Avatar & Media FAQ's.

UPDATED HELP HERE
www.abovetopsecret.com...
Hello, everyone. I'm making this thread for my own peace of mind because it's getting exhausting to answer the same questions repeatedly in U2U. I need a thread consisting of answers to FAQ's where I can simply link members in the event of inevitable future inquiries.



WHY IS MY AVATAR SHOWING UP IN MY PROFILE BUT NOT IN MY POSTS?

As of March 10, 2009, all avatars must be hosted on THE ATS MEDIA SITE. You can no longer link them from your ATS upload center, your own website, or an image hosting site like Photobucket.com or Imageshack.com

HOW DO I JOIN THE MEDIA SITE? IT WILL NOT LET ME REGISTER

To begin, go to THE ATS MEDIA SITE. All you have to do is sign in with your ATS user name and password then you are automatically registered. You do not need to register separately (it wouldn't let you, anyways).

HOW DO I GET MY AVATAR UPLOADED TO THE MEDIA SITE?

Once you have your automatic account, you can upload your avatar or background by following the very simple instructions in the following video created by Skeptic Overlord:



Note: Please be sure to upload your avatar in your photo albumn and not as a media submission. You risk deletion doing it that way. It must go into your photo album accessible via your profile or into a specially created avatar album.

I DID ALL OF THE ABOVE BUT IT IS NOT WORKING

Make sure your avatar is of the correct dimensions. The dimensions cannot exceed 160x400. Also make sure the file size is not too large or else it will not upload.

SOMEONE ELSE HOSTS MY OLD AVATAR SO I DO NOT HAVE IT TO UPLOAD IT TO MY MEDIA ACCOUNT

Go to your profile where you should still be able to view your avatar, right click on it, and select 'Save Image As.' It will now be on your own computer so you can upload it into your media's photo album. If you cannot still view it, u2u the person who created your avatar and hosted it for you. Ask them if they can send you a link to where they have it so you can save it and upload it to your account.

WHY IS MY PROFILE DESIGN NOT PERMANENTLY SAVING?

There is some sort of glitch (or something) that will revert your profile back to the default design if you alter any other parts of your design. Make sure your addition such as a background image or special design code is the last thing you do. If you make any other adjustments such as color schemes, you will lose your updates.

HOW DO I PLACE AN IMAGE IN MY POSTS?

If you want to avoid the 'link to external image' icon in your posts, you will need to host the image to your media account just like your avatar. Once you upload it, there will be an option stating 'Embed on ATS.' All you have to do is copy that link and paste it into your post. It's auto coded for you. Please do not use Copyrighted images without permission.

CAN I STILL USE ANIMATED OR ROTATING GIF IMAGES?

Animated GIFs are acceptable. Just make sure they are the appropriate file size. For the moment, it does not appear there is a rotating GIF feature on the MATS site. That is, a new avatar image loads each page load or refresh. The only way to have one is to host it on a rotating signature and avatar website. However, since you cannot use avatars not hosted on MATS, these will not work so you will need to either choose an animated GIF or stagnant image for your avatar.

HOW DO I EMBED AN ATS VIDEO INTO A POST?

Like avatars and images, each video has an 'Embed in ATS' code (except for videos where the poster disabled the embed feature). All you have to do is copy and paste the code into your post.



That's all I can think of for now. Sorry about this thread- not trying to be bossy or a forum Nazi at all. I love helping people but it was just getting a little cumbersome to answer the same questions repeatedly due to making avatars for so many people. I needed something to link to in my signature and u2u responses. Also, please feel free to ask about any problems not mentioned in the above. The above are just the ones I keep seeing repeatedly.

[edit on 3/12/2009 by AshleyD]

For supplemental information, here are the related official threads:

IMPORTANT: New Policy Regarding Images On ATS

NEW! The ATS Member Media Portal (Soft Launch)

[edit on 3/12/2009 by AshleyD]

I think this thread needs to be stickied on top of every thread, on the front page and linked to via mass U2U.


Awesome work!

Ashley you are one clever cookie and without a doubt one of ATS's MVPs.

If i was one of the big cheeses i'd make you a custom badge/title/crown.

While i'm at it, also worth mentioning; you have a great sense of humor (ie vlog), aesthetics (ie avatars) and work ethic (ie all the above and beyond in all that you do for the ATS community).

I give you, your good genes and environment all the credit.
God is too much of an incompetent bafoon to come up with an angel like you.

(Ingredients Label: this post/pastry is 100% fat-free, 100% sugar-free & 100% satire-free, no preservatives or synthetic sweeteners, enjoy in moderation to avoid bloated head/ego)

reply to post by AshleyD


Very nice ash, thank you.

I think SO has a U2U.

LOL can't miss em.

reply to post by AshleyD


Immediately promote this MVP of ATS to Super Media Mod.
Or at least, put a title banner or something.
Spectacular AshleyD
Thanks!

Thanks AshleyD found this in a search. Good work!

reply to post by Zeptepi




[edit on 13/3/2009 by Sauron]

Thank you so much, that video has explained everything, now just to find someone that can make me a background

Cheers,

Otto

Update to explain a new feature.

There is now a new feature by your avatar slot in your member center. You will now see a link stating 'Upload.' Once you click on that, it will take you directly to the media site. If you already have an account, it will take you directly to your photo albums where you can upload your avatar. If you do not have an account, it will take you to the home page and ask you to log in.

Like the OP states, just log in with your ATS user name and password and you are automatically registered.

...anyone know where I can find a transparent GIF???

......anyone?

Or even how I can change the size of my pic, and the size it needs to be???

[edit on 19-3-2009 by TheOmen]

reply to post by TheOmen


[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/2e61b131f4a2.gif[/atsimg]

I tried uploading a bmp image into my pictures and I get this:

The file type "image/bmp" (bmp) is not allowed.

Any suggestions or recommendations?

reply to post by Boone 870


Open the file up in any image viewing program you have. Click on file save as and rename the picture with .jpeg. Will work every time.


[edit on 2-4-2009 by Ant4AU]

reply to post by Ant4AU


Ahhh... it worked.

Thank you for supporting the digitally challenged.

reply to post by Boone 870


No problem I am no expert by no means. Glad I could help.

[edit on 2-4-2009 by Ant4AU]

just trying out my first advatar

Just wanted to test this and see if it had cleared.

Okay it did'nt.How do I get rid of this picture. It is driving me up the wall. I am sorry, I am not as computer savvy as I should be, please help!

Okay managed to sort it all out now.