There are many reasons why you need to make an icon out of a picture. One of them, for example, is the image on the site tab or installation wizard. Today we will analyze in more detail 2 ways how to do this, and what programs you need to use for this. After all, you can’t just take and attribute the extension to the picture, thereby making it an icon.
What programs should I use?
To begin with, we should decide how to make an icon out of a picture.
- Creating an icon through Photoshop.
- Creating an icon through an online converter.
If everything is clear with the second - you only need a browser for this, then what to do with Photoshop?
For this purpose, we naturally need the program itself and a special plugin called ico. You can download it on the Internet. It’s worth choosing a plugin for your system capacity, otherwise it just won’t work. Choose carefully and scan files for viruses!
Download the plugin and install it in the following directory:
C: \ Program Files \ Adobe \ Adobe Photoshop CS6 \ Required \ Plug-ins \ File Formats \
The addresses are approximately similar, so you are unlikely to make a mistake, and in the CC version they are generally identical.
However, remember that the plugin needs to be downloaded only for its capacity of the system.
Now when saving the file in Photoshop, we can see that the .ico extension is present there
In Photoshop, it’s also quite simple to make a round icon from a picture. To do this, simply select the desired shape in your favorite way. Click on "Selection", then select "Invert" and remove the white background.
Note: usually the icons are saved with an extension from 16 x 16 to 256 x 256 pixels, you can do more, but it will weigh too much, and then it makes no sense, because it is unlikely to open in full screen.
Online conversion
Another thing is online conversion, which makes things a little easier for us.
How to make an icon out of a picture? Very simple! It’s enough just to have the Internet, a browser and a picture.
We’ll go into any compiler we like and upload our photo there.
For example, we will use online-converting.
Choose the extension and color depth.
Click on the cherished button "Convert"
We are waiting, and then download the finished file.
However, this method has a drawback. You will not be able to choose a form for your icon, and therefore you will have to download Photoshop. We also do not recommend doing this on unverified sites, otherwise there is a chance of infecting your computer with a virus.
How to set the icon?
Of course, there are times when it is enough to simply add the ico icon to the program folder and it will appear, but this happens extremely rarely, and basically we have to write down everything that is needed in the program or site code.
Let's take the site as an example.
To do this, save the icon in 16 x 16 format and place it in the desired folder.
After that, paste the following code into the head of the program and replace some values.
<link rel="icon" href="http://yoursite.com/favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon" /> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="http://yoursite.com/favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon" />
After the work done, you must completely clear the browser cache and, if you did everything correctly, rejoice at the appearance of the icon.
Conclusion
Now you know well how to install plugins, make icons, and how to make an icon out of a picture. This knowledge will be useful, although situations where one could use it will be quite rare. Now you have moved a step towards the study of information technology and learned how to install an icon on the site.