Looking to express yourself with a truly personalized Windows 7 and Windows Live experience? Not only can you create an avatar that looks just like you, you can customize the background so your virtual self is hanging at the beach, the mountains, or even on safari.
A flattering head shot
An Internet connection
Windows 7 (recommended, but Windows Vista and Windows XP will work too)
Windows Live Messenger
Visit the Windows Experience Pack website and click Start now.
Choose one of four destinations (I'm a sucker for mountains). Click Next.
Pick a desktop background. Click Next.
Click Male or Female. Click Next again.
For your alter-ego image, you can either upload a photo from your PC or you can take a fresh glam shot from your webcam, if you have one. The photo needs to be in JPEG format and less than 1 megabyte (MB). To resize using Windows Live Photo Gallery, right-click the image, click Resize, choose a size (from small to large), and then click Resize and Save. Photo Gallery will automatically save your photo in JPEG format. To check the size of the image, right-click the photo, click Properties, and then scroll to the bottom where the file size will be shown.
Then, using the oval cropping tool, you'll want to select your face from the photo. Friendly tip—I found I needed to go a little high on the top of my head so that my hair didn't cover my eyes. When you're finished, click Next.
Now it's time to pick a stylish outfit and accessories. Oh, and some hair would be nice. Don't hold back! Just click and mix and match until you're satisfied with your new look in the preview image on the left. Then, click Next.
You're all done! Just click Download and install to get your customized theme pack. If you're running Internet Explorer 8, you'll need to click Run on some security screens to confirm the file download. And then, click Accept for the Service Agreement and your theme packs will automatically be applied to your desktop and Messenger. (This took a minute or two for me, so be patient with it.)
Note: If you aren't signed in to Messenger, you will be prompted to do so, otherwise you'll only get the desktop background and screen savers.
For Windows 7, you should see your new desktop background in effect and a screen saver featuring multiple photos from your destination.
To view or change your preferences at any time, right-click your desktop, and then click Personalize. You'll see your new theme listed under My Themes, and at the bottom of the window, you'll find ways you can customize that theme, including Window Color, Sounds, and Screen Saver.
For Windows Live Messenger, you'll find a new display picture showing your avatar, up to four dynamic display pictures, a wink, and seven new emoticons.
Your dynamic display pictures should come up when you start a conversation with someone. To change the backgrounds, right-click your display picture and choose one of the options (in my case Bee, Skiers, Seasons, or my favorite, Snow), or the backgrounds will change when you use some of the emoticons.
To find your customized emoticons, click Emoticons, and then click Show All to view the new emoticons that were added.
To use your custom wink, click Winks (the winking smiley face on the bottom of your chat window), and then click Show All. From here, you should see your very own wink. You can click it and then click Preview to see it in action before sending it off to all your friends.
For more personalization fun with Windows 7, check out the free extras at the Windows Personalization Gallery.
Erika Takeuchi is the editor for Explore Windows and has worked at Microsoft for nearly four years. While a self-proclaimed technology jinx, she loves discovering and sharing tips and tricks that make her life (and hopefully yours) a little bit easier. When not clicking away at the keyboard, she can be found snapping photos, hunting for new restaurants, and running around Seattle with her “career change” guide dog, Hoya.
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