[WindowsXP/Vista/7][.NET][TOOL] Icon Set-Builder v1.1.0 [2012/10/12]

Want to create your own icon sets based on an existing one?
Tired of manually having to apply all necessary steps per icon?

Well... maybe this little tool can help you:

Icon Set-Builder v1.x


:: Introduction ::
Lately I saw an icon style I'd liked and wanted to recreate it using Android ICS icons as base.
Using Paint.NET I could create my template and do so... but since Paint.NET does not support scripting, I had to do everything (resizing, changing color and transparency, applying as alpha mask to my template, etc) again and again for about 200 times.
Being a .NET developer, I thought "Why not write a little script to do that treadmill work for me?".
Well, finally it grew into this "Icon Set-Builder" tool.


:: Screenshots ::
Here's one screenshot of the app, more are in the second post or here:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/byzwc8u40kjuai0/xIQ72kDZBG



:: Features ::
What can you do with it?
Well, basically it works with several layers (template, icon, mask and overlay) for each you can apply a lot of adjustments.

The basic steps:

• Choose a template and, if supported, a template style (i.e. several colors)
• Choose your favorite icon set
• Optionally, choose an alpha mask to be applied for each icon
• Optionally, choose a matching overlay
• Play around with the settings
• Let the tool generate your icon set

All changes you make are immediately applied to the previews, so you always know, what the result would look like.

Basic icon sets (ICS, Metro, PixelPerfect, iOS-like) and templates are included.
Most templates i created myself myself, some are based on or inspired by other's ideas (see below).

But of course you are free and encouraged to create your own stuff and contribute!
Well... that's what it's for, right?
To easier bring your own ideas to live!


:: Download Location ::
Versions 0.9.x as well as (maybe in time...) older versions can be found in this DropBox:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/e837ronlu4k4roc/j_kuqNgUo0


Download of version 1.0.0 and later is available here:
http://iconsetbuilder.echtzeitig.de


Direct links for latest version:

• MSI-Installer
• ZIP-Archive

Some AddOns:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6edgq8hnvxkur5y/lBL0R4i8n2

Both a simply zipped version as well as an MSI-installer are available.
The folder also contains a ZIP "IconSetBuilder_Samples.zip" containing some created samples.

The tool itself is only 160kB, but with base stuff it's about 9MB.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
Using MSI-installer, v0.9.1 should no longer cause problems with Windows "User Access Control", since the installation folder changed.
Also fixed a nasty bug with leftover debug-code which tried to save an intermediate image in "D:\Temp" and crashed if that folder was not available. SORRY!!!


Requirements: Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 or later, but I guess that's already installed nowadays on all Windows PCs.


:: Samples ::
Sheets displaying a few icons of various styles can be found here:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/cugwu9xzh06riuh/ecqPW_CzTY

More samples as single PNG icons are here (no complete sets!!):
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/tvvmptmz47rnq2e/RDL4p3oTFZ



:: Detailed Features ::

Template:

• Choose a basic template
• Some templates may offer styles, i.e. various colors
• Templates may have matching default settings, which one can automatically load and apply
• Adjust size, cropping and position
• Modify colors: invert, greyscale, transparency

Icon Set:

• Choose icon set
• Adjust size, cropping and position
• Modify colors: invert, greyscale, transparency
• Choose style: overlay / blend with template / apply as alpha mask (i.e. to create a "cut-out" in the template)
• Apply a shadow/glow effect
• Rotate the icon
• Add mirror effect on X- or Y-axis with adjustable axis-position
• Choose all or just some icons you want to use

Textual Icons:

• Choose a txt-file containing the texts for your icons in icon set-list
• Choose your favorite font from system or custom folder
• Change the fonts size and style
• Change color and transparency for the text
• Choose alignment (top/middle/bottom, left/center/right)
• Choose wether text should wrap on blanks and/or shrink to fit inside the available space
• Use all basic effects mentioned above for further modifications

Alpha Mask:

• If you wish, you can apply an alpha mask to the icon
• This allows i.e. to cut off parts

Overlay:

• If you wish, choose an overlay
• Adjust size, cropping and position
• Modify colors: invert, greyscale, transparency
• Choose style: overlay / blend with template / apply as alpha mask

Preview:

• Save currently shown icon as single file (without generating complete set)
• Open a preview window which "simulates" a phone's screen
• Choose between different backgrounds to see what it looks like
• Layouts from 3x3 to 5x6, plus dock

Create:

• Choose the output size of the icon, from 8x8 to 256x256 everything is possible
• Give your icon set a name (will be used as folder name)
• If the folder exists, you can let the tool automatically create a new one (i.e. "My Set (001)") or use the existing output folder
• If an existing folder contains icons, you can let the tool delete all of them before generating the new set
• Optionally save your settings for later reuse
• Press "Generate" and watch it do it's work

The tool works pretty fast. Some effects (shadow basically) may take a little longer. But overall it takes less than or only a little longer than a second per icon.


:: Thanks and Mentions ::
I would like to thank the following guys for their great work and inspiration.
Their ideas and work are the fundament the tools is build upon.
Some elements I reused as templates or basics, I hope they don't mind (will inform them soon and will remove from tool if necessary).

NiteOwl360

• for the great "Semi Sense" icons I cut and spliced and re-implemented as template

BlackBearBlanc

• for his awesome minimalistic ICS-based icon sets, which I included honorably as templates
• for his work on the ICS- and additional icons included as base in some of his set (BTW: some needed optimization; I did so *g*)

rawdealer

• for his "PixelPerfect" icon set, great minimal basic set; I took the liberty to also include them

P_C

• for his "3C" icon set, great minimal basic set; I took the liberty to also include them

Unknown guys:

• the various Suave icons I included
• the various other iOS-like icons I included
• various creators of Metro-styled icons (I don't quite remember which one I used for creating my basic set, SORRY!!!)

Samples

Some samples, more attached:

Eclipse Rounded Square:


Roostilabel'd Metro:


Semi Sense'd:


Sketch (Chalkboard)


Wooden Plate


Colored Tiles


"3C" in 3D



More samples of V1.0.0 in this posting.
http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=31505848&postcount=123

Version 1.1.0:

• Greatly optimized performance for many functions, average 30-40% faster now
• Label-over-Icon with seperate "Shadow" settings
• Mirror: Optimized and enhanced, more options
• "Open folder"-buttons to easily open folders (i.e. containing Exports) in Explorers

Details here.

Version 1.0.2:

• NEW: Textual Icons: change texts case to lower case, UPPER CASE or Title Case
• NEW: Textual Icons: "wrap" and "shrink" for 2-line-text-icons
• NEW: Textual Icons: rewritten 2-line-text-icons functions
• FIXED: Rotation of final icons sometimes resulted in not properly sized icons (i.e. 128x124 instead of square 128x128)

Version 1.0.1:
Added "Brightness to Alpha": Create single color icons with the original icons' brightness used as transparency value. More in this posting.

Version 1.0.0:
New stuff:

• App Settings: Some settings are now stored in a config-file, like chosen Visual Style, Preview Device or Author Name
• Continue session: When closing Icon Set-Builder, this current settings are automatically saved, so next time you start the tool, you are asked wether you want to load the settings and continue your work.
• Add to queue: If you want to create multiple icon sets (different, slightly changed or whatever), you may queue the generating and finally start processing all queued sets at once.
• Import/Export: FINALLY the long awaited feature to export your creation to a ZIP file and of course import ones from others is available!
• Overlays now also have "Hue/Satuation/Lightness" settings like templates.
• FEATURE: Download from Web
• FEATURE: Import/Export
• FEATURE: "Devices" in Simulation
• FEATURE: Levels and Gamma
• FEATURE: Label Over Icon
• FEATURE: Tool "Extract from Titanium Backup"
• FEATURE: "Save settings as default"
• FEATURE: "Process Queue"
• FEATURE: Random items

Detailed descriptions in this post and following.

Improved:

• Speed: At various places I could improve the speed a lot.
• Rotation: Rotating had some issues, didn't work correctly sometimes, or left too large margins.

Version 0.9.9a:
Hotfix for invalid file name when trying to generate a 2-line styled textual icon set (TAB contained in file name - DUH!!)

Version 0.9.9:
Interims release with just 2 new enhancements/features:

• "Fade Out" with adjustable width in "Mirror" function; can be used for mirror reflection also, just set the "axis" appropriately
• "2 Line Text Icons": allows to create textual icons with two lines that can be configured seperatly (font, size, color)
  • Items in TXT-file for icons must contain both lines' texts seperated by TAB-character (i.e. "Read[TAB]Mails")
  • Enable in "Textual Icons" tab and configure

Version 0.9.8:
Lots of new functions and effects:

• Use icon as Mask
• Colorize icon
• Colorize template
• FX: Random Hue Shift
• FX: Apply Texture
• FX: Pseudo 3D

In-detail descriptions in this and the next postings:
http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=30344572#post30344503

Many samples (not complete sets!) you can find here in the DropBox (previews and zips):
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/udpmii8763x7zs0/lXfLC3fcfg


Version 0.9.7:
Minor changes.

• HSB color functions are now also available for template
• Moved "Generate" parts (output size, icon set name, buttons) from tab to main window area

Version 0.9.6b:
In version 0.9.6 MSI and ZIPs one DevExpress DLL was missing, app didn't even start, SORRY for that!
Uploaded 0.9.6b with included missing file, should work now properly.

Version 0.9.6:

• Added "Random Rotation" as finalize function
• Added "Crop to icon size" as finalize function
• ...plus all from 0.9.5pre2

Read more here:
http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=29991028&postcount=47

Version 0.9.5pre2:
Preview version only right now, not released yet!!!

• Reworking UI in progress
• New effect "Pixelation"
• New effect "Color Accent" with three modes and adjustable width of accent
  • Color Accent: only accent chosen color
  • Primary Color: finds primary color in icon and accentuates that color
  • Replace Primary Color: finds primary color, but uses chosen color for accentuation
• New adjustments "HSL":
  • Shift HUE in color wheel, i.e. red becomes blue etc
  • Adjust SATURATION (boost or dim color strength)
  • Adjust BRIGHTNESS, make colors brighter or darker

Version 0.9.3:
Only added functionality to save currently shown icon as single file (without generating complete set).

Version 0.9.2:

Added "Simulation Preview":

• Open a preview window which "simulates" a phone's screen
• Choose between different backgrounds to see what it looks like
• Layouts from 3x3 to 5x6, plus dock

Version 0.9.1:

SORRY the first version caused problems. Didn't take Windows Vista/7 UAC into account. Also there was a stupid DEBUG-code left over, which tried to save an intermediate file into "D:\Temp", but crashed if that path didn't exist. That and hopefully missing rights related problems are fixed now. For MSI please try 0.9.1, it uses a different (per user) install folder, so UAC should be history now. Uninstall 0.9.0 before.

reserved3

reserved4

No, sorry. Maybe the name is misleading. It creates a folder containing the generated PNGs. But that's an interesting idea!

Sent from my MT15i using Tapatalk 2

Added quick note in first post regarding Windows's UAC.

When using MSI installer, you might encounter the tool runs, but is not able to generate icons.

Sorry, will fix this soon. For now: use "Run as administrator" in this case. Or use ZIP and unzip to a non-protected folder.

Version 0.9.1 available.

SORRY the first version caused problems. Didn't take Windows Vista/7 UAC into account. Also there was a stupid DEBUG-code left over, which tried to save an intermediate file into "D:\Temp", but crashed if that path didn't exist. That and hopefully missing rights related problems are fixed now.

For MSI please try 0.9.1, it uses a different (per user) install folder, so UAC should be history now. Uninstall 0.9.0 before.

MissionImprobable said:

Will your program work with this icon set: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1702688

Would be a great way to help it get rounded out more quickly.

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

Think so! PSD looks good, will give it a try this evening.

Lala v2

MissionImprobable said:

Will your program work with this icon set: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1702688
Would be a great way to help it get rounded out more quickly.

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

It's done, created assets for Icon Set-Builder from Lala V2-PSD-template. You need high resolution icons, but it works pretty well.

BUT: Not only did I port the template, I also added a LOT of different backgrounds for the basic icon. This opens a lot of new possibilities, i.e. to create icons like wooden block with ICS icons.

Here are some screenshots and samples:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/1f6ys481qoaxdks/CmXHR4I1m2

You can download the "Lala V2"-assets here:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6edgq8hnvxkur5y/lBL0R4i8n2

It's two ZIPs, one for 128x128 icons, one for 256x256 ones.

You must unzip the ZIPs into the Icon Set-Builder-tools "Assets"-folder (i.e. located at "c:\Users\{User}\AppData\Roaming\Icon Set-Builder\Assets\" if installed using the MSI).

After that it's listed in "Templates" and also applies default settings.

Enjoy!

EDIT: Fixed ZIPs, unzip into "Assets" didn't work, accidently there was an additional subfolder in the ZIP. Now it works.

MissionImprobable said:

Great job on getting it done so quickly and putting together such a cool utility. I've always had a bit of trouble keeping full unity when I'm trying to build icons from beveled/3D icon PSDs so this is perfect.

Here's one more you might like to add if you get the chance: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=26818917

Your Builder is definitely one of the best theme aids that has been made

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

Thanks a lot for your appreciation! And therefore motivation

Your next suggestion looks do-able, will dive into it as soon as possible.

Also, for the tool I still got ideas in the back of my head, it's definitely not finished yet (if ever will).

Next thing is import / export for themes, so it'll be much easier to add new themes and stuff.

Am also planning further color adjustments like hue/saturation/lightness, but I think this first requires a bit redesign to avoid cluttering.

Well... Enough said. Glad this tool got some attention and response already!

Sent from my MT15i using Tapatalk 2