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I recently downloaded a icon editing program that allows you to create your own icons. I read online that the default size is 48×48 pixels, so I set the file to that size.
After adding an image I shrunk to fit the pixel limit, I wanted to add some text. I soon realized how large the text was, compared to the amount of space I had to fill.
After visiting numerous buddy icon sites I came to realize how highly detailed they were, which brought me to the following conclusion.
If each little square is a pixel then there is no way the standard icon can be only 48×48.
I only have a 30 day trial for the program I’m using, so I would like to make at least one decent icon before the trial period ends.
Please help,
Danyou wont be able to do a high detailed icon because aim only allows you to have a 7,000 kb icon high detailed one will be to big.
Are you using MSPaint to edit your icons? Because, if you are, you’re right, there is no way you will get any higher detail. But, if you use photoshop or Paint Shop Pro, you will be able to achieve a much higher detail level.
Quote from ballericons.com
Quote:quote:Hey Ballers. All New Icons Created must be made at 48 X 48 (not 50 x 50) Like before! That’s the New format size!yeah.. AOL decided to restrict you even more in buddy icon sizes… and we though 50×50 was too small.. they took away 196 pixels from us.
As far as I understand, you are totally right Renaxgade.
If you look for the definition of Resolution, then it is the number of dots within a measured area. That being, 48×48 pixels in this case wouldn´t be the resolution, but just the size in pixels. The resolution would be the size of each pixel and is normally expressed in dpi or dots per inch.
The thing is that screens normally have all the same resolution so…a 48×48 pixel pic will be the same size for everyone with the same tipe of regular LCD screen, given that the resolution of a computer screen is normally standard. That being so…a pixel x pixel is a way of giving you the size of the image.
Conceptually speaking, the resolution would be how much detail do you know of the picture, and it does not depend on the size. If your resolution were very large, that would mean you know every detail of the picture going down to every infinitelly small point (It is just an expression for digital) of it, so, even if you enlarge it a lot, quality wouldn´t be disminished. Now if your resolution is poor, then you only know info of bigger points, that is when you get pixelation when enlarging.
You can edit an icon with great detail, pixel by pixel, in say, plain MSPaint, and reduce the physical size of it, but not the resolution, as long as you don´t loose the information. Having a high resolution though, implies, storing a lot of information and a larger size file…so it does not work either…I guess it is compromising both.
I am not a compter graphics person, so please someone corrects me if my explanation could be misunderstood or is just wrong.
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Ok, let me try to clear up some confusion here.
Your monitors screen resolution will determine the size of your pixel, the higher your screen resolution the smaller your pixels. This however has no impact on the detail of your image, only on how big it is displayed.
To answer the original question, the problem lies in the fact that you are scaling images down to a size they cannot be rendered at correctly. Use a simpler image to get greater clarity in your icons.
Another trick is to give your icon more contrast by sharpening the image so the details stand out more in the shrunken size. Here is an example of this:
Source Image:
48×48 Scaled Image: 
48×48 Sharpened Image: 
As you can see, sharpening can help give your scaled images more detail.
As to your font concerns, using a serif font such as Georgia with its curvy style will not scale down well compared to a san-serif font such as Veranda which has a very straight and simple style. San-serif fonts will allow greater readability in smaller sizes.
I hope these are the answers you are looking for.
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