Small icon sizes
Sunday, April 4, 2004 by EvadWarren | Discussion: Skinning
Hi, I'm working with circle icons (Globes) when I finished my designs and saved it using PNG (128pxX128px) It looked great. Then I converted it to icons using mainly Icon Developer(also other sofwares) and the output for 128/96/72/64 px looks great, but for the lower sizes it looks ugly because the outline is corrupted. I have seen that many designers of circular icons have this problems, but many don't. What do you advise me to solve this?
Regards...Dave.
Regards...Dave.
EvadWarren
Reply #2 Sunday, April 4, 2004 4:39 AM
Reply #2 Sunday, April 4, 2004 4:39 AM
You don't answer to my question. Please could someone help me?
Essencay
Reply #3 Sunday, April 4, 2004 7:51 AM
Reply #3 Sunday, April 4, 2004 7:51 AM
Well ah...Koasati did answer your question. 
You have to design a second set of icons for the smaller sizes. Going from 128x128 (16,384 pixels) to 16x16 (256 pixels) which is only a fraction of the orginal size means that the program reducing the icon has to decide which one of 64 surrounding pixels is the right one to use. By designing a 64x64 (4096 pixels) icon and resizing it, it reduces the number of surrounding pixels to 16. 
I think the only way around this is to use vector images and resize them before saving them as raster images...PNG/ICO (someone who works with a lot of icon images can confirm/dispute that for me please )
You have to design a second set of icons for the smaller sizes. Going from 128x128 (16,384 pixels) to 16x16 (256 pixels) which is only a fraction of the orginal size means that the program reducing the icon has to decide which one of 64 surrounding pixels is the right one to use. By designing a 64x64 (4096 pixels) icon and resizing it, it reduces the number of surrounding pixels to 16. 
I think the only way around this is to use vector images and resize them before saving them as raster images...PNG/ICO (someone who works with a lot of icon images can confirm/dispute that for me please
)
EvadWarren
Reply #4 Monday, April 5, 2004 2:55 AM
Reply #4 Monday, April 5, 2004 2:55 AM
Thanks for all your help finally I achieved it. I began following your advises by developing 2 icon sets, one for small (64) and other for big (62), but when Icondeveloper converted to the intermediate sizes, it also corrupted the outline (I guess that it’s due to globes complexity) so I decided to make it one by one (128/96/72/64/48/32/24&16px) and the output was...HIGH QUALITY. It's not so difficult, because at Fireworks you can resize your bigger size (128) by merging down al layers (integrate all in one) and then you can resize the icon to a lower size cut and paste it on a new canvas for the target size. As I have said you, this is not difficult, but a little boring, we are running on 21st century, so, does any powerful software simplify this task?
Best Regards...Dave.
finally I achieved it. I began following your advises by developing 2 icon sets, one for small (64) and other for big (62), but when Icondeveloper converted to the intermediate sizes, it also corrupted the outline (I guess that it’s due to globes complexity) so I decided to make it one by one (128/96/72/64/48/32/24&16px) and the output was...HIGH QUALITY. It's not so difficult, because at Fireworks you can resize your bigger size (128) by merging down al layers (integrate all in one) and then you can resize the icon to a lower size cut and paste it on a new canvas for the target size. As I have said you, this is not difficult, but a little boring, we are running on 21st century, so, does any powerful software simplify this task?Best Regards...Dave.
Sput
Reply #5 Monday, April 5, 2004 9:27 AM
Reply #5 Monday, April 5, 2004 9:27 AM
EvadWarren - Doesn't Fireworks support macros to record the actions needed and make it fairly quick? I've set up little recoreded actions in PhotoShop to downsize a load of graphics in the past, and from what I remember using Fireworks, it has a similar feature?
A little time finding out how to do this through macros might save many hours of tedium in future if it is possible
A little time finding out how to do this through macros might save many hours of tedium in future if it is possible
Sput
Reply #6 Monday, April 5, 2004 9:29 AM
Reply #6 Monday, April 5, 2004 9:29 AM
Oh, BTW...PSP can also run macros, and it can be told to apply them to a whole list of files all at once - I've used this in the past to create thumbnail views etc. So, if fireworks won't play ball, you might want to invest in the excellent value PSP? (and no, I don't work for JASC 
)
)
EvadWarren
Reply #7 Monday, April 5, 2004 2:30 PM
Reply #7 Monday, April 5, 2004 2:30 PM
Hi
You have read my mind. I was wondering if a macro could solve this. So far, I have find at the main menu and option called Batch Process this has a Scale Option, there I can custom my target size, but only supports one scale process by turn, I mean that I could batch multiple files to only one size, and not to the 8 sizes that I’m working with. Other thing that I am researching is an option in command, called run script, you have to browse there to charge the script designed for your purposes, so I’m looking for assistance to develop a script to simplify this large process. Fireworks also has an Extension Manager, that install a kind of add-ons, scripts, plugs created after the software release, so I’m looking for and extension that supports this, and also (not regarding this) for an extension that allows you to export or save as .ico. But literarily talking I haven’t found yet a Macro Option as Excel or the one you have at Photoshop.
If someone has information about all this, please let me now!
Regards…Dave
You have read my mind. I was wondering if a macro could solve this. So far, I have find at the main menu and option called Batch Process this has a Scale Option, there I can custom my target size, but only supports one scale process by turn, I mean that I could batch multiple files to only one size, and not to the 8 sizes that I’m working with. Other thing that I am researching is an option in command, called run script, you have to browse there to charge the script designed for your purposes, so I’m looking for assistance to develop a script to simplify this large process. Fireworks also has an Extension Manager, that install a kind of add-ons, scripts, plugs created after the software release, so I’m looking for and extension that supports this, and also (not regarding this) for an extension that allows you to export or save as .ico. But literarily talking I haven’t found yet a Macro Option as Excel or the one you have at Photoshop.
If someone has information about all this, please let me now!
Regards…Dave
Sput
Reply #8 Monday, April 5, 2004 7:19 PM
Reply #8 Monday, April 5, 2004 7:19 PM
Hmmm, I don't have Fireworks installed currently or else I'd take a quick look...I'm expecting a new laptop in a week or so, and I'll probably re-install Fireworks MX once I have that...maybe someone else can help out before then
EvadWarren
Reply #9 Tuesday, April 6, 2004 1:45 AM
Reply #9 Tuesday, April 6, 2004 1:45 AM
Regarding to the "macro" in Fireworks, yeah, it's possible, using batch process you can save the scrip that you are currently running (i.e., converting from 128 to 96px) and the next time you enter to batch process you can choose the one that you had saved and a new one (i.e. scaling 96 to 72px) and the process repeat until you have all the sizes saved as scripts. But sirs, THIS IS NOT NECESSARY because Axialis Iconworshop provides an excellent converting process from an image to .ico and we can avoid the Firework's process that I have described. As you can remember, I said you that it seems to me very weird that at this century there wouldn't be softwares to simplify the converting. So, for my purposes Icondeveloper is not a good idea as Iconworkshop is. Best Regards…Dave.
PD. To Sput or anybody: Does Fireworks have an extension/plug/add-on to save/export as .ico?
PD. To Sput or anybody: Does Fireworks have an extension/plug/add-on to save/export as .ico?
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Reply #1 Sunday, April 4, 2004 3:54 AM
Persoanlly I would create a 64x64 version of each icon. Use the 128 for the larger icons, and the 64 for the smaller.