This looks to be a really good app. i enjoy creating icons to add to blank colored folders for a unique look. this program along with a free alternative app " Icofx " will definitely help in keeping the look i after. thanks .

To those that wish to preserve the aspect ratio or change the icon to not be square... if you look under the size settings(64x64, 128x128 etc.) dialog window, you will notice a check box called "width=height". UN-check the box and you will be able to move the sliders above independantly of one another. Hope this helps.

After reading their messages it is Confusing to me:

"Picture To Icon is being released as Shareware. You are granted a limited license
to use this software for evaluation purposes for a period not to exceed 15 days or at
most 20 uses.
If you wish to use this software after the 15-day or 20-use evaluation period, and
are satisfied with it, please register your copy.
The ordering pages are on a secure web site that encrypts all transmitted credit
card data according to the secure HTTP protocol. Your registration code is emailed
to you right away! No waiting!
If you don't want to order online, or if you prefer to order offline, then please choose
one of the following easy methods of payment: By Phone, Fax, Mail, Purchase Order
or Check. http://www.exeicon.com/picture-to-icon/buy.html."

I assume it is like normal GOTD but they don't make it crystal clear. I can see why some are concerned w/having to deal w/it in a couple of weeks.
Also, for the developer: the workarea is TOO small. I was taken back about the size of workable area. Make it adjustable for your customers' varied eyesight

Here's some freeware software that is capable of exactly the same thing:

Paint.net
GIMP
Mspaint

...and more. Really, I think the people who are excited over this are really just excited they're getting free software. I guess that's a good reason?...but you'd be getting gipped if you actually bought this software.

As per others' experience, this installed nicely on my Win 7 x64. The problem is that it doesn't show as being registered. When I click on the REGISTER button, it shows GAOTD as the owner, with a very long hidden password. Clicking REGISTER again merely closes that box. Clicking BUY NOW brings me to their web page which shows the price etc. So I don't believe this is actually registered. Can someone PLEASE help? Thanks in advance - this looks to be a nice little proggie!

re #42. Before I uninstalled it, I check and was able to run by double clicking on the app exe. I've created a shortcut to it now.

GIMP allows export of .ico files and that's all I need.

QUESTION: I have the reverse need. I have an icon that I would like to turn into a picture. It is an icon of Mona Lisa riding on a horse while eating a cheeseburger. I would like to turn this icon into a large poster, with all the intricate details that you can't see in the icon because it's so small. What software will do that automatically?

Picture To Icon lacks many features that can be found in a free Icon editor such as IcoFX

This is a great little program! Downloaded, installed and registered flawlessly on Win7 32 64X. The program does as it is intended without a lot of "Hoopla".


Thanks, GOATD.



#31.I have been using Irfanview for this for many years. Its freeware.


I used to swear by Irfanview, however, all the upgrades they have implemented has actually down graded the program. (IMHO)

Just installed Picture to Icon on Windows 7 64bit. The time it took to download , install and test was less than 10 minutes. It works as advertised and does a nice job.

My suggestion is the application should have the ability to crop a section of an image. For most of us I dont think its a huge ordeal to crop the image first and save it. Then just use Picture to Icon to convert it. However saving that extra step would make this an even better tool for even a novice.

Thanks GAOTD

Oh my! I forget to mention ... I installed on Win 7 64bit with no problems.

WAY overpriced! Very basic programming. The concept of this application and it's current functionality is above average but, the price is not commensurate with it's current state. Needs further development before pricing above $10.00 US. Keep working on it ... You have a wonderful base to continue development.

If you're like me, and mostly want to quickly convert all of those pretty Mac.png images into ico without quality loss - this will actually do it.

I downloaded a copy today (7 Nov) to my Win7/64 system. Started the program, selected a picture, created an icon, saved it, used it to replace the icon for a folder...all with no problem!

Now I can easily change folder icons to help me find the folder I want. Thank you GOTD for a simple program that does what I want. At this point my wants are simple. Perhaps with time and practice I'd like some of the changes suggested but for now I'm pleased. Thanks again!

If the picture is not perfectly square, Picture to Icon stretches it to fit. This throws off the entire symmetry of the icon. There doesn't seem to be any way to tell it to maintain its proportions.

Am I missing something?

I ran a couple of tests and I like it. It isn't for everyone; I'm retired and like to play. If you are strictly work, work, work then pass. But, from my perspective this looks like a very cool new toy.

Thanks to the GAOTD guys you're very much appreciated in my circles...

it works ok for me and says registered to **giveaway of the day** i have only just started to have a look round the program but for what i can see so far its well constructed and a nice interface :) time will tell

Well I have some freeware that can do this easy. IcoFX, AniFX, and IconViewer (a shell extension).

Just installed in compatibilty mode in windows 7 x64, works fine.

There is a game giveaway today. :)

Ok, downloaded and it installed just fine. However, I'm a little unsure about the registration of the program. But I'll let it slide and hope it stays registered.

Onto the program itself. It's light weight and runs fast even on my not so modern Win7 laptop. It's has a pretty straight forward interface, only thing that left me a little confused is that it says "load icon" instead of "load image" when you first load an image to convert to an icon.

It does what it says nicely, allowing you to make a pictures background transparent if needed. So nothing to complain on that end.

However, I really don't need to turn pictures into icons but I can see people who like to used customized icons for picture folders and the likes would love this.

I wanted to give it a try to make a favicon for my website however it didn't quite turn out the way I wanted. Could have been a mistake on my part or the programs.

Either way, a decent program but I'd never pay 40 bucks for it. Thanks GOTD.

Thank you GAOTD and ExeIcon!!:) I have manually been making my own icons to identify my files and this is going to help simplify things a bit. Under current reoganization of my desktop, which looks like a mine field as I have a wide screen monitor and my icons cover the entire screen. This is a keeper and will be used with another GAOTD program from Nexus to get my DT under control. I have another program fron ExeIcon (3D Box Maker)and am happy with both products. On this program, the download/installation and registration all went well. Someone above asked if it could be saved as an .ico. Yes it can. I have done this already. Thank you very much. Also, a little PS - check out GAOTDs Game giveaway. How I missed this I'll never know, but also neat. Not much of a game person, but found two neat games. Love it. Thanks again and everyone have a nice day.

This is a great software. For those having issues with it or those wanting something to compare with however, there is a free alternative at
http://www.rentasoft.com/Image-Converter.asp

It converts images of all kids into whatever format you are needing.
Definitely give Picture-To-Icon a try though if you are simply interested in only creating an icon.

Small, efficient, quick, easy and simple. And, the price is right, too. Thanks, GOTD!

I like the setup options, but what is the difference between the last 2, "Explore..." and "Execute..."

I would like to have the installation option to select where the shortcuts are installed in the start menu (like other programs do).

During install I got this message
"Location is not Available
C:\users\...\appdata\roaming\microsoft\start menu\programs\picture to icon refers to a location that is unavailable. It could be on a hard drive on this computer, or on a network. Check to make sure that the disk is properly inserted, or that you are connected to the internet or your network, and then try again. If it still cannot be located, the information might have been moved to a different location"

The location exists, I can navigate to it in explorer. I displayed details of the installation, I see the create statement, but it runs off the edge of the display window but there is no horizontal scrollbar and maximize is disabled. The setup window has to be changed from fixed size to resizable.

Installation message says completed successfully, when that is obviously not true!

I have to uninstall it.

Vista Business, SP2

Does not appear to work for me. Win7 says there was somekind of install error. Oh well, would have liked the software that the email advertized anyway.

Picture To Icon is a nice, simple icon editor when the free but more complex IcoFX is overkill [Google/Bing for IcoFX download sites -- there are many]. Picture To Icon lets you edit &/or create single image icons -- there is no *New* button, but it's easy to delete an existing image to start fresh -- or you can convert or capture an image. Most Windows icons contain multiple images at different sizes & bit depths for different screen sizes & settings -- while Picture To Icon will import those (or extract embedded icons from files like .exe & .dll etc.), you can only edit & save a single image icon. You can also delete images, saving the result as an icon file, which is handy when you want to extract some but not all icons from a file [open C:\Windows\Explorer.exe for an example, right clicking, selecting delete for individual images]. For personal use, say customizing your desktop when icon packs won't do, Picture To Icon could be an ideal solution -- after all, if you don't change your screen settings [& most people don't], the extra images in any Windows icon simply take up space -- they're both unused & irrelevant.

That said, icons can get somewhat complicated, usually from a developer standpoint, with Vista/7 using overlays etc. [BTW those overlays are why it's harder to get rid of the shortcut arrows in 7]... You can find out more about icon design at http://goo.gl/sXf5o or Google/Bing Microsoft.com for "UXGuide.pdf" for even more info. Besides today's GOTD & IcoFX there are quite a few, mostly pay-ware editors available -- you can find another freebie here http://goo.gl/PXvon , though it's more limited than Picture To Icon when it comes to importing. There are also several free icon packs, or you can try something like Icon Packager -- http://goo.gl/ysEn7 -- if/when you don't want/need something 100% original.

Using Picture To Icon, you start by opening an image or icon [either a stand-a-lone file or embedded in another file], or by capturing a portion of your screen. Clicking "Modify Icon" brings up a wizard where you 1st set the icon size, then next, do any actual editing, then next, set the bit depth -- the results can be saved as iocn, bmp, or png files after clicking the "Save Icon" button. Installation adds the program's folder [7 files, 1 (empty) folder, taking up less than 1 MB], along with Start Menu shortcuts. Monitoring a minimal install (you're given options like add to context menu), 3 keys were added to the registry -- 1 for the app, 1 for uninstall, & 1 for icon file type.

Installation was clean and simple.
GUI was very user friendly and straighforward.
Help file was good.

However, when capturing an icon: If I used the 'back' button to change a previous step, icon as 'sliced' into pieces and there was no way of fixing it. The UNDO did not work on the issue.

In addition, I did not find the Similarity option worked well enough to hide the white pixels.

The Similarity slider was not very noticeable and if I did not view the website video, would not have found it.

The Picture to Icon window should be resizable as all other windows.
I like a bigger work area even if the item being modified is small.

Overall, fair, but not worth the price being asked.

I installed it, played around with it, but the results weren't as good as with AWicon Pro, which was given away in March 2009. I had far superior results from that program, so I'm uninstalling this one.

I clicked on the thumbnail after converting expecting it to open with my editing program, but it didn't, so I dumped it!

From Project Team Blog


New title for Sunday
Hello Everybody!

There were problems with registration of Boxoft Photo Magic Maker in the morning. Unfortunately Boxoft Co. is not able to handle the issue shortly, so we have decided to replace the post for today.

Please find the new title – Picture To Icon by exeicon.com. Besides we have got a game on GGOTD today. ;)

Enjoy!
GOTD project team

As someone else said I also use Irfanview to create and convert icons and another freeware program called "Icons from file" to extract icons from programs and dlls. If you don't have these that I mentioned this wold probably be good for you to download from GOTD. $40 is a bit steep ti pay if you don't get the free version. I haven't downloaded this offer and it my have some other useful features so don't reject it based on my. If someone can post what features this has that the 2 I mentioned don't it would be good to hear.

For all those that miss todays give away or want a different freeware program that does much the same thing, then check out

http://www.towofu.net/soft/e-aicon.php

Pros:
*Simple interface for young/inexperienced users
*Alpha support
*Built-in capture tool

Cons:
*Lack of advanced editing tools
*Cartoonish appearance

I liked the program but thought the listed price might be a bit high for the functionality provided. The editing tools are minimal (draw & fill) and don’t work exceptionally well. The draw tool would only let me draw a pixel at a time instead of allowing a more freehand approach. Also, the options don’t hold onto the previous settings so you have reset them each time you go back to editing mode.

IcoFX (freeware) is a lot stronger as an editor but this one works pretty well for quick jobs.

No problems at Win XP SP3. To #6: "Shrinking down a (large) image to icon size doesn’t make it a good icon." Yes, this is right! Tried at a big picture with small details (~1000 pix), still good at full 256x256, but useless as icon. But the program really works, no doubt...

I have been using Irfanview for this for many years. Its freeware.

Downloaded and installed ok on Win 7 pro (64-bit). Tried out the program on a couple of jpegs that had a white background and needed a transparent background. It did an ok job on one of the pics and a poor job on the next pic. Not a bad program and can be useful when trying to make icons.
Had to use the screen capture on both - as they were jpegs. I would allow for loading of jpegs to convert them to icons. Maybe I missed something?

I downloaded and installed it. I noticed an icon in the lower right corner "buy now". If you click on it, it shows it as registered to Giveaway of the day and a long, encrypted, registration ID.

My question - this game is normally shareware, allowing 15 days or 20 uses. Is it really registered or will it give me headaches in 2 weeks. I click on "Register" and nothing happens. I click on "buy now" and it takes me to the site.

There is no visible way to see that is is the full or shareware version of the product!

This program is great! I used it on a friends computer this morning and it is easy to use, and works spectacular! But when I tried to install it on this computer it says it can not connect to check "Giveaway Availability." Anyway this program is great, highly recommend it! Easy to use, small download file, great quality! Thank you GOTD!

does it output an .ico file, because that is what I need.

Does what it says, a nice and simple interface with easy to follow instuctions available for anyone who needs them. I have been looking for something like this so that my wife can find the applications she needs quickly and eaily. Many thanks for this useful piece of software.

Using WinXP, worked straight out of the box. Picture to Icon is a very nice, simple yet powerful piece of software. Must admit I didn't read the instructions, just ran the software (I have the policy that if I cannot get the basics working within 5 minutes then it's too complex). If you want a quick, simple method of producing icons this could be for you. It works.

Wow. I am completely pleased. I have been wanting to make my own Icons for ages. This is very user friendly (I have a hard time with most art programs, but I had two Icons created in less than 5 minutes). If you are looking for a simple way to spruce up your desk top, this program is great. Thanks GOTD.
Note: I have win7 64bit and experienced no difficulties. This is a definite keeper.

Installs and runs fine on Windows 7 x64. Windows 7 is not included in the description so I thought I'd let everyone know that it works fine. This is a nice little program that can help you customize your desktop. I agree with the comments above about people voting a program negative just because it is something they don't want. I wish GAOTD could implement a way to vote only after you have installed the program.

I like it. Will be useful for creating avatar icons to use on forum websites. Can't tell if it's actually registered. Is the "Buy now" icon supposed to go away? Nothing happens when I click the "Register" button.

I use this application in previous version and works perfectly. I can make ICON from my fav.picture to use it for my SFX.EXE.

Thanks GAOTD for this application

@1 If you look to the right near the top of your screen you'll see the BLOG from the Give way team... it says there was a registration proble so they've pull the offering and substituted with this and there's also a game available.

Small File, quick download, fast (uneventful) install. Easy.

Does what it says, easy to use. Made my first icon in about 10 seconds taking all defaults. Beats having to do all this manually. Not that one would do this for hours a day but it is nice to have. Price is good. Product works!

- has all the Standard ICON sizes in a drop down.
- allows for transparent (best with solid color BG)
- paint-like editing
- drop downs for standard color depths
- allows screen capturing
- allows clipboard import

Good product, over priced, but definitely a easy & simple way to do icons.

I really would like a program like this. I have not used another one so I have nothing to compare it to. I have been playing with this for just a little while now and this is what I have found out so far:

Like:

o Very easy to use
o Decent interface

o Some nice features like: capture, modifying existing, backgrounds and opacity.

What I don't like:

o after loading a picture it fits it into a square and distorts the image. Even deselecting "stretch" seems to do nothing. So use another photo editing program to change the ratio of the picture and then load the change into Picture to Icon.

o The "Buy Now" button stays on

I tried to find something in the help about the ratio but had no luck. If someone finds how to fix this that would be great. Otherwise it make the application a little too cumbersome.