In which program to create an icon? And how to quickly master this program, otherwise it is complicated? .. Why do I need to download such a large installation file just to create a small icon? Those who decide to use MicroArt to create and edit icons, ICO files will not have such questions. This free editor was chosen precisely because MicroArt is small in size and very easy to learn.
Doesn't even require installation - just launch and run! So, after starting, select the icon size in the menu File - New Icon. The program provides our choice of the following formats: 16x16, 32x32 and 48x48. Having defined the format, you can start drawing the image. We see a grid corresponding to the size of the icon.
The set of tools provided by the MicroArt editor is, of course, small, but it is quite enough to create an icon. In the right part of the window, we see a color palette where you can set the color for the left and right mouse buttons.
You can draw pixels with either the left or right mouse button. Under the color palette there is a button for assigning a transparency mode. It is very comfortable. For example, you can assign a color to the left button and transparency to the right button. When drawing, an incorrectly specified pixel color can be immediately “overwritten” with a transparent one.
The purpose of other tools is quite clear: this is a selection of a rectangular area, erasing, determining the color of a pixel, filling, line, rectangle, oval. When selected, the size of the covered area is displayed on the right.
When creating icons in MicroArt, do not forget to define transparent pixels. Through these transparent areas, the background will be visible when the icon is displayed.
Through the menu File - Extract you can open a list of icons contained in the library Shell32.dll . Select the icon and open it in the editor for processing. Pushing a button [Overview] in this window, we can choose any other icon store. The program supports the following formats: OCX, ANI, DLL, ICL and EXE.
You can save the icon in the usual ICO format, as well as a BMP image or a CUR cursor. MicroArt allows you to change the color palette: invert, convert to grayscale and change each color channel. In addition, the transparent area is easily converted to a gradient fill.
MicroArt also provides us with such a function as inserting text ( Gadgets - Add text). Enter the text of the inscription, select the font, color, style and size.
Another useful menu item Gadgets - Tear out the drawing, allows you to capture part of the screen to transfer it to the editor window. The size of the captured area depends on the dimensions of the icon chosen when it was created. The function saves us from having to open a large image in a third-party editor, copy part of the image and paste it into MicroArt.
Specifications:
Interface language: Russian
OS: Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7
File size: 84 Kb
License: free