Teach me... (tudlui ko palihug)

by: yohj

guys, forgive me for asking something (iie... many things) stupid...

where do i get an avatar, what exactly is a banner, how do i get screen caps, what is a gif...?

wakatta, im embarassed right now... but i just would like to make my posts more personal... i'm quite involved with techy stuff but i have to admit i'm clueless... (ground opens and eats me alive....)

by: Trice

Avatar: This can variate. On livejournal there are several icon Ok, let's go.

A gif, is my current avvie (that's on the left, Hyde) for instance. Gif is a color graphics file format, often used to store a gaphical creation which is animated (not necessarily but whatever xD).

A banner, well it's a long, big graphical creation you can use as header. But people also use them sometimes as signature (if the forum allows it xD)

For your avatar question. Well, of course it depends on what of kind of avvie you want. There are icons (100*100pixels) which you can find at many livejournals. For bigger avvies that are over 100*100 pixels...well for that you have to find graphical sites proposing them or make one yourself with a graphical program like the gimp, photofiltre asf.

The screencaps. You can take those with Window Movie Maker for instance. You just open the video and you play it. On the frame of the vid there's a small round button with a camera on it. If you click on that, you're taking a screencap. If you want to take a screencap from an online streaming site, you can always press the button 'PrtSc' on your keyboard (somewhere on the right top corner of your keyboard). Then you open an image editor like paint, open a new canvas/file and press crtl+p (paste it).

Ok, I hope I was comprehensible (I was in a rush. Sorry xD)

Hope this will help you. (*digs in the ground and pulls yohj out of the ground). The www is big and full of mysteries xD

by: yohj

whoa, its kinda flying over my head, but i kind of get some of it... i just need to go to livejournals and decide what type of avvie i want... and i can do a trial for getting screen caps from my windows movie maker with our home videos first... then i can try getting a screen cap from a live stream...

can i ask another question..........?
how do you make a banner, exactly.... hehehehe... sorry....
honto ni gomen~ne....

Trice, thank you for answering my questions.... really.... (*after being pulled out of the ground, finally can breathe fresh air....*)
i thought people would be mocking me, for being soooooo.... clueless....
DOMO ARIGATO GOZAIMASU!! THANK YOU!! SALAMAT!!

by: Trice

No problem.

Well for the banners you need one a porgram to make graphics. For instanc the Gimp (that's free, you can google it and download it) or Photofiltre (same deal). You open a picture in the program you installed and cut it in the size of a banner of a siggie. You decorate it, change the color nuance, write your name on it asf.
It's kind of hard to explain in one post since you have to get the basics of your program first.
There are tutorials which will help you.
For the Gimp, for example here: http://www.gimp.org/tutorials/

You know it's not as if everyone can make graphics or have a graphical program. So don't worry about it =D I won't mock with your questions ^^

sorry, my turn to ask..

are these programs (gimp and photofilter) safe?

I mean some of free internet softwares come with sharewares (and sometimes viruses) as well. and these sharewares often mess up my computer. I don't want that to happen.

by: yohj

@B.R.R
wow, i didn't think about that (sharewares and viruses)...

now that i think about it... my computer seems to be slowing down a bit for the past week... i may have downloaded something with a virus then? or something...?

@Trice
well, i'll try and search for the gimp and photofiltre... but i guess i have to update my computer's antivirus and put on some antispyware first... (that's what my brother told me..) i am quite excited about having that program... then i can make my own banners... (even though i may not be that good at first) practice makes perfect...
thank you so much... you are a big help... really...
*BIG HUG*

by: Trice

Yes they are. Even though they are freeware, they don't contain viruses. Gimp and photofiltre (certainly french people use that one..LOL!) are very known references for people who can't afford themselves programs like Photoshop or Corel.

I used myself photofiltre for a short period. Even though people think it's a very limited program, I saw people making things that are on the level of photoshop.
You can download that there:
http://photofiltre.free.fr/download_en.htm

For the gimp, I heard it was pretty hard to use. My brother used that (and he's a very aware person of spyware and viruses so it's safe, no worry)
You can download it on the following page:
http://www.gimp.org/downloads/
It's also a very good program I heard that can make great graphics =D (saw people using it and a re better than people with a paying program.)

Those programs are free, there's no trail and buy system.
If you practice a lot on them, discover each function asf, you'll be a master ^_- (but you have to be patient of course XD ROFL!)


@yohj: No problem, I'm glad I could help you ^^.
It's hard now to surf safely on the net with Windows.

thanks a lot, Trice for assuring me.

well, I do bank transactions on my computers, so I kinda worry. I feel safe now.