How to Create a Custom Cursor With IconForge
If you're tired of the pointing finger popping up every time someone moves over a link on your website, add a customized web cursor. You can download a number of cursors from the Internet, or use IconForge to build a custom cursor from scratch.
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Instructions
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Create a new cursor file. Click the "New" button in the toolbar and choose "New Cursor" from the popup menu. Choose "16 x 16 Pixels" as your cursor size and "16 Colors" to keep the file size down and site performance fast. An editing window with painting tools and a grid for each pixel will appear.
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Use the paint tools to create your cursor. IconForge's toolbars function like most image editors, including the ability to transform selections and add filter effects.
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Add interface features, including background transparency and reverse colors. The dot button in the color palette will paint transparent areas into your cursor. Click the slash button to paint outline the cursor edge so the pixels will reverse the background colors underneath (which will make it easier to track the cursor.)
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Set the cursor "hot spot," the exact point in the cursor shape that will click buttons and checkboxes. The "Set Hot Spot" command is located in the "Options" menu. The default is the top left corner. Higher pixel values in the dialog will move the hot spot down and to the right.
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Click on the "Preview Icon" button (binoculars) at the bottom of the editing window to test your cursor. The test window will allow you to check your cursor hot spot and preview the cursor over a variety of background colors.
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Save your cursor file. The CUR extension will automatically be added to the end of the file name.
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Visit the IconForge web site for the code to make the cursor work with your web page. You can copy and paste the code (using your own cursor file names) into an HTML link, or into your style sheet. Don't forget to upload the CUR file so your page can find it.
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Tips & Warnings
You can import an image to customize using the File menu "Open" command. The image will open in a preview window. IconForge will offer a number of options, including scaling the image to fit, selecting image pixels or cropping a portion of the image to size.
You can create, save and open custom cursor libraries with the Library menu.
