Avatar Size Limit

kipin · #1 10-12-2007, 07:55 PM

As many of you know I make quite a few avatars and host them for people who request them. I do this for free unless someone feels like donating some money for a custom avatar. (Which I never request of anyone).

I do my best to keep the sizes small, but sometimes they can be quite large if the sample video is long.

At least twice now iron81 has decided (although not giving a specific number) that an avatar is too large.

I would like to know what the MAXIMUM size is for an avatar, so I don't waste my time making avatars that iron feels are too large.

For whatever its worth, iron has told users that an avatar ~1 mb is too large, as well as ~500 KB.

I would agree that 1mb is a large avatar, but I'm not so sure about ~500 KB because quite a few avatars I have created (and people have actively used for months) are still around.

What I find quite odd about the entire situation is that there are multiple users with avatars ~1mb or more on the site and I have never once heard a user complaining that the avatars are too large. The only complaints I have ever heard are from iron.

Mat, Ryan, can you please let me know what size you think should be the maximum allowed.

Thanks!

goofyballer · #2 10-12-2007, 08:01 PM

Hi,

If you're still using dialup internet, the Internet has passed you by.

If you are not still using dialup internet, then 1MB-sized avatars should not be a problem, especially since all major browsers will cache them and thus they will only have to be downloaded the first time a 2+2 page with a post from that user is visited.

Thanks for listening,
goofyballer

iron81 · #3 10-12-2007, 08:01 PM

The last few weeks I think I've asked 4 users to take down avatars. The last few of these I've included an offer to fix the avatars and I did fix one avatar myself.

That said, there is probably no way to make a 15 second video less than 500kB, so if that's what you have, you should know that takes a long time to download, particulary on dial-up.

Anyhoo, I don't know if the reds are going to want to comment and I'm pretty sure there is no hard & fast rule, but my personal standards are that avatars should be less than 200kB, but if your avatar is less than 350kB I won't ask you to change it.