The icon is one of the most universal features of websites and software. Getting your icon just right can be crucial for having a professional looking product, piece of software or website. That’s why today we are looking at the best icon maker websites online.
Why you should care about icons.
If you are a developer there are a number of reasons you shouldn’t overlook the power of icons.
When we view new websites, we are often looking for visual ques as to the reliability and professionalism of the website design. Getting this right is crucial if you want people to keep coming back, and to trust your website. This is all about readability - how easy is it for people to grasp the main points and information. A good icon can help immensely in content presentation.
- Icons draw attention
- They increase the readability and visual appeal of the website.
- They put content in a nutshell.
So read on to find out more about free icon maker tools.
Prodraw
Here we have perhaps the best icon maker online. Prodraw is used to convert any image file in to one of several icon formats. With this useful online tool you can choose between producing icons of the following formats:
- Windows 7(up to 256×256 pixel PNG icon.)
- Windows Desktop Icon(32×32 or 48×48 pixel, .ico format)
- iPhone(60×60 pixel PNG icon, 120×120 px for iPhone retina)
- iPad(76×76 pixels PNG icon, 152×152 px for iPad retina)
- Android(72×72, 48×48 or 36×36 pixels PNG icon)
This is a really useful tool for front end developers to be able to quickly produce icons for different systems without needing to do any image editing.
To use this tool first upload the image you desire to be used for your icon. They accept various formats including BMP, GIF, JPG, ICO, TIFF and PNG. Note that your image must be smaller that 2 MB in order to be accepted. When you hit upload, it can take the system a few minutes to generate the thumbnail needed for the icon.
The process is completely automatic. You just have to input your preferred options for your icon including the export format and its dimensions. They have 13 set outputs for the dimensions of the icon image, and they have labelled some of these according to the system to which they are related. For instances the 152*152 dimension is suitable for icons for the iPad retina.
There are also some extra features here you can use such as “sharpen” to make your image stand out more.
The free service this site provides is very comprehensive and that is why we have included it in this list. Prodraw has potentially the best free and automatic icon maker service online today.
Pic2Icon
This is another really nice free automatic icon maker, and certainly a contender for the best icon maker in this list.
This tool can produce icons for Windows XP, Windows 7/8/10, Apple and Android.
Pic2Icon is very user friendly. In order to produce your desired icon you need only follow a few simple steps.
- Firstly select the icon type you wish to use.
- Upload the photo or image that you want to use for your icon.
- Apply custom settings and special effects.
- Download the icon generated.
This icon generator is lovely and simple. Definitely worth your time.
Icon Generator
Icon generator has a very slick user interface. Once the tool loads you will see that it can produce 5 professional looking icon designs. For example within the HTML5 icon design you will find options for text color, line color, etc. You can also print a logo name over your image of choice. Once you have created the perfect icon within their free online editor, simply save and download it.
Is this the best icon maker online? Well it certainly has a really nice interface and editor.
ICO Convert
This wonderful icon maker can help you produce the perfect icon. To make icons from JPG or PNG files just upload the picture, then crop and resize it within their free online editor. Then convert it to a range of shapes to suit your needs, add border and shadow and save it as a PNG image or Windows icon. Definitely another contender for the best icon maker.
Flaticons
With flaticons you can choose from over 2500+ customizable icon shapes. This huge selection alone could make it the best icon maker. These icons are completely royalty free and available to use for your particular web project.
iConvert Icons
In my opinion this is the best icon maker tool available for free online. If you don’t believe me - just try them out!
iConvert definitely has the nicest and most intuitive layout. It is very simple to use- all you have to do is drag and drop the desired image in to the icon making tool.
It has been crafted from bottom up to make it as easy as possible for anyone to use and create of convert icons. All the popular formats are catered for here including PNG, ICO and ICNS. It’s also the only coverter to support conversion directly from SVG files.
Some special features include:
- Batch conversion
- Intelligent conversion.
- Can read and write 1, 4 and 8 bit icons as well as 32 bit icons.
- Built in color calibration.
- Quickly create icons for both Android and iOS - really useful for developers.
- Can back convert icons to images.
Verdict
Icons play a vital and often unheeded role in web design. If your website is lacking good icons it is often hard to pinpoint what is wrong with the visual style.
Often people see icons as a small aspect of web design and some even consider them to be redundant.
However, the opposite is true. Icons are an essential way to present your content. They grab attention, and allow visitors to find and scan information. They also add a look of professionalism to what you are doing.
Undoubtedly in our opinion, iConvert has the best icon maker available.
Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
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