How to Make a Simple Icon

Written by Jeff Harrison
April 25, 2010

Most of our newer macros all come with “official” icons to help save time for the users when setting up their own macro toolbars. That means the older ones didn’t come with them.

However, making a quick icon isn’t too bad once you get the hang of it. There is an icon editor in Corel’s appearance dialog, but I prefer to make icons in PHOTO-PAINT. Some tips:

  1. Create a new 24-bit RGB document in PHOTO-PAINT, 16 x 16 pixels, no background
  2. Press F4 to zoom in as much as possible
  3. Press P for paintbrush tool
  4. Choose a hard-edged nib on property bar
  5. Set nib size to very small
  6. Create icon, it will seem rough at this zoom level. Press CTRL+1 on occasion to see at actual size. Then press F4 to zoom in again to keep working on it.
  7. Save as BMP file.
  8. Import that BMP into CorelDRAW’s icon dialog as seen in this video as your custom icon for a macro. You can do the same for the PHOTO-PAINT options dialog.

Keep your BMP icon file somewhere safe for the future. This is the advantage over Corel’s icon editor.
Click on the image to see the animation. I take more care in creating real icons.

Post Discussion

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

You May Also Like…

Making a symmetrical scroll for a circular area

A user in the CorelDRAW forums asked how to make the scroll section. First, I'd tried to straighten out the graphic (somewhat) from the the original image provided. Then I'd proceeded through the numbered steps. I ended up drawing the curled end...

Read More

disthead

Make Unique Vector Text

Here's an idea that I don't believe I've shared before. I came up with this technique for my own needs 15+ years ago: Convert your text to a bitmap (add some padding around text - make a rectangle with no fill or outline) Apply bitmap effects of...

Read More

Jeff Harrison

Jeff Harrison is a media "Jack-of-all-trades", familiar with most of the major media applications on the Windows platform. Whether it's 2D/print, 3D, audio, video, or web-related - he's working on mastering everything that comes his way. He's a past Alpha and Beta tester for Corel, and has instructed students from all over the world. He runs the popular MacroMonster.com site, the #1 place for CorelDRAW macros. Also check out his youtube page, and his gallery at coreldraw.com.

Recent Posts

Web Design Blog

Graphics Unleashed Donations

$
Personal Info

Donation Total: $5

Build Divi WordPress Site
WordPress Site Care
Divi Tools
Graphics Unleashed Logo