Giving your apps a more modern look

One of the more visual aspects of your application is the icon. Many people don't know the basics of icon creation, even though they could easily create their own, likely without any artistic experience.

To get you started, Microsoft has created an article called "Creating Windows XP Icons." It discusses using perspective and shading, and even tells you how to incorporate icons for lesser resolutions and lower OSes into your .ico files. Check it out on the MSDN Library site.

In the article, they recommend using Photoshop and GIF Movie Gear to construct your icons. They're way off base, in my opinion. Rather than blowing several hundred dollars on expensive tools that weren't built for icon design, it makes much more sense to get yourself a copy of Microangelo Creation, which has all the same icon-creation features and more, for just $54.95. Visit www.microangelo.com to download a demo.