Avatar Makers

Let us first define what an avatar really is. The word itself has several meanings. One says that the avatar is manifestation of a deity, other says that it is an incarnation, embodiment or manifestation of a person or idea.... both definitions are religious and come from Hindu religion. But, the definition which is the one of interest for us says that the Avatar is a movable icon representing a person in cyberspace or virtual reality graphics. There are many other definitions and variations of this last meaning but it all comes down to the same thing. An avatar is a 2d or 3d picture which represents you on the internet and is really your alter ego.

There are a few different ways of making your own avatar. First you can simply use your own picture and reduce it to a reasonable size of about 200px and use it as an avatar. That would be the simplest and most common way of making one for yourself. But there are many other possibilities how you can make it even more interesting depending on your wishes. Some people like to place the real picture of themselves and that is OK but there are those who like to play and enjoy making the funny or even strange avatars of themselves.

There are programs out there which allow you to make a cartoonish face. They let you choose everything. Not only your skin color but the shade of it. You get to choose the facial expression, color of your eyes, shape of your eyebrows and lips. There are so many hairstyles you can try on and even add some accessories to your avatar like earrings, headphones, glasses. So, using one of these you can make pretty authentic picture of yourself.

Then we have even more interesting possibilities on the web. You can make the comic avatar version of yourself. A doppelganger, but not only face but the whole figure. Of course you choose your haircut, eye color and facial expression but you also get to choose your outfit and shoes and accessories in this variation of avatar maker. You can make you avatar very cool or very dorky, it all up to you. So, this variation of an avatar maker gives even more variations to play with than the previous ones.

You can also make yourself and anime avatar. As exciting and challenging as all of them. You choose and choose and there is so much to choose from, believe me. All these creators are actually here for your entertainment and that is why there are so many different options. If you want to make an avatar that looks just like you the tools are here. Even if you want to present yourself in a different light there are numerous possibilities. Now that you know what are your options I strongly suggest you consult your search engine and find the best avatar maker for you and have fun fun fun!

Author is a webmaster of Online Avatar Games at avatargames247.com and Avatar Maker

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Avatar Exhibit at Seattle's Science Fiction Museum

The latest exhibit to hit the Science Fiction Museum portion of Seattle's EMP/SFM is an Avatar exhibit which takes over the entire portion of the SciFi museum. Before you even pass through the doors of the museum, you can feel yourself being transported to Pandora. You'll get a chance to have your picture taken with the jellyfish-type woodsprites in a computer-generated scene from Pandora. The sprites will even converge on your shadow.

Then, step through the doors, and find yourself in a recreation of the human laboratories on the planet surface. There you will find samples of plant life and get to play with touchscreen technology similar to those used by characters in the movie.

Further into the exhibit you'll get to see the big draw; a full scale version of the AMP suit. I have to admit, that's probably my favourite part of the exhibit. There's even a user manual for the AMP suit, although it's really a manual to put together the prop suit. What I'd do to get my hands on that!

Other displays include a full-size arrow as used by Neytiri and several full size heads of some of the Nav'i characters. Want to try on some Nav'i boots? You'll get to do that as well.

But unlike most movies, the draw for Avatar is as much about the making of the movie as the movie itself, and you will find a lot of interesting displays that will show you how the movie was made. One display shows the dot placement that computers would use to graft on Sam Worthington's Nav'i face, as well as the suit with more markers and the camera rig he wore so that they could use the actor's real facial expressions. Step a few feet back from the display and you'll see the shadow of Sully's avatar, and get an idea of just how much they had to biggie size the actor. Later on in the exhibit you'll see clips of the actors having to perform with the technology and no real set to speak of, next to the finished shot of the actors as Nav'i on Pandora.

Another popular part of the exhibit involves visitors stepping into an area where their body is then scanned by computers and they are turned into a Nav'i onscreen. Other displays let you use similar technology that James Cameron used to film within the virtual environment of Pandora, panning a tablet-like device to get the shots you need.

Overall, it's a fun exhibit and is really great for Avatar fans. But it isn't a very big exhibit, and yet it takes up the entire portion of the Science Fiction Museum, although no doubt, it is probably due to to the overall complexity of the exhibit. For those that have visited the museum before and were looking forward to seeing model ships, Captain Kirk's chair, or the robot display, you're going to be sorely disappointed.

The Battlestar Galactica exhibit is still going on, elsewhere in the museum, so if you haven't yet seen the BSG exhibit, then getting to see both exhibits is definitely a lot of fun. But if, like me, you're a local that has already seen the BSG exhibit and knows what else the museum typically carries, you may come away from the Avatar exhibit feeling slightly underwhelmed.

Shiromi Arserio is editor of Inter-Galaxy Portal and author of The Huntsman's Tale

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Three Great Avatar Fancy Dress Costume Ideas

With James Cameron's amazing block buster movie Avatar, he really created a whole new way of looking at aliens. And one of the most fun and coolest way you can dress up for your next costume party, whether you're a men or women, or kid, is in a great avatar fancy dress costume.

The alien world of Pandora has created a wonderful place for our imaginations to explore. And for the first time the human's are the bad guys and the aliens - the Na'vi - are the good guys! Here are some ideas of how you could dress up as the good guy, Avatar-style:

1. Jake Sully full Na'vi costume

Our true hero Jake Sully is a very cool-looking character in full Na'vi avatar form. If you have the body and the courage for it then you can just strip down, wear a loincloth. And body paint yourself in the distinctive aquamarine blue with darker blue stripes of the Na'vi.

Alternatively you could make or buy a Na'vi body suit that will keep you warmer and still create the full, cool effect of a Na'vi warrior ready to run, jump, fly and fight! Don't forget the get your hair back in a ponytail. If you have short hair a wig will do the job. And of course the defining feature of the Na'vi is the tail with a furry end.

You should also try to find a spear or some sort of plastic knife to wear - no Na'vi travels unarmed. You never know when you'll need to defend yourself on Pandora, no matter how peaceful the Halloween party me seem.

2. Clothed Jake Sully

The whole body suit may be a bit much for your costume, especially if you are pressed for time in preparation. A great alternative is a kind of half and half Na'vi and normal Jake costume - basically Sully's Avatar wearing his black t-shirt with beige trousers and shirt over the top. Much easier to prepare and just as cool - but the face paint or mask, ponytail and an actual tail are still a must.

3. Neytiri costume

For all the female Avatar fans out there, there is a true treat in dressing up as the sexy, wild and dangerous Neytiri - the Na'vi Jake first meets and then falls in love with. The key to this costume is really the same as the Jake sully full Na'vi costume. You have to go all the way and wear a full body suit or very little else, and a loincloth for protection.

But the effect will be wonderful, as you become the entrancing alien. And a great wig, tail and a spear will make the image perfect.

Find your perfect Avatar costume right here: Avatar Costumes. And you can check out some more really cool Avatar fancy dress costume pictures and ideas here: Elf Fancy Dress.

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