Glow Icons 46x46 pixels (How to create and edit?) Need help!

[Michael]

Ok folks, this is not a trivial question, or maybe it is, and I have just missed something over the years!
The question is simple. How the hell can we create proper Glow Icons in OS 3.5+ format ? Yes, IconEdit works fine, but how can we do a small icon centred in default/standard 46x46 pixel area ?
IconEdit likes to trim the image to a smaller size every time you save an icon.
Any special tools available for realigning the images ?

eg. CondenseIcon is good for analysing icon format and size of the saved icon.

[mihcael]

Maybe Iconian?

[Retrofan]

http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=924147&postcount=12

To create them with a png image.

[Michael]

Iconian does help a bit, but it's not straight forward and does have some problems with colours (GUI corrupts in 8bit screens with GlowIcons) and it should have problems with 15+ bit modes. Also it's tricky to set-up all options correctly and then save out the icon as a NewIcon, which is magically converted by icon.lib 46.4.330 to an OS3.5 one (My target) Sadly it corrupts icon snapshot position and border setting, and needs extra manipulations to get the target.

Another solution is PPaint, but that is a bit of a pain since it's difficult to position and cut out the icon of correct size before saving, also it shares all the pens with both images resulting in a fatter version of the icon.

Ideally OS 3.5-3.9 Icon editor does everything I need to quickly edit some icons, but you can't disable the optimization of icon field size, so if you have empty space, it get's trimmed :-(

[PeterK]

Originally Posted by Michael

Ideally OS 3.5-3.9 Icon editor does everything I need to quickly edit some icons, but you can't disable the optimization of icon field size, so if you have empty space, it get's trimmed :-(

If that is your only problem then first select a color for the pixel in the lower right corner, then minimize (trim) and finally make the pixel transparent again.

[Michael]

Originally Posted by PeterK

If that is your only problem then first select a color for the pixel in the lower right corner, then minimize (trim) and finally make the pixel transparent again.

Yes, that would have been great, and it works! To a point when you have to save the icon :-( IconEdit just trims it further to the smallest size, stupid!
Any chance to patch the bugger ? So that it trims the icons automaticly only when Optimize menu item is ticked or something? In fact it should not do it in the first place, since if you load a small icon with large borders, you can't save it back :-(

[PeterK]

Originally Posted by Michael

...when you have to save the icon :-( IconEdit just trims it further ... stupid!

Yes, confirmed.
But no problem, since you like borders. Just create a 46x46 border around the image and then minimize (trim) it. That's the perfect solution, just for you

[Michael]

Originally Posted by PeterK

Yes, confirmed.
But no problem, since you like borders. Just create a 46x46 border around the image and then minimize (trim) it. That's the perfect solution, just for you

I don't like borders on GlowIcons! But do with MagicWB ;-) So I am still struggling.

[Michael]

I have a new additional question!
What else (apart from WB Icon Editor) allows to merge two images in an icon ?
eg. Classic 4c icon + New OS3.5+ Glow icon.

And is is possible to set the border attribute for both of them independently ? Just like WB and DOpus5 have separate icon border prefs.

[PeterK]

No nothing, borders on planar icons are a job of workbench.library 3.1 and DOpus5 borders are just non-standard hacks in the DiskObject structure.

[Michael]

Found a rather complicate solution to creating proper icons!

1. Create a 4c icon in PPaint and save it as old icon (Brush 46x93)
2. Create a GlowIcon in PPaint and save it as ColourIcon (Brush 46x93)
on top of the 4c icon (Del old Icon - unselected)

This will merge all 4 images in one icon.

The sizes are correct for Coordinates 1:1:, so final icon is 46x46 !

Now, if you need to remove the border, you have the following options
a) when saving the colour (OS35+) icon, you can set the flameless option
b) you can use CondenseIcon with KOI=NO OI FL options
c) to remove the border under DOPUS5 just click the icon info, and check no border

Results:

A perfect 4 image icon, that has a fall back image for 4c old (ROM) icon.library
and a colour icon for OS35+, with separate option to set borders in WB and DOPUS.
And most importantly the proper icon size and image position that you have defined yourself!
(PS: GlowIcons are supposed to be 46x46 pxls, and that was a very smart choice)

Hope everyone follows the AmigaOS rules and designs proper fully functional icons.


What else? Time to make a GUI tool to display and manipulate some icon data ;-)
Anybody willing to help ? I can give all the tech/design ideas data required.

[gulliver]

Originally Posted by Michael

What else? Time to make a GUI tool to display and manipulate some icon data ;-)
Anybody willing to help ? I can give all the tech/design ideas data required.

DREAM MODE ON:

A Workbench 1.3 512KB ram compatible paint program with proper pointer and icon templates/modes and functions. Something looking like Deluxe Paint, but more comfortable, modern and on steroids

DREAM MODE OFF:

Good luck with it

[Michael]

I am not looking into an editor, more like an analyser/viewer for icons with options to tweak some parameters and images by drag and drop.

[mritter0]

I, too, don't like how the icon gets trimmed.

Why can't we specify a page size like in a paint program? 24x24, 46x46, etc.

Then save it to that size with the transparency and not trimmed.

[Michael]

In theory, the optimize menu option should have made this possible, but it optimizes the pallet and possible other things but does not effect the size optimizing algorithm.