Icon creation

Today's tip should be fun, and keep you occupied for a while, because I'm going to tell you how to make your own icons!!

First step is to locate your "Paint" program (or if you have another favorite image program, you can use that, too). The Paint program is generally located under Start > Programs > Accessories > Paint. Use the tools in this program to create the image you want to use for your icon. Keep in mind it will be scaled small, and keep it in generally the same proportions as your other icons, or your picture may get distorted.

The essence of the reason this works is because bitmaps and icon files are really the same format and are completely interchangable. When you're done with your picture, save it (preferable in your Windows folder) as "mypic.ico"... you should, of course, replace "mypic" with something a little more descriptive. Setting your computer to use the new icon is also very easy.

Next step is to locate the shortcut that you want to change the icon for. Right-click on this and choose "Properties" from the list that appears. You will then see a button that says "Change Icon" in the Window that pops up.

Click this button, then click "Browse". Navigate to your new icon file and double-click it. Click OK, then OK again to save your changes. Within a few seconds, you should see your icon change! Pretty neat, huh?

The paintbrush program also has an option under the "File" menu to make your image become the background for your desktop!