger or higher users. Safari 2.0 is only available on the Tiger operating system or higher. Mac users can also use Firefox 1.5 or higher on any version of a Mac operating system.
Linux
Linux users are recommended to only access the Meez website through Firefox 1.0 or higher. Linux users who attempt to access Meez through other browsers may encounter issues while using the website.
Additional Requirements
The Meez website also requires users to have version 1.3.1 of Java installed on the computer to run properly. A user is also recommended to access the website on a computer that has 256 Mb of available RAM, a 16-bit or more video card, 1Ghz CPU, and a broadband connection. Meez works on dial-up, but it will run more slowly than on a broadband connection.
Users who access the website through AOL may encounter an error that says the website is down. These users should press and hold the "Ctrl" key on the keyboard while reloading the page. If the page returns as down again, this is a sign that the website is down and it is not an issue with the AOL browser.
Gaia Online is one of the world's largest Internet communities. Users interact with other members by playing games, posting in forums and exploring animated towns. Gaia avatars are personalized characters used to represent users on the website. With more than 7 million monthly visitors, Gaia members like to customize their avatars to stand apart from the crowd. Members accumulate gold, Gaia's currency, to purchase clothes and rare collectibles at Gaia's marketplace and stores.
Animated and Evolving Items
Animated items add eye-catching motion to your avatar and are usually available for a limited time. For example, the Rolling Rainstorm features a rainy backdrop for your avatar and the Sweet Charming Blush animated item turns your avatar's cheeks bright red. Evolving items grow, change and increase in value over time. They are exclusively sold in La Victoire Cash Shop. Animated and evolving items can be viewed on most areas of Gaia expect for in Towns, Games, zOMG! and in the Rally rooms.
Chance Items
It is possible to not spend any of your hard-earned gold on items for your avatar. Users can occasionally play games and win valuable and rare items. Most of the chance items are randomly generated prizes. Chance items have a rainbow sparkle next to them in your inventory. Color-coded sparkles were added so that users would know that they were really purchasing collectibles from the marketplace and not being misled by false claims.
Monthly Collectibles
Gaia releases limited edition items that are only sold for a month at a time. They are generally higher quality items and feature detailed artwork. Users can obtain them by purchasing them with a credit card or PayPal. You also have the option to save up your gold and buy them off of other users in the Gaia marketplace. These collectibles have a magenta sparkle and previously released monthly collectibles can be viewed at Gaia's Collectibles Museum.
Gaia Cash Shop Items
The Gaia Cash Shop is also known as La Victoire. It is a premiere store where you can find ornate accessories, clothes and novelty items. La Victoire also sells companions and animal friends for your avatar. You can not use your Gaia gold to purchase cash shop items, but you can save up your gold to buy them in the marketplace in the future. These items are some of the most expensive items on the site, but they are very rare and highly sought after.
Meez is an interactive website that allows users to create an avatar that can be used throughout the website to meet and socialize with other Meez users. When you sign up for Meez, you can decide how to dress yourself and how to do your hair. How you do your hair depends on the kind of personality you wish to portray to other Meez users.
Hippie
The hippie hairstyle works best for Meez users who want to portray a casual style to other Meez friends. For female Meez users, try a long hairstyle that has braids, flowers or a hairband. For male Meez users, try a longer hairstyle with dreadlocks. You can have any color hair that you desire for your Meez.
Gothic
A gothic hairstyle can show other Meez users that you appreciate subcultural trends. Most gothic hairstyles have black hair in varying lengths. For females, you can wear your hair long or short. Try a hairstyle with strips of colored hair, such as a green, pink or blue strip. For males, you can style your Meez with long black hair or short, spiky black hair.
Eccentric
Show your fun, flirty side with colored or multi-colored hair. Both male and female Meez users can wear their hair colored to portray an eccentric personality. You can wear your hair in an Afro, short or long, in braids or spiked. Choose freely and allow your imagination to lead you to your perfect colored hairstyle.
Conservative
For the professional Meez user, a conservative hairstyle can portray you as a clean-cut individual. For women, style your Meez with a short or medium hairstyle in your natural hair color. The hair can be pulled back into a ponytail, or it can hang loose in a professionally styled look. For men, style your Meez with short hair in your natural hair color. You can have slightly spiked hair, or you can leave it short and close to the head.
MapleStory is a massively multiplayer online role playing game in which players create customized characters that they can specialize through skills, jobs, items and properties. Although the game is free, players can spend cash to get MapleStory credit to spend on experience and items. Designated Monster Effects are a special condition that all players can use to their advantage.
Monster Book
To understand Designated Monster Effects, you must understand the role of the Monster Book in MapleStory. The Monster Book lets players see what monsters they've killed and gives information about them. When a monster dies, it drops a card. The card gives information about the monster. When a player gets five cards from a particular monster, the Designated Monster Effect is activated. The effect is different for each monster.
Consequences
When the Designated Monster Effect is active, a player has one hour to take advantage of the bonus given by the effect. The bonus usually is extra experience the player gets for killing that monster. For example, the Designated Monster Effect for the Pig is a +2 bonus experience when killing them.
Considerations
Because the bonus only lasts one hour, it's wise for players to try to skip other monsters so as to kill the designated monster as many times as possible in that hour. However, a player can get five cards from killing five versions of another kind of monster and then get a Designated Monster Effect for that new monster, which again will last for an hour. If you log out of your playing account, the effect ends and you do not get it back when you log back in. Look for the Designated Monster effect timer on the top left corner of the playing screen, in pink.
Killer Combo
You can combine the Designated Monster Effect with other bonuses to go on a leveling-up killing spree. In MapleStory, players are rewarded for playing many hours straight. If you stay logged in for one hour, you get a 100% experience bonus for each kill; three hours gets you a 150% bonus and five hours gets a 200% bonus. If you play to get the Designated Monster Effect, the next hour and few hours afterward could get you many multipliers to the amount of experience killing each monster will get you.