# Icon Editor Tasks

## Getting Started with Icon Editor

1. - ToStartIconEditorTA

   - ToDrawAnImageTA

   - ToDrawAFilledImageTA

   - ToDrawFreehandTA

   - ToDrawAStraightLineTA

   - ToDrawARectangleTA

   - ToDrawACircleTA

   - ToEraseAnAreaTA

   - ToFloodAnAreaTA

   - ToDrawConnectedLinesTA

   - ToDrawAPolygonTA

   - ToDrawAnEllipseTA

   - ToUndoADrawingOperationTA

   - ToOpenAnExistingIconTA

   - ToSaveAnIconTA

   - ToSaveAnIconAsTA

   - ToStartANewIconTA

   - ToResizeTheCurrentIconTA

## Manipulating Images within Icon Editor

1. - ToSelectAnAreaOfAnIconTA

   - ToCopyPartOfAnIconTA

   - ToCutPartOfAnIconTA

   - ToMovePartOfAnIconTA

   - ToResizePartOfAnIconTA

   - ToRotatePartOfAnIconTA

   - ToFlipPartOfAnIconTA

   - ToAddAHotSpotTA

   - ToDeleteAHotSpotTA

   - ToCopyPartOfTheDisplayTA

   These instructions assume that you are using a mouse. Most tasks can also be done without a mouse. See Keyboard Shortcuts for the Desktop for more information.

## To Start Icon Editor

1. Click the arrow control above the Front Panel Text Editor control.

2. In the Personal Applications subpanel, click the Icon Editor control.

Icon Editor starts with an empty drawing area.

## Other Ways to Start Icon Editor

1. You can also start Icon Editor with an icon already loaded:

   - In an open File Manager window, double-click the icon file to open it.

   - Or, drop an icon file on the Icon Editor control in the Personal Applications subpanel.

   - Or, select Icon Editor from the Desktop Apps in Application Manager.

## To Draw an Image

1. Select a drawing tool (such as the pencil, circle, or line).

2. Select a color (static color, static gray, or a dynamic color).

3. Click in the drawing area and begin drawing with the tool you've selected.

## See Also

1. - ToDrawAFilledImageTA

   - IconEditorToolsPanelSI

## To Draw a Filled Image

1. Select the Fill Solids check box below the tool palette.

   The rectangle, polygon, circle, and ellipse tools change from outlines to solids in the tool palette.

2. Select a solid drawing tool.

3. Select a color (static color, static gray, or a dynamic color). (See ColorManagementAndUsageSI.)

4. Begin drawing with the tool you've selected.

   When you release to finish drawing the object, all pixels contained within the boundaries of the object become the selected color.

## See Also

1. - IconEditorToolsPanelSI

## To Draw Freehand Lines or Pixels

1. Select the Pencil tool from the palette.

2. To draw individual pixels, click in the drawing area.

   To draw freehand lines, click in the drawing area and drag. Release to finish the line.

## See Also

1. - ToDrawAStraightLineTA

   - IconEditorToolsPanelSI

## To Draw a Straight Line

1. Select the Line tool from the palette.

2. Click in the drawing area and drag to stretch the line.

3. Release to draw the line.

## See Also

1. - ToDrawConnectedLinesTA

   - IconEditorToolsPanelSI

## To Draw a Rectangle

1. Select the Rectangle tool from the palette.

2. Click in the drawing area and drag to stretch the outline of the rectangle.

3. Release to finish the rectangle.

## See Also

1. - ToDrawAFilledImageTA

   - IconEditorToolsPanelSI

## To Draw a Circle

1. Select the Circle tool from the palette.

2. Click in the drawing area and drag to stretch the outline of the circle.

3. Release to finish the circle.

## See Also

1. - ToDrawAFilledImageTA

   - ToDrawAnEllipseTA

   - IconEditorToolsPanelSI

## To Erase an Area

## To Erase a Large Area

1. 1. Select the Erase tool from the palette.

   2. Click and drag in the drawing area to erase.

   3. Release to finish erasing.

## To Erase a Small Area

1. 1. Select the Pencil tool from the palette.

   2. Select Transparent from the Dynamic Colors.

   3. Click in the viewing area.

      Each pixel clicked is set to transparent which, in effect, erases the pixel.

## See Also

1. - IconEditorToolsPanelSI

   - ToCutPartOfAnIconTA

## To Flood an Area with a Color

1. Select the Flood tool from the palette.

2. Select a static color, static gray, or dynamic color. (See ColorManagementAndUsageSI.)

3. Click a pixel in the area to be flooded.

   The pixel clicked and all adjacent pixels of the same color are recolored with the selected color. The flooded area extends in all directions, bounded only by pixels of colors different from the one clicked.

## See Also

1. - ToDrawAFilledImageTA

   - IconEditorToolsPanelSI

## To Draw Connected Lines

1. Select the Polyline tool from the palette.

2. Click the starting point for the first line in the drawing area.

3. Click at the end of each line segment.

4. Double-click at the end of the last line segment.

## See Also

1. - ToDrawAStraightLineTA

   - IconEditorToolsPanelSI

## To Draw a Polygon

1. Select the Polygon tool from the palette.

2. In the drawing area, click the starting point for the first line segment.

3. Click at the end of each line segment.

4. Double-click at the end of the last line segment to close the polygon.

   A line is drawn from the end of the last line segment to the starting point of the first line segment.

## See Also

1. - ToDrawAFilledImageTA

   - ToDrawConnectedLinesTA

   - IconEditorToolsPanelSI

## To Draw an Ellipse

1. Select the Ellipse tool from the palette.

2. Click in the drawing area and drag to stretch the outline of the ellipse.

3. Release to finish the ellipse.

## See Also

1. - ToDrawAFilledImageTA

   - ToDrawACircleTA

   - IconEditorToolsPanelSI

## To Undo a Drawing Operation

- Choose Undo from the Edit menu.

Only the most recent change can be undone.

## To Open an Existing Icon

1. Choose Open from the File menu.

   If you have unsaved changes, Icon Editor warns you that your changes will be lost by loading another icon. Click Cancel to cancel the Open command. Click OK if you don't want to save your changes.

2. Type the name of the icon file you want to load or select it from the list.

3. Click Open.

When you load a file, the output format is automatically set to the format of the file you load.

## See Also

1. - ToStartIconEditorTA

## To Save an Icon

1. Choose an output format from the Options menu:

   - XBM for two-color X bitmap format

   - XPM for multicolor X pixmap format (the default)

2. Choose Save from the File menu.

   If the icon is unnamed or you choose Save As, Icon Editor prompts you for a file name. Type a file name and then click OK.

## See Also

1. - StoringIconFilesTO

   - StoringBackdropImageFilesTO

   - IconFileNameConventionsSI

## To Save an Icon with a New Name

1. Choose Save As from the File menu.

2. Type the file name under which you want to save the icon.

3. Click Save.

## See Also

1. - IconFileNameConventionsSI

## To Start a New Icon

- Choose New from the File menu.

  If you have unsaved changes, Icon Editor warns you that your changes will be lost by starting a new icon. Click Cancel to cancel the New command. Click OK if you don't want to save your changes.

Icon Editor clears the work area and resizes it to the default 32x32 size. The maximum size for an icon is 256×256.

## See Also

1. - ToResizeTheCurrentIconTA

   - ToResizePartOfAnIconTA

## To Resize the Current Icon

1. Choose Resize Icon from the Edit menu.

2. Edit the current width and height in the dialog box to specify the new size.

3. Click OK.

If you make the icon smaller, the right and bottom edges are clipped off. If you make the icon larger, the existing image remains in the upper left of the icon.

## See Also

1. - ToResizePartOfAnIconTA

## To Select an Area of the Icon

1. Select the Selection tool (bottom right of the tool palette).

2. Press mouse button 1 and drag a box around the area you want to select.

   A box flashes around the selected area.

## See Also

1. - ToCopyPartOfAnIconTA

   - ToCutPartOfAnIconTA

   - ToMovePartOfAnIconTA

   - ToResizePartOfAnIconTA

   - ToRotatePartOfAnIconTA

   - ToFlipPartOfAnIconTA

## To Copy a Region of the Icon

1. Select the Selection tool (bottom right of the palette).

2. Press mouse button 1 and drag a box around the area you want to copy.

   A box flashes around the selected area.

3. Choose Copy Area from the Edit menu.

4. Choose Paste Area from the Edit menu.

5. Position the outline where you want to paste the copy, and then click.

To paste multiple copies of the region, repeat steps 3 and 4 as many times as you like.

## See Also

1. - ToCutPartOfAnIconTA

   - ToMovePartOfAnIconTA

## To Cut a Region of the Icon

1. Select the Selection tool (bottom right of the palette).

2. Press mouse button 1 and drag a box around the area you want to cut.

   A box flashes around the selected area.

3. Choose Cut Area from the Edit menu.

When you cut a portion of an icon, the exposed area becomes "transparent" (that is, it is filled in with the Transparent color).

After cutting a region, you can paste it back into the image using the Paste command from the Edit menu.

## See Also

1. - ToCopyPartOfAnIconTA

   - ToMovePartOfAnIconTA

## To Move a Region of the Icon

1. Select the Selection tool (bottom right of the palette).

2. Press mouse button 1 and drag a box around the area you want to move.

   A box flashes around the selected area.

3. Choose Cut Area from the Edit menu.

4. Choose Paste Area from the Edit menu.

5. Position the outline where you want to paste the copy, and then click.

To paste multiple copies of the area, you may repeat steps 4 and 5 as many times as you like.

## See Also

1. - ToCopyPartOfAnIconTA

   - ToCutPartOfAnIconTA

## To Resize (Scale) a Region of the Icon

1. Select the Selection tool (bottom right of the palette).

2. Press mouse button 1 and drag a box around the area you want to resize.

   A box flashes around the selected area.

3. Choose Scale Area from the Edit menu.

4. Press mouse button 1 and drag a box that defines the size and shape that you want the scaled image to be.

   This box determines how the selected portion of the image will be scaled; it does not determine where to place the results.

5. Position the outline where you want to paste the scaled copy, and then click.

## See Also

1. - ToResizeTheCurrentIconTA

## To Rotate a Region of the Icon

1. Select the Selection tool (bottom right of the palette).

2. Press mouse button 1 and drag a box around the area you want to rotate.

   A box flashes around the selected area.

3. Choose Rotate Area from the Edit menu and choose Left or Right.

4. Position the outline where you want to paste the rotated area, and then click.

## See Also

1. - ToFlipPartOfAnIconTA

## To Flip (Mirror) a Region of the Icon

1. Select the Selection tool (bottom right of the palette).

2. Press mouse button 1 and drag a box around the area you want to flip.

   A box flashes around the selected area.

3. Choose Flip Area from the Edit menu and choose Vertical or Horizontal.

Flipping an area creates a pixel-for-pixel mirror image of the selected area.

## See Also

1. - ToRotatePartOfAnIconTA

## To Add a Hotspot

1. Choose Add Hotspot from the Edit menu.

2. Click the pixel where you want to assign the hotspot.

Bitmap images (XBM format) can be used as special mouse pointer shapes. The hotspot marks a single pixel that is the true "point" of the pointer.

## To Delete a Hotspot

1. Select the hotspot you want to delete.

2. Choose Delete Hotspot from the Edit menu.

## To Capture (Grab) a Region of the Workspace

1. Save your current icon, if necessary.

2. Choose Grab Screen Image from the Edit menu.

3. Press mouse button 1 and drag a box around the portion of the workspace you want to capture. The X-Y size above the work area shows the size in pixels of the area being grabbed.