With IconBuilder, you use Photoshop (version 7 to CS3), Photoshop Elements (version 2 and up) or Fireworks (versions MX and CS3) as your icon editor and then export your artwork as icons for your system or even your web page.

Icon Strategy
When going about making an icon, you have to consider the size at which it is going to be viewed. Mac OS X allows users to view icons at any size but, most often, people will be looking at your icons at around 32 pixels wide… not very big. At that size a lot of detail will be lost, so you have to be creative in how you try to get the message of your icon across; you have to do it in the simplest way that you can. IconBuilder also lets you build icons for your computer’s list view (16 pixels wide), so you should consider how your icon idea will translate at that small a size. With the addition of CoverFlow in Leopard, icons can now be viewed at sizes in the neighborhood of 512 pixels square, but still have to tell their story at 16 pixels square.

Even though you have to be aware of how your icon looks at smaller sizes, the main art should be built at at least 128 pixels square—512 pixels square if you intend for them to look good in CoverFlow.

Building Icons in Icon Builder
Since IconBuilder comes with thorough documentation, I won’t duplicate it here. The trouble I find with learning new software is sometimes you need a project to work on in order to give the documentation some context. So, what I’m going to do is show you how to build a 512 pixel size “iPhone-like” icon to get you started on creating your own icons.

Start with an RGB document in Photoshop that is 512 pixels square with a transparent background.

Set guides at the center going horizontally and vertically (one 256 pixels down from the top and another 256 pixels in from the left)

Using the Rounded Rectangle Tool set at a 45 pixel radius, create a shape layer by clicking in the intersection of the 2 guides and, holding Alt+Shift on a PC or Option+Shift on a Mac, drag out a Shape Layer 440 pixels square.

Set the color of the shape layer to your choosing (mine will be red).

Add a Drop Shadow Layer Style.

Next add a symbol in white on its own layer. The easiest way to do this is to use type. Use letters, number or symbols or, better yet, grab something out of a digbat font like Zapf Dingabts or Webdings.
I have used the obligatory @ symbol on a text layer at 410pt in white.

Add a Drop Shadow style to the text layer.

Now for the highlight. Create a new shape layer by drawing another rounded rectangle as we did before; this time use a radius of 40 pixels and a size of 420 pixels square. It doesn’t matter what color it is—see?

Set its Fill slider in the Layers to 0%. Add a Drop Shadow Style.
And then a Gradient Overlay going from transparent to White.
Now, using the Direct Selection Tool (it’s the hollow arrow), select the bottom 4 nodes of the path that forms the shape layer…
We’re going to Transform these to make the concave curve on the underside of our highlight. Go Edit>Transform Points>Flip Vertical. Now, drag these 4 points together until the lowest 2 touch the horizontal guide you made midway down the icon.

Still using the Direct Selection Tool, select the 2 points on the middle of the lower arc we just made and go Control-T on a PC or Command-T on a Mac. We are going to bring these points in toward the center a bit and we’ll use the Transform feature to make sure they are even.

Hold down the Alt key on a PC or the Option key on a Mac as you scale the width of the Transform box.

Click Enter/Return to apply this transformation, and your icon artwork is done.

You should save this file as a layered PSD so that you can make more icons by simply changing the background color and the symbol. Use Save As… to save each icon design as a flattened transparent PNG that you can then paste into the Expanded Preset that comes with IconBuilder to create your icons masterpieces. Resize and adjust the icon to look good in all of the sizes in which your icon is likely to be used and seen.

To jumpstart the process, install the IconBuilder Assistant Action that comes packages with IconBuilder. Place your 512 pixel creation in the 512 pixel icon area of the Expanded Template that comes with IconBuilder and open the Actions Palette in Photoshop. Select the Generate Expanded actions and click Play. Boom! You have most of your icon resources already created (probably all the resources you are likely to need).

Enjoy your new icon creating abilities and share your creations with us at The Lab!!

PRODUCTS SHOWN
IconBuilder from IconFactory.com
for Windows, USD$49.00
for Macintosh, USD$79.00

Electric Playground’s executive producer talks about his favourite games of 2007.

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Nintendo
http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/wii/metroidprime3corruption

Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
SCEA
http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps3/ratchetandclankfuturetools...

Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow
SCEA
http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/psp/syphonfilterlogansshadow

Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Nintendo
http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ds/legendofzeldaphantomhourgla...

Orange Box
Valve Software
http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/xbox360/halflife2theorangebox

World in Conflict
Sierra Entertainment
http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/worldinconflict

RoboPanda
www.wowwee.com
$150
People may be surprised to see the RoboPanda after seeing some of WowWee’s other robotic toys — unlike the RoboSapien (which made a habit of grunting) or our recently-reviewed RoboQuad (which made a habit of going on the prowl), the RoboPanda is more of an educational robot. Designed to appeal more to a younger crowd, it’s mobility is more limited: it’s actually mostly designed to just sit upright and interact directly with a child sitting in front of it. Pick it up and it asks where it’s going; place it face-down and it’ll ask for help getting up. But while it’s sitting upright and interacting, you can play games with it, have it tell a story, or other such things. It has rudimentary awareness of its environment, including the ability to recognize it’s own teddy bear, and it can see a few things nearby. It also has an educational aspect to it, explaining facts, and asking for input from the child. Its extreme cutesiness will definitely limit its appeal to very young children…at a certain age children will move on to something a bit more mature. The one big pro is that the RoboPanda comes with two program cartridges, and if it catches on, there may be more cartridges coming.

R2-D2 Interactive Droid
starwars.hasbro.com
$120
Is there anyone out there who hasn’t wanted their very own R2-D2 protocol droid? This interactive (and undersized) version of R2-D2 doesn’t do everything the movie version of R2-D2 did, but it responds to a small handful of voice commands, wanders around in its environment, plays games like spin the droid…and can even hold a drink for you with the extendible claw…a light drink, anyhow. Like the R2-D2 unit in the movie, this one doesn’t always follow instructions, shaking its head in defiance of an order. It even has a bit of personality, responding positively to some names, and negatively to others.

Boe-Bot
www.parallax.com
$149
Those who aren’t happy with a pre-built robot may want to take a look at the Boe-Bot kit from Parallex (available from our friends at ThinkGeek.com) — it’s a program-it-yourself kit that comes with a programmable processor, wheels, motors, and assorted electronics components that can be placed into the “breadboard” on top of the main circuit board. No, you’re not going to wind up with something as immediately fun as the Robosapien or the R2-D2 droid, but those who dive into this kit will learn something about electronics, programming, and robotics. Designed for those with a bit of patience.