Puzzled by icons

I just don't understand why some icons appear different than others. While some appear "normal", others look more like thumbnails. Pic below is an example:



Both of the above are shortcuts from apps in Program Files. I played around with the icon on the left and made sure it was a 256x256 and it appeared exactly as you see it now.

So much depends on the type of folder the icon appears/made, but I just can't figure why icons like the one on the right can't appear everywhere.
Any help understanding this icon behavior would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

I dunno. It's the way the company decided to make 'em.

Go Cards!


I decided to make the above letters big, bolded and red. Hell, yeah!

Hello Mark, and welcome to Vista Forums.

Double check to make sure that it's a 256x256 pixel Vista style icon instead of just a regular 256x256 icon. The link below can help show you more on this, and you can use the trial version of the program to create one with instead.

Vista Icons - Introducing Vista Icons - How to create Vista Icons

Hope this helps,
Shawn

Thanks, Brink. I downloaded/installed IconWorkshop and will try it.

Mark

You're welcome. Please let us know how it turned out for you.

IconWorks is a nice program. I made a Vista 256x256 from an image file and saved it to a folder I named Favicons. I then used used it to change a program shortcut icon in a folder I created (C:\Utilities\program shortcut). It worked beautifully. I then created another 256 icon and saved it to Favicons as well. Only this time it had the same appearance as the icon on the left from my original post. I changed another program shortcut icon in a different folder I created, only this time the icon for the shortcut was the small one (I only made one size, ie, the 256). When I went back into the Favicons folder the original icon I made that worked beautifully had now reverted to the smaller thumbnail style.
To say I'm confused now is an understatement. It must be a Vista thing of how icons appear in certain folders??? Any ideas???

I've always found that using a good PNG file with a transparent background to create the ICO gives the best results using these setting below for it.

I use nothing but PNG's even though IconWorks recommends a BMP and adding transparency.

Strange that it would still show as being a smaller icon when you created it as a 256x256 Vista style icon as above. Could you upload (paperclip toolbar icon while posting) the PNG in a ZIP file? I'll be happy to take a look at it to see if that may be it.

I have no idea why, but if you deselect the other size output icons in IconWorkshop (to the right) when making the icon from an image file and only select the 256, the thumbnail-type icon appears. With all selected then the output icon is the Vista-style icon and looks great.
For now I'll just practice and experiment and maybe I'll figure out the why's.

Thanks for your help. I appreciate it!

127markaz

You're most welcome Mark. Just let us know if you need anything else.