|
by |
 |
Over the years I have received several icon creation programs for review.
Most we shareware and rather complex. I chose not to review them because they did not provide a comprehensive solution to icon creation and they were far too complex for the average user to utilize.
A friend recommended I look at a program called Icon Forge by Cursor Arts.
As I usually do with new software, I installed the program and without looking at the documentation I test the product to see just how instinctive the program is.
Icon Forge is the premier icon creation program. In addition to creating standard icons, it can also be used to create animated Cursors and tiles.
  |
I was able to take a piece of clip art from a collection (larger picture on left) and convert it to an icon, (library icon on the right) in two minutes without having to refer to the program's documentation. |
Windows supplies icons as part of the program but most are outdated by more than five years. Many of the icons depict products which are long dead. The selection is very limited.
With Icon forge, you can make an icon from any picture in your collection as well as the vast amount of pictures available on line.
This the opening menu For Icon Forge:
 You can create Icons in a range of
sizes to meet your needs. You can insert Icons into scripts, or
any other document. You can create a chain of icons to tell a story.
With Icon Forge you can create animated Icons and you can vary the size
of the Icon on the fly to see which size works best for you. |
As you can see, the menu is well
organized and highly instinctive. In addition to being able to convert your pictures, photos etc. to an icon, you can scan images to acquire an image such as a logo that you want to use as an icon.
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
  |
The variations of the basic Icon I created on the upper left were created with the effects tool in under few keystrokes in under three minutes!
The screen shot below shows you the main program screen. I have converted the basic icon to an artistic rendering with just a single keystroke.
After several years of searching for the ultimate Icon Creation Program, Icon forge by Cursor Arts is a program I highly recommend. Well designed and highly instinctive it is designed for a person possessing moderate computer skills but will serve the most advanced user as well.
You can visit the Cursor Arts Website by clicking on this link or pasting the link into your browser. www.cursorarts.com
I created the logo
Icon on the left in under a minute.