So you want to make pixel-perfect icons for iPhone and iPad, but can’t get it just right? Here’s my own personal icon template that makes designing and previewing icons a breeze. Click the preview to download the organized and layered Photoshop file.

The template also includes layers for creating iPad document icons. Be sure to read Apple’s documentation for a clear explanation of how icons are to be formatted and used in apps: iOS Human Interface Guidelines: Custom Icon and Image Creation Guidelines

In the years before Xcode and Mac OS X, there was CodeWarrior, an IDE and compiler of legendary speed. It has since fallen by the wayside, but you can bring back old Macintosh development memories with this humble Metrowerks style folder icon, ready to paste onto any project to give it that classic Geekware feel. Download Now

Since its release, I’ve been a fan of Jan Van Boghout‘s VLC Icon Overhaul, preferring the dark video icons to QuickTime’s slightly modified generic document set. Part of the challenge of publishing a Mac application is coming up with icons that stand out against the rest of the system while still retaining the standardization that users expect, and Jan’s add-on makes VLC-playable files easily identifiable without introducing any confusion about their type. I’ve taken the liberty of creating 512×512 Leopard size icons for each format VLC can play, ready to drop into the application’s contents and use. Download the set here (full size preview), and follow the same instructions to install them. (Note that I haven’t built a large VLC application icon — something I may do soon.)

I’m a huge fan of VMware Fusion for Mac OS X, but I thought the icon that it ships with it application could use a little work. Above all else, I wanted it to be Leopard ready, as the maximum icon size increased to 512×512, and the one that ships with VMware is only 128×128. So, I put together what I hope is a suitable replacement for it. You can download the replacement icon, or check out the full size preview before grabbing it.

To install the new icon, browse to your Applications folder, find VMware Fusion, and View Package Contents on it. Open the Contents and Resources folders, and replace “fusion.icns” with the icon from the linked download. You may have to authenticate and delete the icon first, and then drop in the new one. After the Finder and Dock processes restart, you’ll see the Leopard-ready VMware Fusion icon in place.

Iconverter is a simple little utility I discovered which helps you juggle between images, ICNS files, and actual “pasted” icons for Mac files and applications. Often when dealing with icons, I find the need to convert an ICNS file to an editable PNG image with transparency, or go from a PNG back to an ICNS. As much as I like IconBuilder, my needs are not nearly that complex, and Iconverter simply gets the job done. What I enjoy most about the little app is the “Use file contents” checkbox, which will force it to read the data from the file instead of the icon itself — most other icon utilities default to using the system-designated icon of an opened ICNS file (a file with dog-eared corner), not the actual file contents. Iconverter handles this with ease, and is my first choice for getting icons just right.