(Click on the image for better resolution)



What do ATRL members love almost as much as their catty stan wars? Correct. GIFs!

Our members love using GIFs, may they be used in simple posts or as avatars, especially when they're created by themselves and, even more, when said GIFs happen to smash all over the forum. The biggest part of our community is neither able to create them, though, nor has the will to learn the process of doing them via Photoshop or other programs.

What I offer is a GIF Maker implemented in the site which is as easy to use as for Lady Gaga to change her wigs every couple of hours or so. You can access it through the link positioned in the grey bar beside the site's banner. Once you're there, you just pick your video, from your PC or from the Web, select the scene you want to gif and create it, saving it on your PC or uploading it on an image hosting website. As easy as it sounds!

On the top left of the GIF Maker you can notice an "Edit" section. That features several options to play with already existing GIFs. You can change their dimensions, rotate, flip or crop them. Furthermore, you can adjust the speed of your GIF, if it goes too slow or too fast, split one GIF in more of them or apply to it filters, effects or regulations.

I think this feature would make it way easier for ATRLers to create what they love so much and, in the end, it would be quite an innovative and appreciated addition to the site.

~Custom themes~

Are you tired of the same old themes :/ tired of using grayscale, ice cold, even the icky default theme? Well I got a feature for you!

Introducing the new way to customize your ATRL experience, with your very own theme!.
You decide what you want, and how you want it. Similar to the customization of your atrl profile theme (for those who have atrl+) except it's more of a simple formula, that's assessable and easy to digest. For years many people have complained about the basic themes on here. Many people want more. But, what if you could decide what you look at? It's bringing customization to your hands, while at the same time satisfying anyone who desires change in their lives. Functionally this is extremely basic, as even the dullest of users could figure out how to customize their themes.

It's a simple click on the bottom right corner where you would normally change your theme, however at the far right there will be a button where you can chose different colors where you can edit your theme. The Primary color is your background and the accent color would be the atrl on the top left corner, and the different sections. As seen below:



After clicking the desired color schemes, it will automatically change for you. (don't worry, if you don't like the coloring you can change the colors OR you can go back to the default theme!)

What you may see once you change your theme (simple mode. For those gurls, like me, who are too lazy)





Under the "advanced" mode, however, you can change The coloring of links, titles, and and the wording in general. This feature would be an ATRL+ exclusive. (hihi if you win Les ATRLERS you can get this) Along with this, if you're an ATRL+ member you get the choice of complete customization, where you can upload your own pictures, just like you can with your personal profile theme. With this comes no restrictions. For example:



This is just a picture I found off Google. If you wanted cats, oranges, whatever, it's up the the user to decide. This simple concept really is about bringing together what some users desire, the need of a new theme. And on top of that, you're no longer stuck with just the default themes. You chose the color, you chose the picture and you're done. Simple.

Originally posted by umich Episode 12: Apprentice ___________________________ New ATRL Feature: Press Play I’ve always noticed that there is what appears to be a green “play” button in the Singles threads under the Music News sub-forum. Some people have often asked if it was a button to play whatever song/single is. It seems like a valid question considering the appearance of the button! I was thinking that there should be a way to make it fully functional within the Singles and New Track threads. The name/concept is simple - Press Play. That's it. Us ATRL users love music so much, and I think it would just be a fitting name considering the icon of the button as it currently stands. Functionality and why ATRL needs this The functionality is simple. Press Play becomes a small, embedded player at the top of the thread upon entering. The idea for Press Play is to be able to float while scrolling through the thread and continue to play between browsing other pages of the thread. This way, ATRL users can click play, listen to the track, reply to messages, and skip through multiple pages within the thread. One click of the button will begin play of the song, and users can skip through the song as necessary. Users have the option to minimize the player and return it to the top of the thread. They can also pause it once they’re finished hearing it. The button is linked to either an official YouTube/VEVO page or a streaming service. Obviously, the button will not link to illegal downloading sites. The link can be provided and loaded by either the original poster or an ATRL moderator/administrator (recommended). Why is this needed? Honestly, I think it’s needed for various, useful reasons. Many ATRLers want things at an instant, so searching through the thread or on the web for a streaming link isn't ideal for them. Press Play would help to quickly locate a streaming outlet to the song for the appropriate thread and allow ATRL users to listen to the song and participate in the conversation within the thread. I’ve noticed that it can be difficult to locate a streaming link to a song after it has leaked – the thread becomes hugely popular with multiple posts and pages quickly growing in minutes! I think it will become less of a pain to “search” through the thread just to find the streaming link. With Press Play, the music will be just one click and zero scrolls away when entering the thread. Moreover, it allows users to be a part of the conversation of the single while listening and being able to comment/reply during the song's run. Appendix (quick sketch of layout)

Episode 12: The Apprentice

The Idea:

Identifying the latest trends within pop culture is simply imperative when on a forum oriented towards just that. So I decided to make my upgrade idea a table stating the latest trends on this website by utilizing algorithm that identifies topics that are popular now, rather than topics that have been popular for a while, to help you discover the hottest emerging topics of discussion. However, with this new update, not only will you be able to discover the latest pop culture trends, but ATRL's community will also be integrated into the system.


I apologize for the LQ picture, I'm terrible at photoshop but underneath the trend bar would be something along the lines of :

Beyoncé (underneath: 1000 posts about this trend)
Rihanna (underneath: 700 posts about this trend)
Taylor Swift (underneath: 600 posts about this trend)
jax. (underneath: 400 posts about this trend)
L.A S4 (underneath: 300 posts about this trend)]

What happens when you click on a ATRLTrend?

Clicking any of the Trends takes you to the ATRL search results for that Trend. You'll see all the thread titles, thread posts, blog posts, & wall posts from those in your friends list that include that specific phrase or topic.

[What I wanted to do here was post a screenshot of what it would look like if you clicked on a trend & so it would be similar to twitter in the sense that you’d have tabs for switching between all 4 locations]


Locations:

You’d also be able to view Trends for a specific location, including but not limited to all 9 sub-sections (Music News, Charts, Videos etc.)