Icon editors allow you to change the file icon that appears when you view the file, for example, in Explorer. A file with ICO extension contains one or several small images of different sizes and color depths. In addition to editing, the presented programs also allow you to create new icons (regular and system) for files, as well as site icons that are used on web resources (blog, site) to be displayed in the address bar of the browser or browser tabs / bookmarks, such as this ...
The icon editor must either implement special algorithms for working with icons, or use built-in system functions, otherwise the created icons will be difficult to use.
Icons are typically 32 x 32 pixels with a depth of 256 colors, but sometimes 48 x 48 pixels, 64 x 64 pixels, and 128 x 128 pixels are used. Site icons should be saved in 16 x 16 pixels with a 256-color palette. You can create icons with a 32-bit palette (and best of all), but site icons used on the web must be saved with a 256-color palette. You should not save site icons with a different resolution and color depth, because on some platforms they may not display correctly.
Want to get a webpage icon?
Google has created a simple service for extracting website icons in PNG format ..
www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=site
Review of free programs for replacing and editing icons
Icon editor software Greenfish Icon Editor Pro an integrated approach
Not all professional software products are commercial. freeware, complete with professional tools for creating, editing, opening and saving icon files. It allows you to extract and modify icons in executable files, or convert image files to icons and other graphic formats.
The program allows you to work with icon libraries. It supports the following image formats: ICO, CUR, ANI, PNG, XPM, BMP, JPG, GIF, as well as Vista compatible PNG icons.
In addition to working with icons, the program allows you to draw cursors, small pixel images, animations and various supported images. The program also has some useful features such as overlaying shadows, creating a visual lighting effect and setting the width of the bevel.
The program is easy to use. It is lightweight and does not require installation. You just need to download the zip file, unzip and run the executable file.
IcoFX icon replacement and remover program alternative to Greenfish
Alternatively, good free editor icons worth trying. The program has a rich set of tools and includes the possibility of more than 40 image change effects typical for most graphic editors. It will take some time to figure out all the tools.
The program allows you to create icons for your executable files, installation files, your site or blog. It also allows you to convert your favorite images to icons and vice versa. The program's capabilities also include converting Macintosh icons to Windows and vice versa.
Another feature of the program is working with Vista icons in PNG format, with support for maximum color depth, including alpha channel (transparency).
Batch processing of icons can also be attributed to the features of the program.
IcoFX
| Lots of tools, over 40 graphic effects, conversions between Macintosh and Windows icons, batch processing, etc. | ||
| The process of extracting and fixing icons for some executables does not work as well as for Greenfish Icon Editor Pro. |
Small icon editor. Alpha channels, icons up to 256x256, libraries, XP-icons and basic formats are supported: ICO, BMP, PNG, PSD, EXE, DLL, ICL.
Installing icon editor @icon sushi
On our website you can download the @icon sushi installer, or portable version... Choose a convenient option on the download page and install the program.
English, but there is a crack in the archive with it.To Russify the program, we do the following:
- Open the folder with installed program(by default it is C: \ Program Files \ aicon \).
- We find the "Languages" folder there.
- Copy the file into it Russian.lng from the folder with the crack.
- Launch @icon sushi.
- Go to the "Options" - "Languages" menu and select the Russian language.
Done, the Russian interface is installed.
Program interface
After launch, the main window of the program will appear in front of us.
With its help, you can "get" hidden icons from files .ICO, .PNG, .PSD, .BMP, .EXE, .DLL, .ICL and change them as you please.
For example, let's open the AVG antivirus executable file to extract icons from it. Click "Open" and select desired file with extension .exe... All icons from this file will be loaded.
If you hover the mouse cursor over the buttons in the Open and Save area, we will see that the program allows you to save pictures in the following formats:
- Regular single icon (ICO).
- Multi-icon (a set of icons selected from the list in the same ICO format).
- Icon library that can contain one or many icons (ICL).
- Picture in BMP (not compressed and without transparency support).
- Picture in PNG (with alpha-channel support).
Thus, using @icon sushi, you can convert ordinary images to icons and vice versa.
Let's now try to make an icon from some picture.
Creating icons from drawings
Here we have to do a little preparatory work first. As already mentioned, the program works with pictures up to 256x256 pixels in size and not in all formats.
Standard icon sizes for Windows: 16*16, 24*24, 32*32, 48*48, 256*256.Also sometimes used: 64 * 64 and 128 * 128.
Therefore, to open a regular picture in @icon sushi, you first need to:
- Make it square (crop or add canvas).
- Reduce to one of the standard sizes.
- Save in PNG format.
For these manipulations, you can use any graphics editor or even simple program to view images.
| Graphic utilities | Hot keys Photoshop
First of all, don't use ready-made icons. An icon is like your logo or your logo is. I perfectly understand that no one does anything from scratch, we all look at each other. You cannot learn music without playing the works of other authors. We are following new directions. When I create sites, I will definitely look at the sites of competitors to know how this site will look against the background of others. But never use bright pictures, finds because most likely a lot of people will like them and you will be the hundredth person who used the same picture. What do you think when you see someone using a nice but hackneyed image from the database? They will think the same about you.
You can use some tricks of the second plan, not so bright. This is what I can use. I will see something undeservedly overlooked and develop.
Nuances of editing
Someday it is quite good to be able to reduce a large copy, especially if it is a complex logo.In most cases, compression will occur with some distortion and loss of quality.
Program selection
You can create a simple icon in any editor, in Paint, for example, save it in BMP format, say, and then convert it to ICO format. If you are looking for a sleek icon with halftone blending, then you cannot do without a good icon editor.Or ex. for web pages, icons of the same size 16X16 are used, but for Windows systems ex. the icon should contain several images of a number of sizes. You also need a good icon editor here.
Transparent background
Sometime a transparent background is handy, but for the best quality try to avoid it. It is simpler and using the shape of a square, you make the most of the area provided to you for the icon (it is already small, why cut it down anyway). But sometime you need and sometime you want.If you create an icon in a regular editor, then it will not save it in ICO format. You will most likely have to save it in BMP and then convert it to ICO format. However, this usually replaces the transparent background with black. And you will need to remove the black color in the icon editor. Also, when creating a transparent background, remember that if there is a transparent one, then there is no translucent one. Let's say you have a red circle, then there will be pink cells along the edges, because the editor draws with a transparent background as on a white background. Then you need to predict what background your drawing will be and replace pink with a suitable one in your case. Or abandon the anti-aliased edges and make everything red. In this case, the edges may look torn.
An integral part of modern websites is the Favicon icon, which allows you to quickly identify a particular resource in the list of browser tabs. It is also difficult to imagine a computer program without its own unique label. At the same time, sites and software in this case are united by a not entirely obvious detail - both of them use icons in the ICO format.
These small images can be created both thanks to special programs and with the help of online services. By the way, it is the latter that are much more popular for such purposes, and we will consider a number of such resources with you in this article.
Graphics is not the most popular category of web services, but when it comes to generating icons, there is definitely a lot to choose from. According to the principle of work, such resources can be divided into those in which you yourself draw a picture, and sites that allow you to convert an already finished image into ICO. But basically all icon generators offer both.
Method 1: X-Icon Editor
This service is the most functional solution for creating ICO images. The web application allows you to manually draw the icon in detail, or use a ready-made image. The main advantage of the tool is the ability to export images with a resolution up to 64x64.
So, if you need to create a whole set of icons of the same type of different sizes, you will not find anything better than X-Icon Editor for these purposes.
Method 2: Favicon.ru
If you need to generate a 16x16 favicon for a website, the Russian-language online service Favicon.ru can also be an excellent tool. As in the case with the previous solution, here you can either draw an icon yourself, coloring each pixel separately, or create a favicon from a finished picture.
As a result, a file with the ICO extension is saved on your PC, which is a 16 × 16 pixel image. The service is perfect for those who just need to convert an image into a small icon. However, it is not at all forbidden to show imagination in Favicon.ru.
Method 3: Favicon.cc
Similar to the previous one both in name and in principle of operation, but even more advanced icon generator. In addition to creating regular 16x16 images, the service makes it easy to draw an animated favicon.ico for your website. In addition, the resource contains thousands of custom icons available for free download.
If the English-language interface does not bother you, then there are absolutely no arguments in favor of working with the previous service. In addition to the fact that Favicon.cc is able to generate animated icons, the resource also correctly recognizes transparency in imported images, which, unfortunately, the Russian-language analogue is deprived of.
Method 4: Favicon.by
Another variant of the favicon generator for websites. It is possible to create an icon from scratch or based on a specific image. The differences include the function of importing images from third-party web resources and a rather stylish, laconic interface.
In general, there are no differences in working with the services already discussed in this article, however, the Favicon.by resource copes much better with converting images to ICOs, and this is quite easy to notice.
Method 5: Online-Convert
It is likely that you already know this site as an almost omnivorous online file converter. But not everyone knows that it is one of the best tools for converting any image to ICO. At the output, you can get icons with a resolution of up to 256 × 256 pixels.
As you can see, creating an ICO icon using the Online-Convert website is not difficult at all, and this is done in just a couple of mouse clicks.
Icon Studio 5.52- Russian version of the popular program for creating icons ArtIcons Pro. This icon editor allows hobbyists and professionals to create and edit icons and work with icon sets. Export and import of many graphic formats are supported. There is a Russian-language interface.
- Create buttons for websites
- Create icons for mobile devices iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile
- Create transparent and semi-transparent icons for Windows
- Edit icons for Windows XP / 7/8/10
- Edit icons for Mac OS, iOS, Android, websites
- Edit icons of standard and custom sizes
- Manage icons, icon collections and toolbar presets
- Create pictograms for shortcuts and icons for the desktop
- Use gradient and checkerboard fills while painting
- Apply layers in icon projects
- Use shadow, transparency, anti-aliasing, grayscale, toning, rotation, translation, and reflection effects
- Import and export ICO, BMP, JPEG, ANI, CUR, GIF, PNG, TGA, WMF, WBMP, XPM, XBM, Delphi icons and Adobe photoshop PSD formats
- Import SVG, AI, PDF files
- Import Mac Icons
- Collect icons in collections to create icon archives
- Extract icons from Windows executable files and libraries
- Change icons inside exe files
- Search for icons on your drives and directories
- Customize desktop view and folder icons
Interface languages: English, Russian, Ukrainian, Czech, Hungarian, Polish, Romanian, Serbian.
Limitations trial version : 30-day trial period reminiscent of dialogue.
Download icon editor.