Showing Your Personality With Display Images
| Selecting Your Display Image | Working With Your Avatar | Sharing Your Display Image | Changing the Display Image Size |
Sharing Your Display Image
You can share your display image so that it appears on your contact’s IM window during instant messaging. You can select a default display image (either a picture or an avatar) to appear during any IM conversations, and change the image for a specific conversation. This feature allows you to share different personalities with different contacts.
Tip: You can’t share display images with Windows Live™ Messenger contacts.
This task shows you how to:
Here’s How
To share your default display image:
In the Messenger window, select My Display Image from the Messenger menu.
In the Default Display Image window, select Share my picture or Share my Avatar.
Click the OK button.
All of your open IM windows and those belonging to contacts with whom you’re conversing, update immediately to display your image. (Your contacts must have display images enabled to see your image.)
To share a different display image during a specific IM conversation:
In your IM window, select Change Display Image from the pull-down menu below your image.
The Display Image window opens. This window is similar to the Default Display Image window but pertains to the active IM window only.
Select Share my picture or Share my Avatar.
Click the OK button.
Your new selection appears in the IM window from which you made the selection and in the IM window of the contact with whom you’re conversing (if the contact has enabled Display Images). All other open IM windows show either your default image selection or an image specifically selected for that conversation.
Tips: To apply your selection to all open IM conversations (effectively changing your default display image), check Use this selection for everyone in the Display Image window.
To hide your display image from this contact only, select Don’t share a display image from the pull-down menu below your image.
What’s Next
Your display image appears on the right of your IM window’s input area. You can resize this image, if desired.
Small versions of shared display images also appear next to contact names in the Messenger List and on an individual’s contact card.
Words to Know
- Avatar: a character that you can use when interacting with friends online. By changing hairstyles, clothes, accessories, and backgrounds, you can create your own unique persona.
- Contact: a person with whom you interact; someone to whom you might want to send an email or instant message.
- Conversation: an exchange of instant messages between you and a contact.
- Display image: a picture or Avatar that represents you in some way and that you share with your contacts during IM conversations.
- IM: the acronym for instant message.
- Instant messaging: the ability to exchange messages in real time with other people over the Internet.
- Messenger List: a list of coworkers, friends, family, and associates who also use Messenger.
- Windows Live™ Messenger: Microsoft® Windows’ free instant messaging application.