So what's the secret to fixing avatars so the right side doesn't get cropped off? I tried to upload a new one directly from my iPad instead of linking to my Photobucket account; that didn't work. Do I have to crop the picture before uploading or linking to it, and if so, what dimensions do I use?
I used the crop function on my IPhone and sliced my shoulders off.
I guesstimated the dimensions based on how much of my avatar had been cut off when I saw it in a post.
I would crop down your picture so there is just a little room on either side of your head. Then I would crop off some of the space over your head so the picture's proportions are equal.
With the new site design, avatar pics can't be wider that 160 pixels.
You can get the free photo editing software 'irfanview'. It's open source. Free. Relatively easy to use. It can re-size pictures, change formats, crop, adjust, the works.
As Doug said resize to 160 pixels wide or less.