Weekend Widget: favicon.ico Generator

You've all seen favicon.ico in action when you browse the Web. It is the small icon that appears next to a Web site address. It also shows up next to your favorite Web sites in the Favorites or Booksmarks menu of your chosen browser.

Today I'm going to introduce you to favicon.ico Generator which makes it easy for any Web designer to create the favicon.ico file needed to make the little graphic show up. This cool Web site and/or software allows you to import other popular bitmap formats for creating a favicon file. So you can use Corel PHOTO-PAINT to create the graphic and then use favicon.ico Generator to convert it into something you can use. For some inspiration, click on the Top Rated Favicons button to see some really cool graphics created by others. One thing you'll notice is that the icon can even be animated. I'll be curious to see some of the icons you create with it!

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Weekend Widget: @icon sushi

A common question I hear from users is how to use CorelDRAW and/or Corel PHOTO-PAINT to create icons, specifically in the ICO format. Yes, there is an ICO export filter. Unfortunately it probably won't do what you desire. We need to use a helper application to do it right.

My suggest is that you export from CorelDRAW or Corel PHOTO-PAINT as a PNG file. If you want the icon to have transparency, make sure to include that in the PNG file. Be as creative as you want in creating the graphic for the PNG file. Make sure to save it at the exact size you want for the icon.

Now let's get something to help us with this task. There are many choices out there for editing icons. Some do more than others and some have a higher price tag. We're going to pick a free utility called @icon sushi. Follow the link to download a copy for yourself. Open up the PNG file you created in @icon sushi and save to the flavor of icon that you prefer.

I've not had a great need to create icons, but every time that I have needed one I turned to @icon sushi and it did the trick for me. I hope it works just as well for you. If you've discovered a different program you like for icon editing, add a comment and tell us about it.

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Creating Icons with CorelDRAW Graphics Suite

Users frequently ask how to create icons with the CorelDRAW Graphics Suite. While the ICO file format is listed as one of the file types you can create with CorelDRAW and/or Corel PHOTO-PAINT, it is not the best way to create icon files.

Icons are bitmap files. So even if you create the base graphics in CorelDRAW, it is best for you to bring the graphic into Corel PHOTO-PAINT to create an optimized bitmap. Make sure to size the bitmap to the exact pixel size of the icon you wish to create. When the bitmap is just right, save it to either BMP or PNG format. PNG would support transparency if you want transparency in your icon.

Now you need another application to take your graphic and convert it to a proper icon file. This really can be as simple as opening the graphic you created in Corel PHOTO-PAINT and resaving to ICO format. All you need is the proper application. A very good tool for this is @icon sushi. Best of all, it is a free download. If you have a PNG file with a mask, @icon sushi will save the icon file with transparency.

You've got a really powerful tool for creating graphics with CorelDRAW and Corel PHOTO-PAINT. Combine it with @icon sushi and you can easily create all kinds of cool icons.

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