Please help me make a SVG file suitable for BIMI

[Marc VanZ]

For my emails I would like to have an avator containing my own profile picture.
One of the things I have to have is a SVG-file. Well, no problem,....................I thought.......

I have been trying everything ( I think ) but I just don't seem to get a SVG-file which is accepted.

First I tried to upload a JPG-file but this wasn't accepted, it had to be a SVG file already. So I opened the JPG file in Illustrator and converted it to a SVG 1.1 file and uploaded it to the above website. But the result was a blanco file.

Then I tried to save the image as a SVG 1.2 Tiny file, but I get an error saying: "The following items could not be exported properly: CLIPS ARE EXPANDED.

I have tried a couple of more online converters but either way they gave me a black/white image or an image with very few colors. I downloaded a tool from the BIMI website but I get this error:

This SVG file has a <image> element. However <image> elements aren't allowed in SVG Tiny Portable/Secure profile. So please remake this SVG file without <image> elements or try another SVG file.

I looked at Youtube where someone showed how to remove the "Image' tags within a text editor, but in my file there aren't any image tages.....

So how difficult can it be to create a SVG file?????????????????????

Is there someone who can help me with this?

[Ton Frederiks]

SVG is Scalable Vector Graphics.

A Jpeg file is an image and no vector.

Convert your image to vector and try again.

[Marc VanZ]

I already did:

"First I tried to upload a JPG-file but this wasn't accepted, it had to be a SVG file already. So I opened the JPG file in Illustrator and converted it to a SVG 1.1 file and uploaded it" 

[Ton Frederiks]

Opening a jpeg and saving as svg does not make it vector, it stays an image inside an svg file.

You need to vectorize it by either manually tracing it or use the Image Trace function.

[Marc VanZ]

Okay, didn't know that. But how is it possible to get an avatar like the sample here below if you can't use an image. Because I don't think this profilephoto is vectorized or traced?

[Ton Frederiks]

If that is where you want your avatar, it indeed supports images, maybe not SVG tiny.

[Marc VanZ]

Yes, I would like to have my profile photo as an avatar when someone gets an email from me. 

[Ton Frederiks]

Did you try the script?

https://github.com/authindicators/svg-ps-converters/tree/master/illustrator-script

[Marc VanZ]

Yes, I have, but I got that <image> error

[Ton Frederiks]

Your error image is not visible, please use the insert photos icon.

[Ton Frederiks]

I am afraid that you cannot use an image if images are not allowed. Try to vectorize the image with Image Trace.

[Marc VanZ]

With respect, but I don't think that is the solution. As you can see it has to be possible to create an avatar which is a profile photo. Whenever I have to use Image Trace  (according to me) the result is not an image which looks like a JPG but it looks like a BMP (I hope you understand what I mean, it's difficult for me to explain that).

[Ton Frederiks]

Maybe you should contact Bimi and let them explain how you can use an image when images are not supported.

[Doug A Roberts]

The BIMI requirements specify no bitmaps:

https://support.google.com/a/answer/10911027?sjid=4236290211559402774-EU

Are you sure the profile picture in the image you shared was generated via BIMI?

[Marc VanZ]

@Doug A Roberts , No I don't know that. But I do know that I receive emails which have profile-photos as an avatar. So in my search for how to realise that, I found that you have to do that via BIMI. There I found that only SVG-images can be used. So I started searching how to create an SVG-image which "looks like" a JPG.

[Doug A Roberts]

What email client is the image from?

[Marc VanZ]

@doug, I don't know. 

[Doug A Roberts]

I assumed it was your image. You state that you receive emails with image avatars; what client do you see these in?

If it's Gmail, you may see the profile images of other Google accounts.

[Marc VanZ]

I see these in the webmail I am using for my business account, and some of the I also see in Gmail.

[Doug A Roberts]

Similarly, the webmail client you use may have profile pictures that you see from other users.

BIMI seems to be an attempt at a universal standard. As such its limitations for now seem to be SVG without image elements. It clearly states that in its specifications.