The portraits were there, but now (some/many/all) are gone!  There are just red question marks!

Yeah, that happens irregularly.  Don't panic & please don't bother telling us that the portraits are down - we know & we have NO control over it.  It's the service we use, or the hardware that connects us or you to the servers where the portraits are stored.  The problem is "usually" fixed within an hour or three.  If it lasts longer, the hosts of the portrait galleries (who are regular & frequent RPOL users) are probably already in communication with the webhost.

Only if there is no update in a portrait related thread in General after (at minimum) 12 hours AND this thread shows both portrait servers as 'online':

/info.cgi?action=rpol

should you ask for help if you're not seeing all or part of the portraits.  It's possible that it is a cookie or browser-related issue.

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What is the standard portrait dimension and size?

When all is said and done in the editing department, submissions are reduced to 100 pixels high by 100 pixels wide (100x100) and less than 5 kilobytes in size.  However, in the game threads, portraits in use are shrunk to 50x50 for space considerations.  To view the portrait in its full size, click on it.  (RPOL keeps no larger images.)

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There is one specific portrait that I love!  Who is it?  Where can I get a full-sized copy?

We have no idea.  Ask in Community Chat for all personal requests like this. (See bottom for how to refer to a specific portrait.)

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What's with all the dorky pictures and duplicates in the gallery?  Why don't you get rid of them?

That's on the "to do" list, and it will be done eventually.  Have patience, and please understand when a submission is rejected because there is a duplicate in the gallery or one that is extremely similar, that the basic idea is not to add more that will have to be removed.

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There are no portraits that fit my character, can I submit one?

Yes, but there are no guarantees that it will be accepted.  There are several criteria that need to be met (see below).  Our file space is limited, so please only submit portraits you intend on using for a character.

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How many can I send in?

A user may ONLY submit three (3) pictures per portrait update.  If the update is late (there is no set time frame, but every 2 weeks (or more frequently) is the goal), do NOT send in another submission.  Excess portraits will either be rejected arbitrarily, or all submissions may be returned to the submitter with a request to limit the submission to 3 portraits or less.

The number of submissions allowed may drop to two (2) pictures per update and there may be a temporary cap instituted on some categories due to the number of portraits already available to keep the category from becoming so large that it is no longer user-friendly.

A user may ONLY submit one (1) per week.  Portrait updates will be done weekly.

How do I submit a portrait?

Send your image to portraits@rpol.net, but keep in mind the following:

a) Submissions must be 100x100 pixels or greater (bigger than approximately 1 inch/3 cm square on your computer screen).  Smaller sizes usually produce poor quality, and will almost certainly be rejected.  The larger the original you submit (within reason), the better.

b) Jpg's are preferred, but .bmp, .gif, .img, .kdc, .mac, .msp, .pcd, .pct, .pcx, .psd, .psp, & .tif   formats are acceptable.

Please send the image file by itself, without inserting it into a .pdf (Acrobat) or other unnecessary format (Word documents, etc.).  Zipped files are acceptable provided they're in a standard format that our software can un-compress.

c) Sending the file as an attachment is preferred, but links and zips are acceptable.

d) No names on the image unless it's the artist's mark.  Copyrighted photos will not be accepted, so if you see © on a photo, or the word copyright, do not, I repeat, do not send it in.  Nothing Copyrighted/Registered/Trademarked will be accepted without the artist's express permission, and we must have a copy of the permission emailed along with the submission.

Likewise, if it comes to our attention that the portrait is the work of an artist that has specifically asked that their works not be used on other sites (Disney, for example), it will be removed from the gallery.

If we are contacted by the artist or their authorized representative regarding removal of an image, the portrait will be removed immediately.

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Some things to consider regarding quality and the "final product":

a) The final image will be cropped square - tall or wide portraits may not work well when cropped.  If your image is not square, the larger the original (within reason), the better chance the image can be used upon alteration.

b) If you submit a full-body shot, it will be cropped more tightly.  Faces tend to be preferred over full body as they hold up to 50x50 viewing resolution better.

c) If the file is less than 5k, it may not retain the quality needed once sized and cropped.

d) Images must be clear - contrast, detail, quality, color, focus, artistic ability, and overall final product all will be taken into consideration for acceptance.

Look through the recent submissions (later pages in any category) for examples of what quality is generally accepted.

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Can we submit pictures with animation?

Well, .jpg files do not support animation, so any animation in the file you send will be lost in the end result.  Therefore, to keep things simple, no.  Animated portraits will not be accepted.

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Who decides what goes in?

The portrait editor has the final say in what is accepted and what is not.

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Why wasn't my picture accepted?

Images may be rejected if they are too small, too blurry to make out the details, poor quality, have words on the image, are deemed a duplicate or extremely similar to an existing portrait, or are just plain bad.  "Duplicate" is a judgment call - there is not enough room for every actor with every mood in every costume for every role they ever played, nor every model in existence.  All things equal, pictures with "character" will be given consideration over "just another face".

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I sent my picture two minutes/hours/days ago, why hasn't it been used yet?

Updates will be done once per week (give or take a couple of days).

Emails are sent in reply to each submission, either informing the submitter where the portrait can be found in the gallery after the update, or informing them that the portrait has been rejected.

If you sent in your portrait more than 10 days ago, check the email that you used to send it, including your 'trash' bin if you have filters set.  The picture was either rejected or your email got lost in cyberspace.  Once you've done your part in checking to see if you've received a response, you might want to re-submit, and check the 'send to' address.

There is a thread, "Portrait Update" (link to a message in "General RPoL") in the RPoL General forum, where the Portrait Editor makes announcements of recent updates and delays, etc.  Watch there for info.

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Why only once per week?

Portrait submissions are checked for quality, size, duplication/similarity to current portraits, and edited as necessary before they are uploaded to the server.  Even for the small portraits we use, it takes some time to edit all the submissions, update the gallery, answer emails, etc.

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Is there anything I can do to get my portrait uploaded sooner?

Try bribes.   Joking!!!  Actual answer -- No.

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Where did you put my submission?

Portraits are placed where they are deemed to fit best for general use.  You are welcome to make suggestions, and we try to reply with an e-mail informing you of the final location, but no guarantees are given.

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How do I refer to a specific portrait?

Currently, all portraits can be identified with 3 letters and a number.  The letters refer to the Gender/Category/Sub-category, and the number is the particular portrait within that sub-category.

The first letter is f, m, or n, for Female, Male, or Neutral.

The second letter is c, f, h, m or s, for Creature, Fantasy, Historical, Modern, or Sci-Fi, the 5 categories listed below each of the 3 genders (Female/Male/Neutral).

The final letter depends on the final sub-category.  For instance, ffr is Female Fantasy Rogue, while fmr is Female Modern Rugged, and fsr is Female Sci-Fi Robot.  (There is a complete breakdown in the first message of this thread: link to a message in "Portrait Posse")

So, mmg040 would be the 40th picture under Male, Modern, Gangster, and so on.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:21, Thu 10 Nov 2005.

With jase's okay, I'm making a few changes in portrait submissions.

Beginning Sunday, November 13 (ish - to account for time zones):

1) Portrait updates will be done weekly.

2) With the more frequent updates, the number of submissions accepted will be1 per week, no exceptions.

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To increase the chances that your picture will be accepted:

Provide a good sized original, larger than the 100x100 pixels that it will be cropped into.  Let us do the sizing and editing for you.

Do not send in copyrighted pictures.    © - you know what that means, & so do I. :)

Do not send in smaller than 100x100 pics.  While in rare instances, it is possible to add a frame & maintain quality at smaller sizes, it decreases the chance we can use the pic.  Send larger whenever possible.

Look thru the gallery to make sure what you want isn't in the gallery already.

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If you send in more than 1 picture, it will be my choice which to accept.

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I'd also like to say thanks to kylebishop & ThePixie who have offered to help with the editing & resizing, and the rest of the Portrait Posse who help check for duplicates and who sometimes search for better quality versions of the images sent in that we cannot use due to quality/size of the original.

In an effort to cut down on my explanation time of what © means, I'm going to post it here and start referencing this message when I respond to relevant submissions.



This is the copyright symbol.  It is a 'c' enclosed in a circle.  What that signifies is that the artist or creator of the work, whether it be a painting, an illustration, a drawing, cgi, etc. has legally claimed the rights to their picture.

No pictures with this symbol on them anywhere will be accepted unless you provide an email from the copyright owner (usually the artist) stating that you have obtained permission for the work to be used (and, if necessary, altered) by rpol's gallery -- or if you provide a link to their official website where they have stated that they give permission for their work to be used on other sites.

Yes, there are a lot of pictures floating around on the web, and some of them in the gallery that probably are (or were) copyrighted.  The difference is that when we received them, they didn't have a big, whopping, © on them that the submitter was willfully asking us to pretend not to see.

When/if we are made aware of copyright violations, we will remove offending pics from the gallery.  As portrait editor, though, it's my responsibility not to 'wink & nod' and accept pictures that I KNOW aren't legally available.

Don't ask.

Also, please, don't insult my intelligence.  If I turn down your submission on the grounds of 'copyright' one week, don't assume I won't remember when you send the same pic in the next week, with the copyright information neatly excised.

Thanks!
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:47, Thu 26 Jan 2006.

A reminder -- please -- don't send in collections of pictures.

Have 5, 10, or 20 that you think are just good pictures and you MIGHT want to use one or two of them someday -- please don't.  Chances are we'll still be accepting portraits for upload when 'might use' becomes 'will use.'

This is the way it'll be:

Send in 2 or 3 pictures, we'll choose the one we like best.

Send in more than 3, and you'll receive a rejection note explaining the '1 per week' policy.

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Please don't send in 'group' photos.  Stating that you want just a picture of 'Character X' is likely not going to cut it, because there's no guarantee that we know who you're talking about.

Please don't link to a site with pictures and indicate that you want the one of 'Character X'.

If you must send a link, send the link to the specific picture.

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Please don't send a link to a site that requires someone to be logged in to see the destination.  We won't create accounts that will never be used again just to see where the link leads.

Right click on the picture.  Save it.  Attach it to the email.

If they don't let you right/click & save, that's because they don't want you to use that picture.

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Thanks!

I shouldn't have to say it, but it seems that I do ...

Pictures submitted that focus on barely covered / uncovered breasts or other exposed, exaggerated genitalia will not be accepted.

If your submission includes any of the above, then please do your own crop of the head & shoulders, omitting the rest, before you send it in.

If you don't, the submission will be going into the the 'automatic reject' stack.