CNET Editors' review
Need to make icons on the go? Look no further than IcoFX Portable. This lightweight program packs a well-designed interface and plenty of features into a package that will fit on your USB drive. This program would be pretty great even if it weren't small enough to carry around with us, but its portability makes it a real stand-out.
IcoFX Portable has an attractive, intuitive appearance that will be easy to navigate for anyone who's used a graphics program of any sort, even Microsoft Paint. When users create a new icon, the program has them set the dimensions and the color preferences, ranging from 1-bit to 32-bit color. From there, all the design tools are the old standbys: a color palette, pencil, paint brush, filler, eraser, lines, shapes, and so on. The workspace can be magnified up to 10,000 percent, making it easy to work on the details of even the smallest icons. IcoFX Portable also has a batch-processing tool that lets you create icons from images, create images from icons, or extract icons from resources. There's an array of special effects, including blurring, embossing, color adjustment, sharpening, drop shadows, and many more. IcoFX Portable has an online Help file that is well-written and thorough. Overall, we were very impressed with the program's features and ease of use. It's hard to believe that all of this is contained in a free, portable program!
IcoFX Portable installs and uninstalls without issues. We highly recommend this program.
Publisher's Description
From PortableApps:
IcoFX is an award winning freeware icon editor. It is an all-in-one solution for icon creation, extraction and editing packaged as a portable app, so you can do your editing on the go.
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All versions:
4.8 starsout of 9 votes
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Current version:
4.8 starsout of 9 votes
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My rating:
Write review
Results 1-9 of 9
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"easy to use it"
Version: IcoFX Portable 1.6.4
Pros
fast and easy
Cons
nothing yet
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"Nice UI and features, but clunky to use in some ways"
Version: IcoFX Portable 1.6.4
Pros
Provides many nice features without being overly busy. For the most part it is pretty intuitive to use.
Cons
Has some quirky behaviors that can make some basic things very difficult.
Summary
This is my take away after using it for a couple hours to create a couple icons.
It is often very difficult to get it to use the color you want. For one, the color of two different things in the icon can somehow become "linked", and then it become really difficult to change the color of just one. Or when trying to select a color for the next thing you want to do, the color of something already in the icon changes also. And undo can undo selecting a color, so when you undo an unwanted color change of something in the icon, you also lose the color you just selected.
Undo in general seems to not do what I want a lot. Sometimes edits are combined in a way I don't want, or undo incorrectly restores a blank icon between other restores. I thought I saw other things that didn't seem right as well.
Also I didn't see a way to make solid color circles and squares. And the keyboard accelerators for the top-level menu items are never visible, even when you press Alt. -
"Customize your desktop and folders with ease"
Version: IcoFX Portable 1.6.4
Pros
I have used this app for years and I have never seen a nag screen. Perfect freeware! Fast, easy, no pay to upgrade requests. It does exactly what it is supposed to and does it well. I turn any picture into an icon in less than a minute.
Cons
I like everything about it. I have not found anything negative to say about it.
Summary
This is the perfect tool for geeks, tweaks, or anyone else that likes to personalize their computer. Making personalized icons is a breeze. I change any picture, from almost any format into an icon in seconds or I can design my own just as easily. I wish I could show you my desktop! Freeware or free apps are notorious for disabling features, using annoying popups, or setting limiting the time to try. I have used this app for over a year and never seen anything like that. The editor is very easy to use. Open it for the first time and feel right at home. There are enough features to allow you to get the job done and do it well, but not so many that it becomes confusing. I use a lot of freeware and free to use apps and very rarely do I find one that I would actually pay for, but this one makes the cut. I rate this a ten. It's definately a must have.
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"So easy, a caveman could do it !"
Version: IcoFX Portable 1.6.4
Pros
Ease of use...I had my first icon created within minutes!!
Cons
so far, there's nothing I don't like ! (only had it about 10 mins, though..!)
Summary
Ease of use...does what it says!!
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"A Beauty of Product"
Version: IcoFX Portable 1.6.4
Pros
Does all you could ever fream about to create your greatest icons. Easy to use, fully comprensible interface. IcoFX is the best!
Cons
None, absolutely none!
Summary
Multiple functions, great general design, it does just what you think you would like to do.
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"IMHO the best free icon editor"
Version: IcoFX Portable 1.6.4
Pros
Deserves 5/5 stars: it is a feature rich icon editor and is totally free. I definitely switched off from Micorangelo.
Cons
No major showstopper found so far.
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"OUT OF THIS WORLD!!!!!!!"
Version: IcoFX Portable 1.6.4
Pros
Easy to use,does not degrade the image like other programs I've tried do. Don't bother with any other program. This is the only one you will ever need
Cons
None that I can find
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"Works Great 4 free program."
Version: IcoFX Portable 1.6.4
Pros
Easy to use. make different sizes.
Cons
I have not found one.
Summary
Make all sizes and colors.
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"A great little tool."
Version: IcoFX Portable 1.6.4
Pros
I found this quick and easy to use and also portable for my USB stick.
Cons
I haven't found anything wrong for this product. It satisfies my needs.
Summary
For me, the layout is good, easy and very simple.
