CS3 Icon Tutorial

So here is a new tutorial on how to make your own custom icons.
In the example we will make an CS3 style icon. Personally I favor
Adobe Fireworks for these kind of things, but since this is a Photoshop
based community, Photoshop it is.

Note that at the end of this tutorial we need to use a small program (so
small you can run it without installing) from Greenfish, a Hungarian company
that makes free-ware software. I found the Icon Editor to be quite nice as
a converter, since the actual editing blows.

You can download the editor free from the Greenfish Download Page.

So here we go:
First start Photoshop and open a new document.


In this case, the icon will be used for thumbnail view in windows (48x48).
Next set the background to "transparent". This can specially be important
when making icons used for desktops.

Other sizes:
24x24 Toolbar
32x32 Desktop


Next select the Marque tool (M) and draw a square taking up about 80% of the
canvas. This will be the size of the "body" of the icon.

With a square setup, we can colour it. Press G to select the gradient tool.
Depending on what you used last it can look different:
In our case we need the right one, since the left one is the
"Bucket Tool" used to fill only in one colour.

At your upper left, you will see a small preview of the gradient and some other
options.

The one highlighted right is to make a radiant, rather than a linear gradient.
The gradient has to glow from the upper left corner.

Next, click the thumbnail gradient, highlighted left. This will open the
gradient menu.


When clicking the lower pastels for colour, you can adjust the colour using the
preview. Clicking this will open the normal Photoshop colour palette.

Note that the highlight should be on the left side.

The upper pastels are for opacity, so we can leave those.


After applying the gradient, it should look something like this.


Next press T for the Text tool. Draw a text area large enough to fit a capital
and regular letter. By default the font is set to Myriad, which suits our purpose.
Depending on your gradient, pick a font colour. The CS3 icons all use white.


I used "Wa" in this case for the Wacom Drivers.

Again, select the Marque tool (M) and select the square again. With the body
selected again, go to the bottom of the layer panel.

The second icon on the left is the effects list, select "Drop Shadow".


In the Drop Shadow Menu, adjust the settings to your liking. Most often adjusting
the angle and opacity will be enough. Also make sure you have the preview on.


After applying the drop shadow, we are done with Photoshop. Time to save.
Go to: File -> Save as. or Crtl + Shift + S. Pick .PNG from the list since
.psd doesn't work with the icon editor program and any other format (.jpg or .bmp)
doesn't support transparency. .gif does on the other hand, but the quality is not
to well.

Now comes the part where we boot up Greenfish Icon Editor.

Select "Open File" and search for the .png you just saved.

The only thing we will do with this program is re-save it as .ico.

This I found is the only way to get decent icons. Making one in Photoshop and
than renaming them from .bmp gives very poor icons with no transparency.

After you saved your new icon, you can change folders or programs there icon.
Right click the shortcut or folder and select properties.

The far right tab (Dutch Windows here) should say "Adjust" or something like it.

Selecting that tab should show this:

The button highlighted here should read something like "Change Icon".
Press it and you will get a selection of windows standard icons for folders.
Program shortcuts might have a standard selection or program specific icons.

Click the "Browse" button at the upper right and locate your custom icon.
Select it and just "OK" you self out of the menu's.

And than your done, having your own custom icon.

Of course the possibilities are endless now. Specially in combination with a
custom wallpaper. Like when your at work and all the games are banned. You
can make a chess board as a wallpaper and make the pieces out of icons.
Not to mention office spread Battleship during the break.

On advertising.

First of all, I hope you all like the new look of the community website.
I tried to make it suit more with the IDG site and personally I think
its not to bad. Of course changes can still occur when the new IDG site
is launched.

Second, a few posts back I mentioned a book in the comment, for those
who can use some help in getting inspiration.

The book is "Creative Communication by Mario Pricken". But apperantly
there is a second version on the market now called "Creative Advertising,
Second Edition". The cover looks much the same only that the name in in
yellow on the book I mentioned.

Creative Advertising, Second Edition on Amazon

Now the following book is not so much for getting inspiration for drawing, but
still is a great book, specially if your into advertising.

Guerrilla Advertising: Unconventional Brand Communication mainly has double page
size pictures with some explanation about the champaign. It's hard to explain a
selection, it's best viewed in person.

But in short, guerrilla advertising is using new or odd mediums to get the message
over. The most important part is the talk you generate with it.
Guerrilla Advertising: Unconventional Brand Communication on Amazon

Now this book, I don't have. But more than a few people I know have recomanded this
book. If I get this one in the future, I'll let you all know if its any good.
Advertising is Dead: Long Live Advertising! on Amazon

Finally , Contribution!.. er Chicks With Guns!

Hey guys. I drew this almost a year ago.. but its still one of my better drawings lol...

I couldn't seem to post my images at home from my computer So I had to do it from work and this was the only one I had access to lol.

Makes me a little annoyed to think I haven't improved beyond this...

Anyway. Yay for me , finally able to stick something up :D:D

My new blog

Hi all =) I've just opened my new blog. I did it to motivate myself couse i'm realy lazy and i draw once a month. Now i want to change it, and i'm ready for it. Come and vist my blog from time to time, please =)

http://eizofukuzawa.blogspot.com/


P.s. Xia i hope that you're not angry that i'm advertising my blog on your site:) cheers;)


Thank's for reading and visiting =)

Dogfight

Well I guess it became time I started again, so here
for the weekly topic (bit overdue but better than none at all)
the Dogfight (Mustang and Zero's, WWII fighter planes from
the US and Japan).


* The cockpit has been finished and some weather conditions have changed.
Our pilot just found him self flying near a typhoon (common for East Asia
between May and November).

~Post has changed since the second comment.

Howdy folks - this isn't a dogfight (is that with fighter planes?) , but it's a sword fight, so I thought maybe it would be of interest... it's a medieval knight vs. a Mamluk soldier (Mamluks being a middle eastern warrior caste). Pencil & marker sketches.

Welcome Back

First of all, welcome back everyone, and a regular welcome
to those who are new.

Like Xia mentioned in the previous post, I will try to keep
things going around here.

I've put up a new weekly topic, but of course any other work
is still wanted.

If anyone has any suggestions for a topic or any other
comment ext, you can contact me via this link.

Hope to see you back soon!

So back to the old bloggy community

Just decided to switch back because the new one seems pretty distance.
I am working on putting Drupal + word press + coppermine (gallery) onto the idrawgirls domain....
So...there will be a lot of work.

But for now we are back here.

Knuckle is the Admin here....
Feel free to make up new topic and tweak however if you feel like you want to get the people going and do some activity.

PEACE!!!

Thanks for the support guys!