Hello, friends!
Sometimes we want to embellish our boring system a little.
Let's start with the simplest, but no less useful - how to change the appearance of a folder.
To change the appearance of a folder, there is a fairly simple way using standard Windows tools.
The new icon will help you navigate faster. Now you do not need to read the name of the folders, just put the corresponding icon and the contents of the folder will become immediately clear.
For this, standard Windows tools are sufficient. So let's select the folder whose appearance we want to change. We click on it with the right mouse button, select "Properties" and the "Settings" tab
Download and unpack the archive. Now click on "review" and select any icon you like in my folder.
After this manipulation, we will see a new icon in the preview window. Press ok. By the way, pay attention, here you can also return to the original view of the folder by clicking "Restore to default", and Ok.
If we did everything correctly, we will see our folder, but with a new icon.
Microsoft loves to decide what Windows should look like. Each version of the operating system has its own characteristics of the interface style, the concept of which is determined by the company. We, users, cannot completely change the system design to a cardinally different one in one click, as it can be done with Androidby running a third-party launcher. But the step-by-step customization of some things to your taste and color in the Windows environment is still available to us.
Among these things is changing the preset icons. We can change the system icons to our own:
In the properties of folders,
In the properties of the shortcuts,
In desktop icon settings for system items.
The standard set of Windows icons leaves much to be desired, and in order to effectively transform the system, the icon sets need to be taken from third-party designers. Or you can create them yourself, using, for example, materials from your personal photo collection. How, not possessing special skill in the field of graphic design, make your own icons to change the boring look of Windows shortcuts and folders?
1. Icon web services
Icon - a small size drawing on a transparent background. It can exist in any of the common image formats, but for Windows the format is fundamental ".Ico" ... Thematic collections of such drawings, in particular, in the format ".Ico" can be downloaded on the Internet - on torrent trackers, on sites dedicated to the external design of Windows, on services that specialize in icons. The latter are cataloged repositories with a search engine and offer downloads of icons. These are web services such as: Icons8.Ru , Iconsearch.Ru , .
It is not only a repository of design content, it is, as the creators themselves dubbed it, an icon generator. Using the functionality of this service, the images selected on the site before downloading can be edited: change colors, hue, saturation, size, rotate objects, select a background, select a file format.
Exactly the same actions can be applied not only to the content presented on the site, but also downloaded from the network via a link or from a computer.
So, sending to the editor our picture, at the output we can get a file of the format ".Ico" with the desired size, say, 128x128. Basic service capabilities are free.
2. Utility AveIconifier2
A small portable utility for Windows can offer a local way to convert images to icon format -. It is a converter of image formats ".jpeg", ".bmp", ".png", ".gif" to ".ico". Launch the utility, drag the file of the desired picture to the right side of its window.
We wait a couple of seconds - and the icon is ready. By default, the utility will convert large images to files ".Ico" with standard sizes 128x128... But if you need to get an icon with a smaller size at the output, by clicking the right mouse button on the left side of the utility window, we can open the list of available sizes and uncheck unnecessary ones.
The utility saves files converted to the ".ico" format in its folder "Temp" .
This is a folder for temporary storage of data, and after each transformation, ready-made icons from it must be moved to some other place.
3. Standard Windows tools
You can, in principle, save a picture in a file with the ".ico" extension using standard Windows tools. The photo or drawing opens in the editor Paint , the desired size of the picture is set, and at the output it is saved to a file ".Bmp" ... Further, in the explorer or file manager, the extension of the saved image changes to ".Ico" ... The above utility makes it easier and faster, but it does not allow you to edit drawings. And in some cases, you may need to clean up the picture, crop unnecessary people, remove unnecessary details, apply effects, etc. Let's see how in the standard image editor Windows Paint the simplest operation of cropping a picture for an icon is carried out. And how then this drawing turns into a format ".Ico" .
By opening an image in a window Paint, use the rectangular area to set the selection.
Set a selection: frame the accent object, but so that it is not directly in the center, but a little more unnecessary background remains on the right. Click the crop button.
We press.
Checking the option "Pixels", enter the desired size of the picture, check that the proportion preservation checkbox is active.
Save the image to a file ".Bmp" .
In the explorer, activate the display of file extensions.
Next, click on the newly created picture file, press F2, remove to the point of the letter "Bmp" and enter letters "Ico" ... The result should be a type name "Filename.ico" ... We press Enter. We confirm the name change.
In Windows 10, you can use both the above method and another: edit the image using the standard application, and then convert this image to ".Ico" utility ... application does not allow you to override the size of pictures and save them in other formats, but it can offer usable tools for cropping pictures and applying effects.
Open the desired picture in the application. Choosing a function "Change".
Drag the mask to the desired object of the picture. As a result, click "Done".
If necessary, apply color correction effects, vignetting, eliminate red eyes, if this is an amateur photo, etc. As a result, we save a copy of the image.
And now we can convert it to ".Ico" .
Today we are going to find out what an icon for a folder is. In general, even a novice user is familiar with this object. Not everyone knows that icons can be edited. How to do it? Let's try to understand this issue. It's not that hard if you know where to start.
Description
But first, let's remember what a folder icon is? If you look at the computer (or rather, look into the operating system), you will notice that each document has its own display style. This applies to music, videos, pictures and other files.
The icon for a folder is a kind of this object. It can be standard or not. Each user, if desired, can change the "appearance" of the folder as he wants. And all this without the help of additional content. But how do you set icons for folders? Let's try to answer this question.
Change from standard
The first thing to suggest to users is the use of the standard Windows library with icons for folders. It is here that many images are stored to help the implementation of the task.
How is the icon for a folder set? First, select the object and click on it with the right mouse button. Then you should select "Properties" in the list that appears. You will see a pop-up window in which you have to go to the "Settings" tab. Next - select the "Change Icon" option.
You will see a window in which you can replace the "appearance" of the folder. The standard Windows library is installed by default. It will save novice users from the question of how to make an icon for a folder. Select the option you like and click "Ok". All problems have been solved.
Drawing or loading
However, sometimes the standard icon for a folder cannot be matched. In this case, you can draw it yourself or download ready-made libraries from the Internet. The second option is preferable for beginners. Just download a special library of images from the Internet to your computer, save it and specify the path where the document is located in the folder settings. You will see a list of available images, just like in the previous case.
If you decide to create an icon yourself, you'd better download the Icon Studio for yourself. This application allows using the most common graphic editor to create images to solve the question. Or any analogue of it. You open it, draw "by hand", save it. Next, set the saved image as an icon for the folder. Nothing complicated. The main problem is to come up with and portray a picture.
Did you know that almost any picture or photo can be used for a folder or for a website (favicon)? Moreover, for this you will not need to have any special knowledge and be able to use graphic editors. An icon can be made online in just a few seconds.
To do this, go to the FAVICO.COM website. Click the “Browse” button and find the desired picture or photo on your computer (select it and click “Open”). The image must be in one of three formats: PNG, GIF or JPG (note: not JPEG, but JPG).
By default, the output file size will be 16 × 16 pixels - this is the standard size icons for the site (favicon). Click the "Create" button. Converted to format appears on the right. ICO picture. We can see how it will look in the browser address bar next to the site name if we click on the magnifying glass. To download the icon to your computer - click on the arrow button: 
To do folder icon - it is better to set the size to 32 × 32 pixels: 
And then we do everything in the same way as described above.
To change the standard folder icon to your icon: right-click on the folder - "Properties" - go to the "Settings" tab - click the "Change icon" button below - "Browse" - find the file with the extension on your computer .ico - “Open” - “OK” - “Apply” - “OK”: 
Here's what I ended up with: 
Using any device, we often get bored with the same interface and want to change something. The appearance of the system changes differently for each device. Icons are one of the basic building blocks of any interface, and changing them is not difficult. There are many icon sets on the internet for all kinds of devices. But they are not unique, not individual. Therefore, in this article, we will consider how to make an icon yourself, so that it is yours, unique.
We will consider the example of two simple programs. Since it is very easy to make an icon for a folder, file, shortcut or other elements using them, this software becomes an excellent tool in changing the appearance of the interface and its individualization. Thanks to these simple programs, you can make icons for any interface elements of various operating systems.
Fasticona 1.0 free portable
I have not seen a simpler program for creating icons. It doesn't even require installation. Fasticona 1.0 free portable does not allow drawing icons, it makes them from ready-made pictures. You can make an icon from any image (even from your own photo), the program supports a variety of formats. In simple words, it is just an image converter.
Before making an icon from a picture, load the image into the program using the "Open file" button. Select the required parameters: size, color depth (colors and bits per sample), save folder (output path, by default, the folder where the startup file is saved) and the name of the icon file (output the name).
The resulting file is saved in * .ico format. And only in it.
Seanau Icon Tool Kit 6.0
Seanau Icon Tool Kit 6.0 will have to be installed on your computer, but it will take up very little space. Its functionality is more advanced. This program allows you to both make an icon from a picture, and draw it yourself. For this, she has a wide range of tools.
Icon Tool Kit supports working with layers, allows you to adjust the color depth, transparency, there are various filters. The output file can be obtained in * .ico, * .png, * .bmp, * .jpg or * .gif. It is noteworthy that this software allows you to apply styles to the created icons, for example, Mac, Vista and others. Downloading the program for creating icons is recommended for those who want to more embody creative ideas in the interface.
