Suggestions for Icon Editors?

[edblackhurst]

Hello, All --

In reviewing Apple guidelines, I notice that icons of different sizes are required for various purposes in apps submitted as standalones. The icons I have developed in the past were done in drawing programs that did not support precise sizings, such as that required by Apple. I imagine that an app submitted with other than a required 72 x 72 or 144 x 144 pixel icon would be cause for rejection.

Any suggestions for easy-to-use icon editors that are reasonably priced? (Free or shareware would be great, too.)

Ed

[Simon]

Hi Ed,
I use:
http://www.axialis.com/iconworkshop/index.html
It's kind of funky and I ignore most of it but it does do the job for custom icons.

Simon

[Coffee1633]

I believe Gimp is free and does pixel based editing.
I'm a big Adobe fan so that means Photoshop and Illustrator but they are pricy.
However, Photoshop Elements runs for under $100 and by learning some of the basics you can be up and running in a short time.

If you only want to do icons then maybe a dedicated icon program for simplicity and ease of use but the trade off is its limitations. If you invest in pixel based editing program like PS Elements then you will be able to use it for much more like backgrounds, animated gifs, other UI elements, but then you need to invest the time to learn how to use it.
For that, I highly recommend Lynda.com. I'm a big fan of Lynda too.

Coffee16

[dbcbos]

I use Icon Maker downloadable from the Apple Store. Since I don't really have the creativity too make my own icons or patience using Gimp or Photoshop Elements.

[Socan]

Hi all,

If you have Photoshop, do a search for the App Icon Template from pixelresort by Michael Flarup (sorry... not allowed to post links on the forum yet, apparently)

It works brilliantly to get all sizes and files perfect in a few clicks and the tutorial is very well laid out so a photoshop novice like me can get good results.

There is also an update for iOS7 icons, so it is definitely a useful one to check out.

Cheers
Bill

[EOTR]

Just wanted to throw out another Photoshop plugin suggestion. I use this thing called "Dev Rocket" by ui parade. It actually does 5 useful things:

-includes an icon template with a master graphic file, so you make your graphic and then it resizes it into the various iOS icon formats
-creates iOS templates replete with status, nav, and tab bars
-shows a preview of your UI design wrapped in an iOS device looking graphic
-allows you to drag-and-drop elements from reusable libraries (they make another plugin called "Pixel Dropr" that allows you to make your own libraries)
-outputs each layer/group to individual png files ready to import into your development workflow

It is a Photoshop plugin though, and not a stand alone app. Its great because the process of translating your icon design to different resolutions and saving it as separate files is all automated.

[edblackhurst]

Thanks for the tips everyone. I'll do some exploring. Appreciate the quick responses.

Cheers!

Ed

[Coffee1633]

Thanks EOTR

That PS plugin called Dev Rocket" by ui parade sounds awesome. I'm going to give it a try when the time comes. It sounds like a big time saver.

coffee16

[EOTR]

Thanks EOTR

That PS plugin called Dev Rocket" by ui parade sounds awesome. I'm going to give it a try when the time comes. It sounds like a big time saver.

coffee16

No problem! Glad I could point something useful out. The best part is the plugin is only $19 USD. And yes, it's a huge time saver. Cuts about 15-20 minutes of work down to literally 3 seconds.