Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!think.com!ejb
From: ejb@think.com (Erik Bailey)
Subject: Re: Color Icons in System 7
Message-ID: <1991Jun7.193206.2847@Think.COM>
Sender: news@Think.COM
Organization: Thinking Machines Corporation, Cambridge MA, USA
References: <9F_-90#@engin.umich.edu> <20370@crdgw1.crd.ge.com>
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 91 19:32:06 GMT
Lines: 42

In article <20370@crdgw1.crd.ge.com> leue@galen.crd.ge.com (Bill Leue) writes:
>
> [...]
>
>When I want to "colorize" or otherwise dork with an Icon (typically
>for an alias, but it could be any file), I bring up its Get Info
>window, click on the icon, and select "Copy" from the Edit menu.  Then
>I start up ResEdit 2.1 on a dummy file and create a new cicn resource,
>which opens up the cicn color bitmap editor.  Selecting "Paste" from the
>Edit Menu puts the original icon into the editor, which I then use to
>colorize or munge the icon to my taste.  To complete the process, put
>the modified (now color) bitmap back on the Clipboard, bring up the
>Get Info window for the original file, select its icon, and Use "Paste" 
>from the Edit menu.  Voila!
>
>Of course, the changes you make aren't very permanent -- anyone can
>revert back to original icon by hitting 'Cut' in the Get Info box.  With
>my artistic ability (?), that's probably an advantage :-).
>
>-Bill Leue
>leue@crd.ge.com
> 

Sounds like you do things the hard way.  There's a much nicer way to do it
all within ResEdit.  Double-click on the ICN# resource, then double-click
on the icon you want to modify.  This will bring up the "Icon Family"
screen.  Here you can create/edit  all six icons (ICN#, ics#, icl8, ics8,
icl4, ics4), plus the large and small masks.  The advantage of this is that
you can create much nicer icons with better colors, and you can tweak the
small icons you they look good (it's nifty having a well-designed ics8 in
the upper-right corner of the screen for the current app).

(btw - there's nothing wrong with your way, so no need to switch if it
works!  I'm just relating the way *I* do it, which I *think* is better.)

--Erik

--
      Erik Bailey       | 7 Oak Knoll         | Thinking Machines Corp.
      ejb@think.com     | Arlington, MA 02174 | 245 First St.
      harvard!think!ejb | (617) 643-0732      | Cambridge, MA  02142
          /earth is 98% full. Please remove any excess inhabitants.
