Microsoft Monday
Icons are all around us and play a big part in the user interface of an operating system because they help make your experience more convenient. Because of Icons, you’re easily able to identify the recycling bin, folders, and other elements.
The icons that come with Vista are definitely better than previous versions of Windows. The person in charge of creating Vista icons (Robert Stein III) has a Flickr account set up with some of his work. There you’ll find some of the icons used in Vista, and some that didn’t make the cut.
Not everybody likes the manila folder icons that come standard with Windows Vista. Fortunately, there are several different ways that you can go about changing these icons, or you can also create icons of your own.
Changing your desktop/folder icons:
The quickest way to change your desktop icons is by using the option that Vista has built in. It can be done in a few simple steps.
- Right click on your desktop and select “personalize”
- In the left side of the window, you’ll see “change desktop icons” – click.
- From there you can change the icons for the desktop icons by selecting the one you want to change and then clicking “change icon.”
You can either select from the icons they have available, or you can browse to select an icon you may have downloaded from the Internet.
Changing any folders icon is also a simple process. All you have to do is right click on it and select “properties”. Then click on “customize” and at the bottom of that window you’ll see the option to “Change Icon.”
Above are some of the icons that you’re able to select from.
Icon Sources on the Web
While Vista offers several different options, some of them are still pretty plain and boring. Another great source for icons is a website called Vistaicons.com. They have different “packs” of icons that are available for free downloads. Most of the packs contain 15 different icons, and also contain five different sizes of icons from 16×16 to 48×48.
Below are some of the examples of the different icon packs that you can get.
Create your own!
While there are plenty of “free” options for changing your icons, there are also options that will cost you money, but you’ll be able to create and edit your own icons and cursors versus downloading pre-made icons.
One such application is Microangelo Toolset 6 – “The Grand Daddy of Icon Software.” You can make icons for Windows 2000, Windows XP, and of course Windows Vista.
Cost: $49.94
Another option is called Axialis IconWorkshop 6.0 which allows you to do the same thing- create, edit, and convert icons of your own. One of the major differences is that it will work with Mac OS X as well.
Cost: Corporate – $69.95
Personal – $39.95
Freeware alternatives?
I know how much everybody loves freeware, what’s not to like about it? Has anybody come across some great freeware alternatives that will allow you to create your own icons? If so, please share in the comments below.
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Tags: CyberNotes, Software, Windows
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These are really cool icons! And I thought the standard Vista icons were cool, with these you can really make Vista look unique. Rock on. The only thing I don’t like is how tedious it is to change all of them… any ideas how to create a .theme file or auto-install these bad boys?
Both Ashley and I tried looking for a way to make installing these easier but couldn’t really find anything. There are some applications that offer icon packs that can be used in conjunction with their own paid software, but when it comes to these more “random” icon packs the software has no idea which icons to use for what on the operating system. For example, it doesn’t really know which icon in the package should be used for the folder icon.
Not only that, but we couldn’t find any good freeware that did what we were looking for in that regard. All of the software that did it was shareware only and still wasn’t all that impressive.
Use IconFX. Its free!
I looked around and it looks like IconFX is for Palm? And actually says it costs $10? Maybe this isnt’ what you’re talking about.
found it: [icofx.xhost.ro]
it’s a free icon editor (I haven’t tried it yet)
That looks like a fantastic find! I can’t wait to try that out. Thanks a ton.
You can also try Greenfish Icon editor which mat be found at [greenfish.extra.hu] Not used it much yet but does seem to have all the tools you need for ground up design.
I you want to change icons, here is a soft that does the trick (translation from vietnamese a bit buggy, but great tool)
RegToy – [kynam.us.to]
It is actually a collection of tools. One of them makes it easy to change icons.
I change my icons a lot, and usually use these sites:
[customxp.net]
[wincustomize.com]
[hybridworks.jp]
[iconlook.com]