Create a personalized Windows XP icon

Microsoft Windows XP introduces a new icon design style. In the following article, we'll discuss the specific steps for designing and creating Windows XP style icons.

Windows XP icons are fun, colorful, and vibrant because they are 32-bit icons with very smooth edges. In general, we can draw each icon in the vector program and then use Adobe Photoshop to make the image more perfect.

Basic Process:

1. Use FreeHand or Illustrator to draw a vector image of the icon.

2 Copy the vector and import it into Photoshop for further processing.

3. Create a .ico file with Gif Movie Gear.

Figure 1: Icon Example

I. Icon Design Overview

The purpose of this section is to familiarize you with the new styles of Windows XP and to prepare for creating icons.

Icon Style Features

Rich in color, it complements the look and feel of Windows XP.

Different angles and perspectives add dynamic energy to the image.

The corners of the elements are very soft and slightly rounded.

The light source is in the upper left corner of the icon, and there are other parts of the icon that surround the light.

The gradient effect gives the icon a three-dimensional look, which in turn makes the icon look fuller.

Projection makes the icon more contrast and stereo.

Adding outlines makes the image sharper.

Daily objects such as computers and devices have a more modern personal look.

Icon Sizes

Windows icons come in four sizes: 48 × 48, 32 × 32, 24 × 24 and 16 × 16 pixels, these standard sizes are recommended.
Figure 2: General Icon Size

“Start” The icon to the right of the menu is displayed as 24 × 24 pixels. This size does not need to be provided by the user.

Figure 3: 24 × in the Start & rdquo; menu 24 pixel size

For the toolbar icon being created, the Windows standard size is 24 × 24 and 16 × 16 Pixel.

Figure 4: Standard Toolbar Icon Sizes

Icon Color Depth Support

Windows XP supports 32-bit icons. The 32-bit icon is a 24-bit image plus an 8-bit alpha channel. Make the icon edges very smooth and blend with the background.

Each Windows XP icon should contain the following three color depths to support different display settings:

24-bit image plus 8-bit alpha channel (32-bit)

8-bit image (256 colors) plus 1 bit transparent color

4-bit image (16 colors) plus 1 bit transparent color

Figure 5: 32-bit, 8-bit And 4-bit "picture collection" icon

palette

The following colors are the main colors used in the icon:

Figure 6: Windows XP icon toning Board

Angle and grouping of objects

The following is a perspective grid used by Windows XP style icons:

Figure 7: Windows XP icon perspective

Not all objects Use 16 × 16 images to get better results. The following objects are usually displayed in frontal visual images:

Document Icons

Symbol Icons (such as Warnings or Information Icons)

Single Object Icons (such as Magnifiers)
8: Intuitive Icon Example (.Jpg Document, Search, and Favorites Icons)

Unless you create overlapping helpers to more clearly express the meaning of the icon, you should still use visual images for readability and completeness. You should also consider how to view icons by group to determine how to group objects.
Figure 9: Overlay example (add or remove programs, print pictures, and recent documents)

Projection

After using projection, the Windows XP icon will be sharper and more stereoscopic. This effect can be achieved in Photoshop.

To add a projection to an image, double-click the layer of the image in Photoshop and select Drop Shadow. Then change Angle to 135, Distance to 2, and Size to 2. The projection is now 75% opaque black.

Figure 10: Before and after adding a projection to an icon

Contours

When drawing an XP style icon, you can sharpen the image to make it clearer and ensure that the image is in a different background. Both have good effects on the color.