Using Photoshop

• 1). Open Photoshop and click "File," then select "New." Name the file "Cat Avatar" and set the desired width and height; most avatars are small, so try 2 inches by 2 inches. Set the "Mode" to "RGB Color" and the "Contents" to "White," then click the "OK" button. Click "View," then choose "Fit on Screen." This doesn't enlarge your avatar, it just gives you more room to work.
  
  
• 2). Click the "New Layer" icon, which looks like a flipped up post-it note, on the "Layers" palette on the right side of the screen. A new Layer 1 is added. Right-click it and select "Layer Properties," then change the name to "Cat Head."
  
  
• 3). Click "File," then choose "Open" and browse to the area on your computer where you have a picture of your cat. Double-click it so it opens on your workspace.
  
  
• 4). Click the "Lasso" tool on the "Tools" palette on the left side of your screen, then draw an outline around the cat in the photo. A blinking dotted line appears. Press the "Ctrl" and "C" keys on your keyboard.
  
  
• 5). Click back to the "Cat Avatar" box and click once on the "Cat Head" layer to give it focus, then press the "Ctrl" and "V" keys on the keyboard. The picture of your cat pastes in.
  
  
• 6). Click the "Edit" menu, then select "Transform" and choose "Scale." Grab a corner of the cat picture and resize it if it is too big. Move it into place on the "Cat Avatar" box, then press the "Enter" key on the keyboard.
  
  
• 7). Click the "Background" layer in the "Layers" palette, then click the "Fill" tool, which looks like a tipping paint can, on the "Tools" palette. Notice a new toolbar at the top of the screen. Pull down the "Fill" menu and select "Pattern," then click the "Pattern" drop-down box. Click once on a pattern for the background of your avatar. Hover your cursor over the "Cat Avatar" box and notice it changes into the paint can. Click inside the white space and it fills with the pattern. (This step is optional.)
  
  
• 8). Click the right-pointing triangle in a circle at the top of the "Layers" palette and choose "Flatten Image." Save the avatar to your computer, then upload it for gaming or chatting
  
  

Using Paint

• 1). Open Paint and click "File," then choose "New." Click "View," then "Zoom," then "Large Size," which gives you room on the screen.
  
  
• 2). Click the "Image" menu and select "Attributes." Click the "Inches" button under "Units" and type "2" for both the "Width" and "Height" boxes
  
  
• 3). Click "Paintbrush" on the tools palette, then choose a brush size. Click a color from the "Color Picker" at the bottom of the screen, then draw the outline of the cat.
  
  
• 4). Change brushes and colors to add details such as whiskers, eyes and a nose. Click the "Fill" tool, which looks like a tipping paint can, to fill in the entire background of your avatar with a color.
  
  
• 5). Click "File," then click "Save" and give the file a name and destination on your computer.