KAORI SAKURA ICON THEME PART 5

KAORI SAKURA FILE TYPES ICONS

This is a screenshot showing just a sample of the file type icons I used for my Kaori Sakura icon theme. Please note that for some reason IconPackager only changed some of the file type icons for me so I also used utility I found that would change the rest. It is called Default Programs Editor [link] . It is a good idea to back up the dlls of your OS icons before altering them.

From top left they are: Windows Blinds files, AI, AVI, BMP, Firefox Document, GIF, MPEG, iconpackage, ZIP, RAR, 7Z, ICL (icon library file), REG, VB SCRIPT, IP (iconpackager pack), MOV, MP3, MP4, ODT, PNG, PSD, RTF, INF, AND TXT

CREDITS AND RESOURCES
* [AI, AVI, BMP, GIF, ZIP, RAR, 7z, MOV, MP3, MP4, ODT, PNG, PSD, RTF, INF]: All are part of the Kaori icon pack [link] by ~dunedhel. Note: I did colorize the 3 types of archive icons.
* Firefox Document icon: [link] is by ~Lustmusket3000
* IP, ICL: Part of the Local Flavor iconpackage by Coco Kou found here on WinCustomize.
* MPEG icon: Part of the Dark Glass icon set by Alessandro Rei found on Icon Finder
* REG: Part of the FLASH Black Edition iconpackage by 1MrPaul1 found here on WinCustomize
* Windowsblinds files icon: Part of the Oxygen Icon Set Human o2 found [link] by Oliver Scholtz (and others)
* VB Script icon: Part of the Junior iconpackage by treetog found here on WinCustomize
* iconpackage file icon: [link] found on en.Clipart-fr
* TXT: Part of the China characteristic icon set [link] by ~jaywang

Decorative Accents:
* Cherry Blossom Branch: found on My Blog Makeover Accessories
* Cherry Blossoms clip-art: [link] by M/Y/D/S Clipart graphics
* Orange Cartoon Koi Fish: found here on Computer Clip Art.com
* Koi with Lotus: found here on flowerclipart.com
* Giant Panda: found in the Free Animal Clipart section of the Peirce Clipart Collection
* Bamboo clip art: found here on Clker.com
* Background Cherry Blossoms Image: is the Sakura wallpaper [link] by ~simzcom

PROGRAMS/UTILITIES USED TO BUILD THE KAORI SAKURA ICON THEME
This was not a ready made iconpackage that I used. I put this theme together from a multitude of icon sources and I ended up changing over 120 default Windows 7 icons.
These are the main programs/utilities/tutorials I used to change the default icons. Read below this list for more information about each of the programs/utillities/tutorials listed.
1. IconPackager by Stardock: [link]
2. Library Icon Changer: [link]
3. Default Programs Editor: [link]
4. Tutorial: "How to Change the Default Icons in the Windows 7 Control Panel" by Brink: [link] Be sure to read the warning below.
5. ConvertIcon! [link] , an online converter, to convert PNG files into the ICO format.
6. Axialis IconWorkshop (free trial for 30 days): [link]

The main program I used to build my iconpackage (theme) was IconPackager. It is free to use for 30 days and around $10 if you want to purchase it after that time. I choose to buy it after trying it out and learning all about it. I did find that there were a few bugs or glitches when using it in Windows 7 64 bit, but I was able to find ways around those or solutions to them. IconPackager will also show you which dll's are being changed for each icon so it is advised to back these up. IconPackager does have a built in way to restore Windows defaults but it was a bit tricky to switch back to the default Live Folders.

Other programs or utilities used: For some reason, for some file types, IconPackager was not able to change the default icons. So I researched and found this utility that will do that, called Default Programs Editor [link] . It is a good idea to back up the dll's of your OS icons before altering them. There is not a way to switch automatically back to the default ones in this utility. To change the default icon for custom Libraries that I added to Windows 7 I used another little utility called Library Icon Changer. You can get that here: [link] .

IconPackager did not have the option of changing several of the default icons on the All Items Control Panel. So I searched for a method to do that. The result of that search was this tutorial: "How to Change the Default Icons in the Windows 7 Control Panel" by Brink: [link] . This tutorial does involve editing the registry and so is for the advanced computer user who knows how to do this safely. WARNING: Manually editing your registry can cause your computer not to work if you don't know what you are doing and if you do not know how to take precautions.

Sometimes icons were only available in the PNG format so I needed to convert them to ICO so Windows 7 could use them. For this, I used ConvertIcon! [link] , an online converter. It worked great for for this purpose. However, sometimes it would be unable to convert ICO to PNG for some reason, so for that I used the free 30 day trial version of Axialis IconWorkshop [link] .


If you have more specific questions you can leave a comment. I will try to help. I just am not up to writing a detailed tutorial, because customizing your icons does involve some trial and error. Creating your own iconpackage from a lot of sources takes a lot more time than using a ready made iconpackage. Especially if you want to highly customize them and are as choosey as me!

ADDITIONAL LINKS FOR THE KAORI SAKURA ICON THEME
Click here to see the Introduction Page and Dedication.
Click here to see the Desktop Screenshot.
Click here to see the Start Menu, User Folder, and Libraries icons.
Click here to see the Control Panel, My Computer (Computer) and My Pictures folders icons.
Click here to see the All Control Panel Items view icons.

Additional Notes:
I feel there is a need to explain I cannot offer the Kaori Sakura Icon Theme for download because I compiled this theme from many many sources and the credit for these icons goes entirely to their artists who created them and not me. I would have to get permission from many sources to offer them for download. I explained this on other pages for this theme. The talent of the icon artists truly amazes me. It is also the reason I chose to put this theme in the desktop customization screenshot category.

I did however give links to where I got all the icons from and the programs I used in case anybody would like to build this theme too and use it. Keep in mind you will need special software, I explain more on other pages of this theme.

I would love to know what you think about the icon theme I compiled and what your favorite icons are. Favs and constructive comments are always welcome and appreciated. Thanks for looking at this icon theme project.