With the help of the software program Microsoft Paint, which is already installed with your computer, you can create a variety of helpful graphics, including avatars and signatures. Avatars are small graphical pictures used to represent you on the Internet in chat rooms, forums, messenger programs and social networking boards. Paint can assist you creating simple avatars of your own instead of using pre-set choices. Paint can also help you create digital signatures, which are electronic versions of signatures which may be pasted into documents such as letters and proposals, eliminating the need to wait for a real signature.
Instructions
Making an Avatar
1. Open Paint and click "Image," then click "Attributes." Avatars are small files, so change the width and height to 2 inches by 2 inches, then click the "OK" button. Then click "View," "Zoom" and "Large Size;" this doesn't change your avatar's actual dimensions, but it gives you more room to draw.
2. Click the "Pencil" tool on the "Tools" palette on the left side of the screen, then click a color from the "Color Picker" at the bottom of the screen. Draw an outline of your avatar, such as a person's head, team logo or a cat face.
3. Click the "Fill" tool, which looks like a tipping paint can, and then click inside the outlined area. It fills with the color. Change paint colors to add other elements to the avatar.
4. (Optional) Choose a different paint color, then click the "Fill" tool and click somewhere inside the white background area. This gives your avatar a colored background.
5. Click "File," then click "Save As" and give the avatar a name and destination to be saved on your computer.
Making a Signature
6. Open Paint and click "Image," then click "Attributes." Change the width to 3 inches and the height to 1 inch, then click the "OK" button. Click the "Image" menu again and click "Draw Opaque" if there is a check mark next to it. If there is no check mark, just click off the menu. This ensures your signature background is transparent, even though it looks white on the screen. Transparent backgrounds are required so your signature looks authentic on paper of any color or background.
7. Click "View," "Zoom" and "Large Size;" this doesn't change the actual dimensions, but it gives you more room to draw.
8. Click the "Pencil" tool on the "Tools" palette on the left side of the screen, then click the black box in the "Color Picker" at the bottom of the screen. Press and hold down your mouse button, then draw a signature in the white box.
9. Click "File," then click "Save As." Give the file a name and destination on your computer. Pull down the "Save as type" menu and select ".GIF," which supports transparent backgrounds, then click "Save."
