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

When developing an icon for a Touch-based application, it’s handy to be able to see what your rendered creation will look like without going through the hassle of exporting your icon, compiling your code, and running your software every time a change is made. To that end, I present a small Photoshop file which very closely mimics the iPhone-applied mask and gloss, which you can place over top of your in progress icon layers to approximate the final result. Also, if you dislike the gloss, or have something special in mind, you can set a certain flag in the application’s Info.plist to disable the gloss… I hope my Photoshop file will help others create great looking Touch app icons!

Update: By request, I’ve added a 512×512 version of the template as well, so you can get a good feel for what your icon will look like when displayed in iTunes. Both files are now combined in a zip archive, downloadable here.

If you’re in the middle of a Transform or Layer Effects change and need to get your changes just right, you can adjust your view simply by holding the correct keys and using your mouse. On the Mac, hold Space and drag to pan around the background window. Command-Space-click on the document to zoom in, and Command-Option-Space-click to zoom out. Note that some of these key combos collide with the system-wide Spotlight commands, so you may consider remapping them in System Preferences, depending on your usage of each. Personally, I’ve moved Spotlight to Control-Space just to use these great hidden features of Photoshop.

WhatTheFont
WhatTheFont is far and away my favorite tool in the bunch primarilty because it’s automated, fast, and shockingly accurate. Just upload an image (the more contrast, the better) or provide a URL and their software will match characters and, more often than not, the correct font name.

WhatTheFont Forum
If fully automated solutions are of no help, you can always call upon others in the industry who deal with typefaces every day. Someone out there knows about your font, and the WhatTheFont Forum is one of the best places to get a good response.

Identifont
Identifont helps you find fonts by asking multiple questions about the font you’re looking for. It’s a unique approach that, in my usage, works about 30 to 40 percent of the time. As a last resort, it may very well come through, despite it’s apparently limited font selected.

Recently, my Photoshop posts have been lacking in layers, which I tend to equate with how much others can learn from them. A file with few layers really only allows for simple usage of the content, and leaves little room to learn from. To try and make up for some of that, here’s a multi-multi-layer Halo 2 Photoshop file where a large portion of the background was cut away to make the image fit the design on (the subsequently redesigned) Xbox.com.

You can view the original screenshot here to see how much area had to be recreated. Luckily, I just happened to have some good source material to pull from. The photo used to rebuild the missing chunk of sky is quite possibly part of the original Halo 2 artwork, as it’s from a PDF I stumbled upon not too long ago. Looking at the original PDF, you’ll notice parts of the sky which have cloud formations matching those in the screenshot. With some clone stamp work, color adjustments, and a new black gradient, the restored image looks good as new. While the original Halo 2 image surely exists somewhere out there, this is a decent Photoshop file tutorial showing how to merge two related images with minimal changes.

Whether you use it for something, learn from it, or just find the files cool to check out, I’d like to hear from you! I know I always enjoy looking through others’ Photoshop files to see how they do things.

The first image I have is the new Xbox Live logo for the Xbox 360, which uses the new, official, Helvetica-looking Xbox font. I like the old blocky font more, but I’m sure Microsoft will still manage to pull the marketing materials together nicely. Overall, I enjoy the Xbox marketing styles far more than those used for Windows.

The second file is an Xbox 360 ad I saw on a website, and recreated it in Photoshop. You can see the preview here, or download the layered Photoshop file. Enjoy!

• Address Book
• the Applications icon
• Automator
• Bonjour
• Core Audio/Image/Video
• Dashboard
• .Mac
• FileVault
• Finder
• the Home icon
• iChat
• Keychain
• “Mac HD”
• .Mac Sync
• Mail
• Preview
• QuickTime
• Safari
• Spotlight
• Xcode
• the Apple logo from “About This Mac…”

Each image about 500px in size, which is considerably larger than what you’ll find in Mac OS X’s standard icons. Here’s a preview sheet of what you can expect. If you like what you see, download the whole lot (3.7 MB). Personally, I’ve used a few in the past for sprucing up Keynote presentations given at MUG meetings. I’m not sure what other purposes they have — post below if you find them useful!

I also wholeheartedly agree with Cameron’s recommendation of the Machine Wash Photoshop filters. They allow you to instantly apply an aged look to a layer using the included Actions. If you’re looking to create that style and don’t want to spend the time doing all the work manually, definitely check out Machine Wash filters.