IconEdit2 Software Review

Editing your icons can be one of the best ways of giving your desktop and PC a really individual feel.

Microsoft has always provided some pretty uninspiring icons for all Windows releases and this program is aimed at giving them an extra touch of class. The good thing about IconEdit is that it accepts a huge range of icons formats from ICO, ICL, NIL, EXE and DLL to GIF, TIFF, BMP, and JPEG. It's also extremely easy to use even if the interface is a bit bland. Normally icon sizes are 32x32 pixels, 16x16 and in some rare cases, 48x48 for really big ones. The different size ranges require different tools to edit them effectively and IconEdit2 allows you to do so with speed and a touch of finesse even if you're no Picasso. The interface is similar to Window's own Paint application and the program allows you to modify desktop shortcuts and folder icons as well as substitute your own images instead of the default ones. You can also use it to create convincing Avatars that can be used with IM clients and forum sites. Probably the nicest feature for an imaging novice is the option to create a "transparent" background for any image or icon which usually takes longer in other similar apps.

This is an excellent icon editor that's simple to use but gives you just enough creative scope to make some really natty icons.