Icon Sizes - RealWorld forums

I'm trying to create an icon for Windows XP with 48px, 32px and 16px sizes. When I do this from a custom image, everything looks good in the previews and when I save it, only the 32px and 16px version work fine (desktop and folder details view).

The problem happens when I try to view the 48px version (thumbnail view in a folder). It is crushed down to 16px and looks very jagged. I tried creating a test .ico with only a 48px version and it had the correct size, but the edges were very jagged and it didn't look nearly as good as the 32px and 16px versions.

Any idea what I'm doing wrong? I'm creating them as Smooth Edge XP icons from a .PNG with the correct alpha transparency channel. I use your "Create Custom Icon" and apply a 1.0 density drop shadow of size 2, 0.8 offset. Like I said, the preview in the program shows all the icons as flawless.

It is a known limitation of Windows Explorer - do not use it to view icon files in thumbnail mode. It just displays the last image in an icon file and not the most suitable one.

To view the 48x48 image, switch to "Tiles" view.

Alternatively, you can switch to inverse image order when saving an icon (explore the options at the bottom of the Save dialog). But it is not recommended, because it makes the icon incompatible in normal scenarios.

Thanks kindly - worked like a charm.