Use IconWorshop with Adobe Illustrator
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If you use Adobe Illustrator to create your images, we'll see in this topic how to work efficiently with Axialis IconWorkshop to create icons.
To permit you to work efficiently, we have created a plug-in which permits to transfer the artworks directly from Illustrator to IconWorkshop without using a temporary file. A plug-in is a program extension module. In fact, this is a small a program which is "plugged" (added) into another application to enhance it or add a new feature to it.
This is much more fast and secure. No more temporary PNG file to transfer your image into Axialis IconWorkshop. No more risk to lose your file while transferring it. As the icon format does not yet support vector images, during the transfer the image will be converted from vector to raster. This operation is called a "rasterization". Several options are available to adjust the rasterization.
Before using this plug-in you have to install it in the Illustrator plug-ins directory.
Install the Illustrator transfer plug-in
Before using the plug-in as detailed in next topic, you need to install it on your computer. The plug-in can be easily installed from within IconWorkshop in one fast and simple operation.
1. Before installing the plug-in we recommend you to close the Illustrator application (if it is actually opened in background). Choose File/Install Illustrator Plug-in...
2. The dialog
box Install the Illustrator to IconWorkshop
Transfer Plug-in opens (see below). In the Location
edit zone (
), specify the Illustrator plug-in folder. If
you don't know the exact folder path, click the browse button (
) to choose the folder in a list.
3. If you want
to create a subfolder "Axialis"
to install the plug-in module (recommended to organize your folder properly),
activate the option "Install in
a subfolder Axialis" (
). Note that creating
a subfolder may fail with some compatible applications.
4. Click OK. When done, a message informs you that the plug-in has been installed.
5. Now you can start your Illustrator application. The plug-in is visible in Filter/Axialis/Transfer To IconWorkshop menu.
If Illustrator
is installed on your computer, the plug-in folder will be automatically
added to the edit zone. Also, you'll be prompted to install the plug-in
the first time you'll launch IconWorkshop.
Transferring an Image from Illustrator using the plug-in
1. First of all, launch Illustrator and open or create a document. The Illustrator file used in this topic can be downloaded here: Axialis-Sphere.ai
2.
In the document, select the objects you
want to transfer to Axialis IconWorkshop (). If you don't select
objects, the whole document will be transferred.
3. Choose the Filter/Axialis/Transfer to Axialis IconWorkshop... command in the menu.
4.
A dialog box opens (see below). If you have selected some objects in the
document, you can choose to export only these objects or the whole document
().
5.
During the transfer, the vector objects will be rasterized (i.e. converted
to bitmap images composed of pixels). To perform this, you need to specify
the Resolution ()of the image to produce in DPI
(Dots Per Inch). Based on the size of your vector document and the value
you specify here, the size of the final bitmap image will be automatically
calculated. For example, if your vector object is 2x2 inches and if you
specify 128 DPI, the final image will be 256x256.
6.
Specify a value for the Antialiasing
(). This parameter permits to create a smoother image,
especially on edges. The higher, the better, the longer to compute. Finally,
specify a Padding value (
) to create a transparent border around the image. This will
avoid to have the objects placed directly on the border of the image.
A small border permit to create nicer icons, especially when creating
the small image sizes.
7. When done, click OK. Axialis IconWorkshop is automatically launched (or activated if running in background) and the dialog box Install the Illustrator to Axialis IconWorkshop Transfer Plug-in opens (see below).
8.
The image is about to be transferred in Axialis IconWorkshop. You can choose one
of the following operations: Create a
New Icon using this Image (): You create a new icon
with several formats based on the image (see step 4); Create
a New Image Document (): Axialis IconWorkshop opens a new
document containing the image. You'll be able to perform various operations
on the image (resize, crop, save...) and even create a new icon from a
portion of it; Paste the Image in the
Current Icon Document (): This option is enabled
only if an icon document is already opened in Axialis IconWorkshop. It pastes
the image in the current editor area (just like the Clipboard paste operation).
9.
If you choose the first option (Create
a New Icon using this Image), the following
dialog box opens (see below). As Axialis IconWorkshop support creation
of both Windows and Macintosh icons, you're prompted to choose the format.
Select option for Windows or option for
Macintosh.
10. By choosing Windows, the following dialog box opens (a similar dialog opens if you choose Macintosh)
11. In the
Name group (),
enter the icon project name. Do not specify any extension.
12. In the
Image Formats group, select
the image formats you whish to add in the icon () and
unselect the unwanted images (). Just click on the image preview to select/unselect. To
know more about the desired Windows standard image format, see What
is an Icon topic.
13. You can
also apply or not the dithering option to the 256/16 color images as well
as add a filter effect to smooth/sharpen the resulting images in RGB/A
mode (try and see the results in the preview images).
14. If you wish to start creating your icon with an unlisted format, click the Other Image Format button.
15. When done, click OK. The icon is automatically created with the various image formats you've selected.