Smooth icons in toolbar

[Jose Spanjaard]

Hi all,

In Word 2003 I would like to create new buttons in a toolbar with nice &
smooth icons. It seems that I only can use 16x16 pixels. But when I look at
Microsoft's own icons, they seem to have more details. When I copy these
icons (using the clipboard), the result in programs such as Paint and Visual
Studio .Net, is that they actually are only 16x16 and their colors are
'flattened'. Pasting them from there to any button in Word, and the result is
terrible (unsharp, flat colors).
So, can anyone tell me by which rules I can develop nice icons, which have a
simular result as Microsoft's own?

Thanks!
Jose Spanjaard, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

 

[NickP]

Hi Jose,

What colour depth are you creating your images? I have found that a
24bit BMP looks fine when pasted to a button face.

Nick.

 

[Jose Spanjaard]

Hi Nick,

I'm a little ;-) late with my response, but thanks for your reply anyhow!

Your solution doesn't solve my problem. I have been trying to find out how
Microsoft's own buttons are put together and it seems to me that they are
multi-layered ????? When you copy, for example, Word's 'Format Painter'
button image (to Paint, Photo Editor, VB.Net), you will notice the difference
in color, position of the picture, straightness of surrounding lines, etc.
The difference is very well seen with the naked eye, but even more so when
you set the display of the buttons in Word to 'large'.

Any more suggestions?
Thanks!
José

 

[NickP]

Hey Jose,

Maybe they have an Alpha layer too which allows you to have antialiasing
around the edge of the graphic so that it does not look so sharp. I have
recently had to do this for a WTL application that has a toolbar in it, you
can do this very easily using Photoshop, but I am not quite sure how you
would do it any other way.

http://www.wincustomize.com/articles.aspx?aid=82822&c=1

I can't imagine that they would be doing anything else to be honest.
This should give your icons nice smooth edges when displayed on a button
face.

HTH

Nick.