avatar

[Acf]

I would like to be able to give groups the permission to upload there avatars.
I also would like to be able to set a file size for avatars.

[bostasp]

Yeah, there are some people that I'd perfer to restrict the uploading of avatars from, and a file size limit helps not only your disk space, but dial up users

[Acf]

Yeah, there are some people that I'd perfer to restrict the uploading of avatars from, and a file size limit helps not only your disk space, but dial up users

and my bandwith / month

[[Unknown]]

File size limit seems more than reasonable - think attachments.  And permission, well, Compuart is going to disagree because he hates "too many" permissions.

-[Unknown]

[Acf]

File size limit seems more than reasonable - think attachments.  And permission, well, Compuart is going to disagree because he hates "too many" permissions.

-[Unknown]

the more the better

[dschwab9]

If the avatars were stored in jpeg format, disk space and bandwidth usage would be cut by 2/3's.  Is there any particular reason they are all stored as PNG's?

[Grudge]

PNGs compress better. You can change it if you wish

EDIT: When I say better I mean they look nicer!

[dschwab9]

PNGs compress better. You can change it if you wish

I did.  Problem is the file size is huge (15-20KB for a 100x100 image is insane)  As jpeg's, they are only 3-5K.  Maybe there should be an admin center option? 

[Grudge]

Maybe we could have an option for maximum file size and output format I guess. However, it's a case of how many people will use it and it's not for me to make these decisions

[dschwab9]

You mean uploaded file size or stored file size?  Uploaded file size shouldn't be an issue because the GD functions are used to resize it, so the resulting file is always gonna be about the same size.

As far as how many people would use a file type option - switching to jpeg cuts disk usage/bandwidth and thus page load time by 2/3 with not a big difference in quality, so I'm sure everyone would use it.

Or, why not just save it in the same format is was upload as?  If they upload it as a jpeg (which most people do), it already has jpeg compression, so saving it as a png is not going to increase quality.

[Grudge]

I forgot the avatars got resized!! *doh*

As for saving type, the problem with saving it in the format it uploads in is that the compression would get horrible IMHO. Basically, PNG is lossless compression so no picture quality is lost. If you already have your image as a JPEG it's been compressed once already. When GD saves it as a JPEG it is then compressed again, so you have compressed it twice and it begins to look ugly

Basically, I think it should be one or the other - either everyones avatars look horrible or no-ones do :p However, if you want to do it this way I'll give you the code to do it if you wish.

[dschwab9]

That's ok, I'm happy with mine just making them all jpegs    And I don't think they look horrible    Maybe not quite as nice, but definately not horrible

[AmphetaMarinE]

I'm with grudge...
png is the format of choice for me, and my 2000+ users....
So not fussed either way....

But giving users the choice would also be nice... there are plenty of people around who swear by their own particular favourite filetype....

I've even seen people go as far as arguing about it lol....

"Forget the war in ****!!! JPG 0wnz whatever your choice is goddamn it!!!!!" lol... makes me laff

[Chris Cromer]

Your all nuts, .php rules! If you don't understand this statement... refresh this page and watch my avatar.

Personally though, I like to go with .gif's... but gd doesn't have support for them anymore... so I think png is the next best thing.

[Acf]

support them all, and be done with it jpg gif png ....bmp
just use the format that was uploaded in. Gives the best result i geuss.

[Chris Cromer]

gif can't be used... did you read my last post? GD no longer supports gif's...

[Acf]

gif can't be used... did you read my last post? GD no longer supports gif's...

GD no longer supports gif's? why not?

[Chris Cromer]

Because the .gif format is is owned by a company(can't remember the name of the company?) They had to remove support for .gif because of legal problems.

[Ben_S]

The patent on the gif format expired in the US last year and expires in the rest of the world sometime this year (it may even be the end of this month I cant remember), so hopefully gif support will be reintroduced into gd in the not too distant future.

[edit]
Expries in the rest of the world on July 7th, 2004
[/edit]

[bostasp]

Because the .gif format is is owned by a company(can't remember the name of the company?) They had to remove support for .gif because of legal problems.

Compuserve owns them, don't they? (Or at least did)

[Chris Cromer]

Probably... although I was thinking "compusa" when I wrote that. But compuserve makes more sense.

[[Unknown]]

It's actually the compression used in gifs that is patented.

-[Unknown]

[IcyGeddon]

Was a mod ever made for this? Even with the size limit, people can upload huge animated avatars and I don't want that. Is there a mod or feature to limit file size for avatars?

[[Unknown]]

I don't believe there is at the moment, but it wouldn't be that difficult a mod to make....

-[Unknown]

[IcyGeddon]

Ah thanks. It  would be a gem to have. I already had one person upload a 250,000 byte avatar. 

[RoCKeT-88]

Ok now that we hashed file format did we ever get anywhere on whether or not it is gonna be a permission for users to upload thier own avatars?

[Ben_S]

Ok now that we hashed file format did we ever get anywhere on whether or not it is gonna be a permission for users to upload thier own avatars?

Yeah, was surprised thats not a permission myself, have just edited my profile template to share the remote avatar permission with upload.