ArtIcons Pro 3.01

by Zane A. Lang, LACS

If you are from the "small is beautiful" school of life, ArtIcons Pro 3.01 will help you frolic among the little images known as icons that populate the computer world. An icon is a small image that represents a file, a directory or an action. If you look at your computer desktop, all of the little images there that you click on to launch applications are icons. ArtIcons Pro 3.01 is a powerful, easy to use utility for finding, extracting, creating and editing icons and managing icon libraries.

You can download the software from the Internet at http://www.iconutils.com/downloads.htm or http://www.aha-soft.com/download.htm. Download the executable to a file on your hard disk and then double click on the executable. The software will walk you through the usual installation screens. Downloading and installing the software was easy and trouble free.

Before I get into my favorite features in this software, here is an overview of the main capabilities of ArtIcons Pro 3.01:

• · Create and edit icons in either standard or custom sizes, in color depths up to 16 million colors
• · Create and edit icons for Windows XP in 32-bit color depth with 8-bit alpha channel
• · Use drop shadow, smooth, negative effects
• · Use advanced gradient and chess fill in the icon editor
• · Paste images in numerous file formats directly into icons (.ico, .ani, .cur, .wmf. .emf, .bmp, .wbmp, .gif, .png, psd, .jgp, and .jpeg)
• · Open and edit. Bmp, .gif, .jpeg, and .png images in sizes up to 127x127
• · Export icon images to .ico, .bmp, .jpb, .gif, .png, rc,
  .psd, and .cur files
• · Import and export icon color palettes
• · Export library items into one single image
• · Extract icons from Windows executables, libraries and animated cursor files
• · Create icon libraries for better and more efficient icon storage
• · Extract icons from all files in selected folders and subfolders and save them as icon libraries
• · Customize Windows icons
• · Delete identical icons in libraries
• · Drag and drop files from file shells
• · Drag and drop icons between different libraries
• · Copy and paste icons in libraries
• · Copy and paste images to other applications
• · Split icon libraries into individual icon files
• · Split icons into subicons

Whew, what a list! Who knew you could do all these things with icons?

When you first open ArtIcons Pro, you see a window allowing you to pick the size of the icon in pixels (16x16, 24x24, 32x32, 48x48, 64x64 or custom). You also have the choice of color mode (monochrome, 16 color, 256 colors, True color, or True color + alpha). After you make your selections and click OK, you see a familiar Windows interface with a large grid, containing the number of squares you selected, for example 32x32 squares produces an icon 32x32 pixels square. This grid provides the canvas for creating the icon. To the left of the grid are graphics tools and on the right is a color palette. The menu bar across the top of the application provides short cuts to the various functions of the application. For anyone who has used graphics software, the environment will feel familiar. If you have never used graphics software, it will not take you long to find your way around.

You can create your own icon by using one of the tools to the left of the grid, like the "pencil" to draw shapes on the icon canvas and then fill in the colors from the color palette using another tool like the "eye dropper." After you are finished with your creation, let’s say a drawing of a beach ball, save the icon to a folder. This will create an .ico file with the name you gave the icon. Go to the desktop, create a shortcut and change the icon to the beach ball icon you just saved in a folder. Voilà, you have a shortcut using your newly created icon.

One feature I really got a kick out of was the import function. Click on Tools, click on Import Image and select an image from your hard drive or CD ROM. Select an area of the image to use as an icon. Click OK and the selected area appears on the icon canvas. You can save the imported image just as it is or edit it using the graphics tools and color palette. ArtIcons 3.0 gives you the ability to create icons using your own digital photos or other images you find on the Web.

Another really cool feature is the ability to take existing icons and edit them. For example, find the icon of the Windows trash can, open the trash can icon in ArtIcons 3.0, and then paste a picture of your boss on the trash can. Or better still, open the My Computer icon and paste your own picture on the little computer screen. The possibilities are endless. Think of all the "home decorating" you can do on your computer desktop. There is nothing like a warm and cozy environment in which to relax and enjoy your computer.

ArtIcons Pro 3.01 allows you to find, create, edit, import and export icons and manage icon libraries. With this powerful utility you can create and edit icons in either standard or custom sizes, in color depths up to 32-bit True Color. ArtIcons contains various graphic tools and a full color palette. You can import icons from image, cursor and library files and even from executables. ArtIcons allows you to scan files and folders for icons, delete identical icons and arrange icons into libraries.

Price: $30 :Aha-soft, P.O.B. 17077, Krasnoyarsk-10, 660010, Russia Web Address: www.aha-soft.com

Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP, Pentium 133 MHz with16 MB Ram, 2 MB of Hard Disk Space, SVGA - True Color video mode ¨