Have fun with your facebook profile picture
Some weeks ago, I saw a profile on facebook that had something original: the profile picture was edited in a way that you just couldn’t say when facebook interface was ending and where the the profile picture started.
Here is the result I got after only 30 minutes of editing:
My facebook Profile
So how can you make one of these ?
Very easy !!
1st step: find a picture of you with a white/light background.
Here, I used a picture with a light background, if I had one with a white background/time to shoot one, it would have been better/easier.
So here, you’ll need some editing to get your background white, and keeping nice levels on your face.
Use masks, levels, saturation tools to get your head on a white background.
2nd step: insert your head on the facebook ‘interface’
Some useful info:
- width of the profile picture: 200px
- height is not important
- grey background goes for 67px and is #edeff4 (more or less)
- darker grey line is 1px high and is #d8dfea (more or less)
- font I used is Tahoma 11pt (this seems to be the one IE, FF, Chrome take into account in the css) and is #3b5998 (more or less)
- height between typos and separation lines is 20px
- typo starts at 8px from the left border
- Start putting the grey background, and use masks to hide the white background around your face.
- Then draw the darker line at exactly 68px from top.
- Write your fake menu items, separate them with a ‘dark grey’ line
3rd step: export, upload, and enjoy !
Some things I found out:
I first wanted to make the pic twice the size (400px width, 2px for the dark grey lines etc…) to have it bigger when people click on it.
But then I found out that the resizing of the profile picture to fit it at 200px wide is causing some blur on the lines. I thought about it, but wanted to try it anyway. Don’t waste your time, as you’ll have to redo everything at 1/1 size.
Also, putting a grey stroke around the ‘profile’ pic, gives more consistency to it, you avoid this ‘cut’ body effect.
Do not hesitate to take the pic above to use it as a base for your editing.
If you want to, I can also include a link to the psd, just ask.
I listened to The Trashmen – Surfin’ Birds and other nice things of this period of rock’n'roll while editing my facebook profile picture.
Have fun !!
(version française à venir)
