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Making your own buddy
icons is actually a lot easier than a lot of people think. All
you really need is some basic photo editing software such as
Adobe Photoshop, Jasc Paint Shop Pro or any other editing
software that allows you to crop and resize images.
Find a Good Image
The first step is to find an image you would like to make into a
buddy icon and open your image within your photo editing
software.
Change the Image Mode
Once you've opened the image within your photo editor, change
the image mode to RGB. In Photoshop, click the image menu, then
mode, then RGB. Changing the image to RGB will
allow you to preserve the image quality.
Cropping the Image
Next you should select a square area that you would like to crop
in the image if you only want a section. It is important that
you make the selection you crop as square as possible, otherwise
the image will look slightly distorted when you resize it. Once
you've selected a square area you would like to crop, in
Photoshop, go to the image menu and click crop.
Resizing the Image
You are nearing the end! The next step is to resize the image to
be 50 pixels by 50 pixels. To do this in Photoshop, click the
image menu and then image size. Since you want to make sure your
icon is 50x50, turn off the 'Constrain Proportions' check box in
the bottom of the image size window that will pop up. Change the
width and height to 50 pixels each. Make sure they are set on
pixels and not inches or centimeters otherwise you will get a
gigantic buddy icon!
Saving the Image
Finally we need to save this image so you can use it as a buddy
icon. You need to make sure the file is 7KB or less and that you
save it to either gif, jpg or bmp format so that your AOL
instant messenger can recognize it.
Setting Up the Buddy Icon in AIM
To use your brand new home made AIM buddy Icon,
startup AOL instant messenger. Click on My AIM, followed by edit
options, and finally edit Preferences. Click the Buddy Icons tab
and the Browse PC button and locate your picture. Click OK, and
you are ready to go!
I Got it on
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