The ico extension is an icon storage format in Microsoft Windows. This format also supports saving images with JPEG and.
The popularity of Windows has made it important to create iso files.
Applying ico format
All icons of various applications in the Windows system, regardless of version, have the ICO (icon) extension. In addition, this format is also used for favicons, site icons that are visible in the address bar of the browser immediately before the URL or in the search results. When creating your own graphics in the form of icons, cursors, icons or using ready-made graphic elements in this capacity, there is a need to save in the ico format.
Icons (icons) - bitmaps of a square format and certain standard sizes.
Ways to create an ico file
1. Using specialized programs or online services to create icons. Of the most famous and popular programs, IcoFX can be distinguished. This small application has good functionality for editing and drawing icons from scratch and saving in icon format (ico).
2. Application of Photoshop (Photoshop). The program itself does not have the ability to save files to ico. However, there are third-party plugins that allow you to both save graphics in this format and convert ico files with other extensions: png, jpeg, etc.
The plugin is intended to expand the capabilities of the program or the possibility of using it in general.
3. Using online converters to change the graphic file extension to ico format. There are a lot of such resources on the network with similar functionality and capabilities.
The ico extension in Adobe Photoshop
Of greatest interest is the creation of graphics with the ico extension in the Photoshop program. This software from Adobe is rich in features and does not limit your imagination when creating your own graphics. Therefore, it is worth learning how to do it.
Depending on the version of Photoshop and the system installed on the PC (32 or 64 bits), you need to install the ICOFormat plugin. To do this, you need to place it in the plugins directory. This is usually: C: / Program Files / Adobe / Adobe Photoshop CS5 / Plug-ins / File Formats. Then start photoshop. Further, if you need to save graphics in ico format, you need to click the "File" menu item and Save as (save as). Select the ico format from the drop-down list. It should be noted that the maximum size of the saved image cannot exceed 256x256 pixels.
Using the various methods described, you can convert almost any graphic image into an ico file or create a graphic in this format yourself from scratch.
