Here is a preview of them all! (some may appear fuzzy but they won't be fuzzy on desktop)
What are custom desktop icons?
I started with these icons...
Then changed them to these icons! Click for a bigger view.
All the program and folders on your computer are represented by icons, whether it be a standard folder icon or a program's logo. In my above pic you can see how I changed all the original desktop icons with custom ones. You can swap the icon of any folder or program icon on your desktop with a custom one! They have to be swapped out with an icon file (also known as ICO.), which is a different format than what most picture files are in. You won't be able to use JPG., GIF., or PNG. picture files to change the look of a desktop icon. It has to be an icon file. However any picture file can be changed to a icon file!
Doing all this actually pretty simple. I will show you how to customize your desktop icons with ICO files, plus how to make your own icon files from other pics. And first, I'm sharing my own custom desktop icon files (seen above) with you! This tutorial will work for Windows XP to Windows 7.
Downloading and installing my desktop icons (featured above)
I put all my custom desktop icons in a single RAR file for you. Download it from this link below. You will extract the folder Shishi Icons, which has all the custom anime icons you saw above plus a few more. Move the folder to a place you can easily access it later where it also won't be moved in the future. You will need to find it later. A good place is My Documents or your Admin folder.
If the link doesn't work, try right-click or a different browser! Some new browsers have been having problems with links!
Note: If you don't know what an RAR file is or how to extract from them, here's how:
RARs are single files that hold large numbers of multiple files and folders of different kinds. Its made to transfer this kind of stuff easily between computers. You need a special program called WinRar to open a RAR and get whats inside it.
(1) Download WinRar by Googling it. Use one of the top, safe links. Its free, and you should never have to sign up for a website to download it. It should take less then a minute.
(2) Install WinRar.
(3) Right-click the RAR file (downloaded from the link above) and choose Extract Here. WinRar will take the contents from the RAR and put them in the same folder the RAR is in. In this case, the contents are a single item- the Shishi Icons folder! Now you can move the folder to a place you can easily access it later where it also won't be moved in the future. A good place is My Documents or your Admin folder.
Applying a custom icon to a desktop item
Now that you have some custom icons, you can change some of your desktop icons to the ones in the folder you just downloaded and exported! This is easy as well. We're going to change this folder on my desktop I named TEST FOLDER seen in the pic below. You can make your own test folder or choose another desktop item.
First right click the icon you want to change. I'm right clicking the test folder for this example. Click Properties. note: if you don't see Properties, choose another desktop item for now. I'll show you how to change those types of files later
Now click the Customize tab (labeled 1 in the visual example below), followed by Change Icon (2), and then on the new window that pops up click the Browse (3). note: that new window contained default icons already available on your computer, you can change icons to these as well.
Now you need to browse your computer and find the Shishi Icons folder. When inside Shishi Icons, you should see all the folder icons including Haruhi and Mio. Click or Open the one you want to turn the desktop item into!
Almost done! A new window will pop up that is titled with Change Icon. Click OK (1). Now click Apply (2) on Properties followed by OK (3).
Now my TEST FOLDER is a cute Haruhi Suzumiya folder!
Changing the size of icons
If your icons are too big or small, in Windows 7 you right-click an empty spot on your desktop followed by View and there will options for changing desktop icon size. In addition, in Windows 7 and XP under your Control Panel --> Display you can dig around and find more options for changing Icon size (oftem under Advanced or Classic Windows settings). There are other ways to change Icon size that can be Googled as well! Remember sometimes you will have to restart the com to see changes take effect.
In Windows 7 its under Control Panel -> Display -> Personalization -> Window Color -> Advanced Appearance Settings, then under Item you can adjust your icon sizes and spacing.
Changing an icon that doesn't have the option
Some desktop items like the Recycle Bin have to changed through Control Panel --> Display. Find the option Change Desktop Items.
In Windows 7 is in Control Panel -> Display -> Personalization -> Change Desktop Icons
Making an icon from a picture file on your computer
You can take almost any picture file off you computer and make it into a custom icon file as well. The icon will look like the picture file! (the pics that make the best icons are ones with transparent backgrounds that also have alot of detail that still shows when its shrunk down. I make all my icons from large PNG files with transparent backgrounds then shrink them down to 512 x 512 px)
Once you have your pic you want to make into an icon, go to this site: http://converticon.com/
Click Get Started and browse. Go to Files of this type on the bottom and choose Image (png., gif., jpg.) as shown in the example below.
Now you browse for that picture file you're making into an icon.
Next Export it with the button on the bottom right.
Now save it as a 512 x 512 by clicking the box next to it as in the example below then Save as. Try to save it in the Shishi Icons folder so its with the others, or save it any place you can find it later.
It will save as an Icon file that looks like the picture you exported! Now you can use this as a custom icon for whatever you want!
I changed the TEST FOLDER we first made into this new icon we just made!
Making good icons from your picture files
This is kinda hard, it might take some trial and error to make really good ones. The best thing to do is make one thats well detailed with a transparent background, and when its shrunk down to desktop icon size the details are still easy to see. Some people like to make their icons out of faces, and I like to use chibi characters as you see.
tips: PNG and GIF files support transparent backgrounds, JPGs do not. If you use a JPG for your icon it will have an outline that will stand out. A good way to find original images with transparent backgrounds is to Google for renders, where a character is already cut out with a transparent background.
AwsomeAnimeAngel said: i love the icons :)
thanks :)
i can change folder but not the bin :S
i want to change it to the cat in the bin one :p
do you know how i can do that???
Some desktop items like the Recycle Bin have to changed through Control Panel --> Display. Find the option Change Desktop Items.
In Windows 7 is in Control Panel -> Display -> Personalization -> Change Desktop Icons
Are you using Windows XP? I am pretty sure Windows XP you still find the option to change standard desktop icons under Display:
Open the Control Panel
Double-click on Display
In the Display Properties window click the Desktop tab
Click the Customize Desktop button.
In the Desktop Items window select either the "Recycle Bin (full)" or "Recycle Bin (empty)" folder and click the Change Icon button.
Browse and find the custom icons, switch them out.
Nedrapter said: Is the download link broken? Or just my browser playing tricks?
The link appears to be working. I tried it on two different computers just now. Maybe your browser is blocking it, so try a different browser. Just click on the link and find the folder your browser sends downloads too (can be different between browsers).
There's a chance its blocked where you live. I can add an alternate download link when I get home in a week or so.
u531355 said: The link doesn't work in Firefox 13 but works fine in Opera 12, Chrome 20 and IE 9
Ah no need for a alt link then! I'll post this useful info near the link. Thanks a ton u5 I wouldn't have considered the other browsers. I don't even see why a link won't work in some.
Astaria said: Great thread! Hey, how do you organize your icons like that? Do you use a fencing software or something?
? No special software needed. They're organized on the computer by being kept in one folder and named in an alphabetical order. They're organized into the RAR file by just right clicking the folder and choosing Add to Archive..
No, I mean the icons on the desktop. Seems like there's an invisible fence. (o.o) Okay wait.. nevermind that, I think I got it. Btw, where do you get anime gadgets like that? :3
Astaria said: No, I mean the icons on the desktop. Seems like there's an invisible fence. (o.o) Okay wait.. nevermind that, I think I got it. Btw, where do you get anime gadgets like that? :3
Oh then the invisible fence is just the horizontal/vertical spacing between icons. Mine was fairly large there. You control it in Windows Display somewhere.
Just Google the gadget plus anime name or character, like for this one I searched Hatsune Miku gadget and found it. It was a pain to install tho.
I was wondering, most of your icons don't have the 'white background, blue arrow' thingie on the icons bottom left. Is there a way to make it disappear? :3
xEru said: I was wondering, most of your icons don't have the 'white background, blue arrow' thingie on the icons bottom left. Is there a way to make it disappear? :3
Icons get the thingie if they're a shortcut. The original folder or startup icon doesn't have the shortcut thingie on it.
For example I can't seem to put the Firefox non-shortcut on my desktop, so I just changed the icon for the Firefox shortcut which was already on the desktop. Every other folder you see on my desktop is the actual folder, not a shortcut, so they don't get that arrow and stuff. You'll have to find the actual folder or startup button for your own desktop stuff and drag it to the desktop, then change those icons, and they won't have the thingie on them!
Your original desktop stuff is probably in your Admin and My Documents folders somewhere (guessing tho).
lol. I like my icons to match the folder they're customizing, but looking at the desktop screencaps in the top post I wonder why did I put Konan doing origami for the phone icon, that doesn't make sense unless phones are made of paper. I guess if you use your imagination shes texting.
KnightsToFear said: How do you get the words from the icons and such to underline? It looks really awesome!
Its in Folder Options for Windows- for Windows 7 you go to Control Panel and then to Folder options then to where I circled here which is where you change it from underlined or not. If you use WindowsXP you might be able to access Folder Options from the Control Panel, and I think you can from any folder actually. Not sure about Vista or Windows 8 but its probably similar you can always Google "find folder options in your version of Windows here" if you can't tho.
actually, from any folder, in every version of Windows, you can find Forlder Options in Tools Menu(from Windows Vista and above its hidden but apears when you press ALT in any folder), it's easy than search in Control Panel.
ahm..sir is there any way how to change the appearnce of a windows 7 gadget.? I want to change mine with an anime taste on it..if there's any link pls share. looking forward on your kindness sir.Thanks a lot sir.
Poly25 said: ahm..sir is there any way how to change the appearnce of a windows 7 gadget.? I want to change mine with an anime taste on it..if there's any link pls share. looking forward on your kindness sir.Thanks a lot sir.
C:\Program Files\Windows Sidebar\Gadgets
I never tried to customize mine any further but you can go to this folder on your computer. Looks like you can change out the images with your own, best to probably edit the images already there tho with a more anime-ish theme. I might look into it later looks like it would be fun..
Recently I have installed a windows coustomization tool called Rainmeter, it's like the Windows Vista/7 gadgets but fully customizable and there are a lot of "skins" in devianart, maybe one boring day I'll make a post about it...
That are some nice icons :)
I only have one problem: I changed the Recycle Bin to the Azu-nyan versions, but now it doesn't update itself from empty to full and the other way, how can I get rid of that problem?
RiukixD said: That are some nice icons :)
I only have one problem: I changed the Recycle Bin to the Azu-nyan versions, but now it doesn't update itself from empty to full and the other way, how can I get rid of that problem?
I have this problem in Windows 7 too. I found this tutorial for it but haven't tried it out yet.
Hime-sama said: i have question.. can u do that on a macbook pro?? becuz our settings are alittle different.
I don't have a Mac so I don't know. Just Google "How to change folder icons on your Macbook" or something like that. If something comes up you should be able to use that to change your icons to these if they use icon format.
hmmm i tried to make my own icon but upon after creating the jpeg through photoshop it has a white background for some reason then when turning it into an icon through the convertIcon site the folder keeps the white background. how do i get rid of the background?
flamefire28 said: hmmm i tried to make my own icon but upon after creating the jpeg through photoshop it has a white background for some reason then when turning it into an icon through the convertIcon site the folder keeps the white background. how do i get rid of the background?
Create or use a PNG with a transparent background instead, not JPEG. You can look up online how to render images if you want to clear the background from the image you were making. Converticon can't render an icon for you, its just a file converter.
thank u soo much! at first i was frustrated cause i couldn't find the customize tab but since i didn't have one i check the other tabs that had the same stuff as the customize tab so it all turned out fine in the end. so thank u soo much 4 putting this up !
Sweet thanks for sharing, I like some of those folders a lot especially the ones without logos. Esp the purple haired girls one and the red and black one!
hanazara said: I cant make it bigger although in the setting I use large icon.
Not much I can tell u how to make your icons larger at all without your OS type or any other info, just keep messing around with the settings and maybe restart com and make sure you save? You can also Google it ppl are bound to have asked or set up tutorials for it already