Hints and Tips
The following are some hints and tips that may be helpful to you: If you want to convert non-icon format graphic into icon, please use the menu item "File > Import from Graphics ..." If you want to convert graphic format that is not BMP, JPG, GIF, ICO into icon, you should convert the format into BMP, JPG or GIF first, then use the menu item "File > Import from Graphics ...". Anything shown on your screen may be saved as icon with the "Capture" tool under the "Tools" menu or the "hand" button in the toolbox window. Use the menu item "File > Extract From Applications ...", you may extract an icon from other applications like EXE, OCX, DLL, SCR, and so on. You may make an icon file with different formats of icons with menu items "Edit > Add Format..." and "Edit > Delete Format", or the two buttons at the right of the drop-down combo box list. To make a transparent icon, please use the "Erase All" or "Erase" tool to erase any pixels into transparent points. With the menu item "Edit > Set Active Color Transparent" and "Edit > Select a Color to Transparent...", you may change all the pixels of the same color into transparent. It's faster than erase them one by one. With the menu item "Tools > Erase", not the menu item "Tools > Erase All", you may erase the whole window but only the pixel of the color picked will be erased. With the menu item "Filters > Replace Color ...", you may replace one color with another color With the menu item "Filters > Exchange Color ...", you may exchange one color and another color With the menu items "Filters > Blur" and "Filters > Soften", they would make your icon looks smooth The menu item "Filters >Gray Scale" will convert your colorful icon into an gray one. Select the items in the combo box at toolbar to switch among different formats. Use "Edit > Undo" to reverse the last operation Use "Edit > Redo" to reverse the last undo operation Use short keys "Ctrl+Z" or "Ctrl+Y" to fire an undo or redo operation. Use the menu items "View > Zoom out", "View > Zoom in", or "View > Zoom to Default" to size your editor window to the better size for your work. Use hotkey "CTRL+A" to select all the area. Use hotkey "F1" to open the help file that you are reading at once. Use hotkey "CTRL+Q" and "CTRL+W" to zoom in or zoom out the grid window. Use "Icon Changer ..." tool, you may change your EXE's icon with an icon file. You may associate or unassociate the "*.ico" files with the Easy Icon Maker with the "Assocations Manager ...", when "*.ico" files are associated with the Easy Icon Maker, then double click an icon file, it will be loaded into the Easy Icon Maker automatically. Drag an icon file from the file explorer and drop it to the Easy Icon Maker for editing. It supports drag and drop operations. Use Icon Search Tool to seach any icon included in any file from your computer. Double click any color in the color palette, the color dialog will be opened, and the color in the color palette will be brought in. Double click the current color in the color palette, the color dialog will be opened, and the current active color will be brought in. There are two active colors in the color palette, one is for your mouse's left button, and the other is for right button. You may work in the grid with left and right mouse button. With [Shift] key pressed, you may draw circle or square with the tool ellipse or rect tools. Move your mouse over a button, and wait for a minute, you will see the tooltips of the button. Check the menu item "View > Filters Toolbar", the filters toolbar will be shown for easy work. You can open several instances of "Easy Icon Maker", and copy from one workshop to another for easy work. Within the right "Icon Formats List", you may focus one icon, then click the above up and down arrow to move the icon to different positions, this way may also be used to change the icon's order in a file. If you want to set all the points of a certain color to transparent, you may use the picker to pick the color as the current active color, then use the menu item "Edit > Set Active Color Transparent" You may use "Color Picker" tool to pick the color into the current color palette. With left and right button, you may pick the color for left or right button use. With 32-bit true colors, you may edit an alpha bitmap for an icon to set its transparency. The alpha value may be from 0 to 254, the transparent will increase as the value goes from 0 to 254. Use menu item "View > Default" to set the grid editor to default view. You may select an area from the editor, then use the buttons to rotate, flip, or move the area.