How to Create & Make Round Gravatar Images in 5 Minutes

Wondering how to make a round gravatar image that you can use on your site? It’s really easy if you know how! So, let me show you how it’s done and without the need for any CSS, graphics or programming skills or ability.

What Is a Gravatar Image and How Can It Be Used on a Blog

A gravatar image or picture can be defined as a standardized image that is used to identify you in author boxes, in comments on blogs, and also to brand yourself online.

Take a look below at the three examples of Gravatars being used.

1. Author Bio Box

Ever gone to the bottom of someone’s blog post and noticed a very nice round circular icon style image of the author?

On this site, I use the WordPress Plug-in Fancier Author Box to get a nice clean looking box with the gravatar and text inside it.

From an SEO (search engine optimization) point of view, it is a good idea to include author information for every blog post you write.

2. Sidebar About Me/Us Info

Many successful bloggers also make sure that they have a gravatar image on the top right of their blog posts and/or home/page.

The reason for this is to brand their sites (with themselves as the brand as a small business).

By making yourself visible through an image of yourself, it begins to build trust and a level of transparency between you and your readers.

You can also include some text above or below the sidebar gravatar image to push your strapline.

If you go to the top-right of our post on What Is a Blog and What Do Bloggers Do, you will see that our strapline is “Your Time is Irreplaceable!” where we focus on the idea that time passes us by so we should be spending time doing the things we love, both in and out of work time.

The point is that having a gravatar in the sidebar can be great for branding and creating a connection with your followers. It can also draw attention to your strapline.

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3. Comments Image Box

Even though the days of adding comments to people’s blogs purely for link building, are a thing of the past, adding genuine comments to your blogs in your niche can still be a great way to network.

And having a nice gravatar image that shows next to your comment, makes you more visible to those looking also to network in your chosen niche.

How Do I Make a Round Circle Cropped Gravatar Image

As I mentioned in the introduction, you do NOT need any design, programming or CSS coding skills. Let me show you.

In one word, the answer is Canva! You can have a lovely designed gravatar image. This is what you do.

Step 1 – Go to Canva

Canva is FREE (you only need the free version). You might need to create a free account but do not worry. The free version does everything you need and it is what I have been using for years.

So, get signed up on Canva (you’ll only ever have to do this the 1st time).

Step 2 – Set Up Gravatar Dimensions

Next, when logged into Canva, on the homepage click the ‘Custom dimensions’ button on the top right of the page.

Next, select a size whereby the pixel height and width are the same. I suggest using 400 x 400 pixels.

Then click ‘Create new design’

Step 3 – Set up the Elements

Now you want to go to –> Elements in the left sidebar on Canva.

Then what you need to do is to scroll down in the elements tab until you find ‘Frames’.

Now just click the circular frame and it will automatically move across onto your image template (as you see below).

So you now have the template set up and ready to drop in your own photograph. So let’s grab your own photo.

Step 4 – Import a Nice Headshot Photo

Okay. So now look at the left-side menu again and select ‘Uploads’.

You will now see a blue button saying ‘Upload an image’ on the top left of your screen. Click the blue button.

After clicking the upload button, you need to select the photo or picture on your own computer.

That photo or image will now upload to your Canva.

All you have to then do is to select the round circle (by clicking it so that it is highlighted) and then drag the photo across and on top of the round part of your template (see below).

Note: You need to drag your image over the circle and not the background. Do not forget also to have the circle clicked and highlighted first.

If you are having any problems at this point, let us know on our Bloggers support group and we can answer your questions.

You should then end up with this below.

Step 5 – Download the Gravatar Image

So that is it! You have created a round crop style gravatar picture. You just need now to download it.

So, looking at the image below, on the top right of your Canva you can:

• A – The drop-down menu where it says ‘Publish’ also includes the download option.
• B – Here you see the download option.
• C – Here you change the file name. At the moment you see it as ‘400px x 400px – Untitled. This one I would name something such as ‘belly-dance-gravatar.jpg’

If you are using the image to upload to gravatar.com, then I suggest t saving a PNG file and high resolution (i.e. for a Gravatar picture that will show in comments and on an Author box).

For a Gravatar that will go on your WordPress sidebar, you might want to download it as a jpeg and then optimize it for the web (such as through the Image Compressor).

How to Display Your Gravatar on Author Bio Box

This once again is one of those things that is really easy. But only once you know how it’s done 🙂 – so let me show you how it’s done!

Step 1 – Set up Your Gravatar Account (Free)

Start by going to https://en.gravatar.com/

Create a login and then navigate to ‘My Gravatars’ on the top menu and click this menu option.

2. Upload Your Picture to Gravatar

Now you will see an option saying ‘Add a new image’.

Select ‘Add a new image’ and select the round gravatar image you saved to your computer (that you made in Canva).

3. Connect Your Gravatar Account to Your WordPress Site

Now you need to go back into your website on WordPress and on the main menu (on the left side) click on ‘Users’ and then ‘All Users’.

You may have one or more users already set up. Click ‘Edit’ alongside whichever user profile it is that you are adding the gravatar for.

Chances are you have just one user (yourself) so click edit on that one.

Now make sure that the email address you have set in the user account, matches the email used for your Gravatar account. This is all you will need to do.

How to Upload Gravatar Image to Your Side-Bar in WordPress

To add a gravatar or circle profile picture onto the right side of your pages and posts, go to the ‘Widgets’ section on WordPress.

To get to widgets, go to ‘Appearance’ and the ‘Widgets’ on the left-side WordPress menu.

When you are in the widgets area on WordPress, add an ‘image’ widget to show in your sidebar.

Then upload the gravatar you made in Canva (see lesson above on how to make the gravatar). Make sure you remember to save the widget!

Provided you have a sidebar set to show on your posts and pages, then the gravatar will now show.

How to Crop Pictures into Circular, Square and Other Shapes in Canva

To make round, circular, hexagonal, triangular or square photos and pictures, whether it be for a gravatar image or not, just follow the instructions already given above by going to the Canva (free) website app and using the ‘frames’ tool.

Go to the left-side menu in Canva –> Frames

Then choose the shape you want by clicking on it and then drag and drop the photo you want over the inside of the shape. Then download the cropped picture.

Canva is one of the easiest circle profile picture makers and is extremely easy to use.

Don’t forget you can ask us further questions on the Bloggers support group! Or you can ask questions in the comment section at the bottom of this post!

What Is the Best Size for a Gravatar Image

There is no exact size that a gravatar should be.

For a sidebar, we tend to always make a 400 width times 400 height (in pixels) and then we optimize the image for the web.

For an image we upload directly to gravatar we tend to use a png file and we use the same size.

What Is the Difference between an Avatar and a Gravatar?

There really is no difference between the two. The difference in reality though is that the avatar is the actual image and gravatar is the site used to generate the avatar you will see in WordPress.

As we have shown above tough, you could create an avatar for your sidebar without using the gravatar website (but using Canva only).