How to Make Icons for Desktop Folders

Custom Icons

Desktop folders can easily become cluttered and disorganized. So, having the ability to create unique icons for each of them can come in handy. Even those with little artistic talent can create useful icons for desktop folders.

Things You'll Need

• Adobe Photoshop 6+ (see Resources below)

Instructions

1. Open Photoshop and create a new image with the dimensions of 32 by 32 pixels. Make sure that the background is set to transparent.

2. Create the outline of your icon. Use the pencil or pen curve tools to do this. Make sure that the outline is fully connected and looks clean and smooth.

3. Create a new layer and fill the outlines with colors of your choice. Use the filler tool to do this quickly.

4. Right-click on the color layers and click on "Blending Options." Apply drop shadows, glows, bevels and other effects as desired to the icon.

5. Save the image as a .png file.

6. Navigate to the file you just saved and rename it to an .ico file. You can now associate this icon file with any desktop folder.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a piece of scratch paper to draw out ideas for icon designs before creating them.

• Always use your own work when creating content that you may share with others.

Resources

• Adobe Photoshop CS4 (Professional Image Editing Software)