Avatars & Signatures and the rules concerning them

On these forums, I have as of yet not posted the needed signature rule topic.
I have recently noticed signatures of some people getting larger, in both size and file-size.
You want the forums to load quickly? Don't put huge animations in your signature!

Avatars -

• Must be 150 x 150 pixels or smaller
  
• Must have a file size no larger than 150KB [153,600 bytes]
  
• Must be suitable for all users*
  
• Must be in PNG, GIF, or JPG/JPEG filetype. Absolutely NO BMP files

Signatures -

• Images as a group must be no larger than 630 x 200 pixels
  
• Images as a group must have a file size no larger than 300KB [307,200 bytes]
  
• Must be suitable for all users*
  
• Must be 65535 characters or less
  
• Must as a whole, text and images, be no taller than 250 pixels high. Any taller, and it will be cut off.

Please note, underbanners and goal signatures are images and do count toward the image limits. You may have any number of images in your signature, provided they do not, all together, break the size or dimension limits.

If we find you have an oversized signature, we will remove the offending signature.
If you replace your signature without fixing the problems within it, the signature will again be removed and you may be warned or suspended.
It is your obligation to read these rules and ensure that your signature follows them.

* "Suitable for all users" means:

• PG-13 rated maximum. You shouldn't have anything in your signature beyond this rating anyway.
  
• No intense flashing animation - Little things(rain for example) is fine, but nothing seisure-inducing.
  
• Nothing against the rules of the clan.
  
• No Warez or other illegal stuff - You shouldn't have this stuff in your signature, or even on the forums. If you want to talk about such things, do it over email(NOT forum PM)
  
• Use common sense - Try not to be stupid and put something that would majorly offend one of our members in your sig.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If your signature image is too large, filesize wise, here is a tip that can help you - Compression:
If your signature was last edited in MS Paint, it is probably wasting space, as MS Paint isn't good about compressing images made with it.
I suggest you get IrfanView(Free), open your image with that, then save it.
Generally, this can shave off a few KB.
Now, so long as your image is not an animation, you can try this trick:
-Open your image in IrfanView, as before.
-Image menu > Decrease Color Depth.
-Now, set the radio button to Custom, and put in the number of colors.
-Press OK, and look at the image. If it looks distorted color wise, you have decreased it too much.
-You want to reduce the colors a bit, but not so much that it distorts the image.
Note: Image menu > Information has a lot of information about the current image.
The 'Number of unique colors' box has the number of colors currently in the image(Make sure 'Auto count' IS checked).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If your signature is an animation, you can't do much of anything with IrfanView, but Gimp can.
After installing Gimp and loading up your image, go to the Filters menu > Animation > Optimize (For GIF).
Then save it. With any luck, it will be smaller.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cropping your image, shrinking it down to size, can also drasticly reduce both file-size and image-size.
Paint works fine for this, but just remember to use IrfanView to optimize the end product.


If you have any questions, post them here.


-RobbieThe1st

Hope none of the ones I've made are too big! Stoke and Papatewiki, look at the file size for yours please!

Posting to test my signature.

Removed my sig already because people didnt like it =\

Removed my dancing dude sig. Filesize too big

Now to get another one

Any idea why allot of peoples avatar's are just showing as a line?

I think mine are barely ok.

i think mines too big

Dont forget the most important rule, WG forums are racist against Internet Explorer so we can't see our avvys -.-

testing sig.

FireFox ftw

Well, honestly, I don't think there would be any problem anyway - its just a freaking plant! Sure, its a specific plant, but its a plant none-the-less.


-RobbieThe1st

People need to pay more attention to this.

i dont like it!

i will expand on that comment.
in all the other clan forums i have been on they are not as mean on the size of your sig or ava.
cheers.

We know what other clans have, we're not idiots. And there are clans which are even stricter. We've got the limits for a reason.

And we figure that its better to let people with dial-up and the like actually use the forum, and let the people who want their sig to be a poster display to make a topic in the graphics forum or something. Its a pain when you've got to scroll down the same mass of pictures just to read what someone's saying, especially when you see the same sig day in day out.

hmmm.....how to get sig on post....

I see it =) good job

Is my sig okay?

Yes

Uhh, you mention "No Warez or other illegal stuff." Now, from the context warez and illegal stuff are the same. However, I do no know what Warez is. Please can you enlighten me.

For some reason when I try to change mine to a different GIF, it says that that filetype isn't allowed :X