how i can create .ico files?

.ico files are just bitmap (.bmp) files of the appropriate size - 16x16, 32x32, 48x48 or whatever - so you can use any bitmap graphics package to create them. But you will probably get the best results using a dedicated icon editing package, like:

Icon Forge http://www.cursoratrs.com
Microangelo http://www.impactsoft.com

Sorry - the link for Icon Forge is http://www.cursorarts.com

thanks benn! icon forge seems a good program!

Hay Carlitus, long time no see. I use Axialis IconWorkshop 5.0 it just came out of beta. GREAT program. you should at least take a look at it. http://www.axialis.com/iconworkshop/index.html
and my Icons are all over the home page.

I use MicroAngelo for my icons, but IconShop is also a nice alternative....and I'm pretty sure it's free http://users.pandora.be/liontech/Download.htm

hey no need of all that programs!!

just go to paint. switch the GRID on (i think only availabale for the XP Paint...hmm...)
then color ur icon! (better zoom to abt 400 - 800%)

then click FILE-> SAVE AS
after that...

in the SAVE AS combo box: click ALL FILES...
then type the FILE NAME as: youricon.ICO (<-be sure to add the extension!! or it will be just a file )

thats it! now its an icon!!

NOTE: the picture should be less than 128 by 128 pixels... (XP maximum is 72, MAC max. is 128)
but i think ALPHA BLENDED things r not possible. try photoshop...

if you want TRANSPARENCY for the icon then CHOOSE ur transparent color and then PAINT THE CORNER pixels(of the square image) in that colour...

if u want any more help
reply!!

/me will help u

Good tips vimalkumar
But how you think that somebody can have all the sizes of an icon together in one .ico file? I ask you this question just for conversation

I am using Microangelo and I find it good program.

Good luck Carlitus

oh this is only for creating ONE icon! i forgot to mention that...
u can just create one icon. if u try opening the ICON group then you have to use a program...

i prefer to use photoshop, saving the image directly in .ico format (such saving as .png image).
I will test this programs, thanks all!
If i recah a solution, some icon files will comes!

create the icons in Photoshop (or whatever). save theme as TIFF files (if you want alpha transparency then make a TIFF with alpha-channel).

put all the different sizes of one icon (16x16, 32x32, ...) into one folder. drag that folder onto IconShop. select all files you want to have in the *.ico file. right click to merge them. right click to "save as".

done. and IconShop is free

This is a good choice when it comes to saving different sizes (png's for example) to one .ico : http://towofu.s5.xrea.com/soft/e-index.html

wow! thanks for all information! c242, Icon Sushi seems to be a good program, and free!

Moshi your solution is very good and useful!

Thanks!!

Icon Sushi is good for mass conversions. Set up a script (if possible) in Your graphics proram to save png's or psd's to different files with different sizes (Best choice for XP would be 16,24,32,48,64,72) and then load them into Icon Sushi to save them to one icon. Ready.

Oh, how to make a png from a 32bit-icon (perhaps converted from Mac with IconShop)? http://www.gdgsoft.com/ (After I detected all these programs my 32bit-icon folder grew to 500 MB+)

drag the win or mac icon onto Iconshop. choose to view only one size (48x48 or whatever). right click it to export it as alpha transparent TIFF. now you can work with it in any graphics editor.

do not upload Zoomer objects anywhere without approval of the icon creator.

Yes, I forgot to state the permission issue.

yes I was going to ask about how to make icons. I know about just changing the file extention from old windows versions. But I was limited to one size. I thought with Icon Packager I could make it 48 x 48 and then just change the setting in icon packager to 32 so it would shrink it to proportion.

I love this stuff... now I have to figure out how to design them.... I noticed that allot of iconist do not do cursors, is it tabu???

It never looks so good, if You let the icons shrink by the system.

It never looks so good, if You let the icons shrink by the system.

?

as they are iconists, they do graphics. at least for me nothing is more ergonomical than the default windows or linux (the look pretty much as the mac) cursors, so i guess a lot of them just is not interested in creating things they won´t use for themselves.