Place the photograph face down on the glass plate of a scanner.
Preview the image and then scan the picture.
Save the scanned image as a jpeg file and transfer to your computer. To simplify the process, the image can be saved at 72 pixels/inch.
Crop the image so the picture frame only contains the visual information you need. A head shot commonly is used in an avatar, but a full-length or half-body pose can be used.
Check the size requirements for the website where the picture will be used as an avatar.
Open your photo image editor. Use Photoshop, if possible, but the iPhoto image editor can be used on a Mac.
Make any color and size adjustments, so the image is the same size or slightly larger than the required size.
Give the picture a name and save as a jpeg file.
Upload the picture to the website.