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@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@ +The age of hackers supplying their own artwork is over. For the sake of our +users, please leave the pixelpushin' to the artists. Please file a request +instead. + +Bugs and Requests +----------------- + +Requests for icons that will be useful for more than a a single application and +it makes sense to share it in an icon theme should be filed in MATE bugzilla +(bugzilla.gnome.org) under the mate-icon-theme module. + + +High resolution icons +===================== + +Application launcher icons and filetype icons in general will benefit in +providing a high resolution variant. For Tango, the canvas size is 256x256 pixels. + +We suggest creating artwork for this large canvas as vectors. It may require +more time as vector art with filter effects tends to be very computentionally +intensive, but the benefit is that it allows to create derivative works easily. +In addition, if we need a higher resolution than 256x256 in future, it's simply +a matter of re-rendering the icons. + +Due to the large canvas a lot of the guidelines discussed elsewhere in this document do not apply. What still stands is the use of colors, the perspective and lighting. + +FIXME: outlines (strokes alternative - wip) +FIXME: highlights (inner stroke alternative) +FIXME: shadows (wip) + +Inkscape workflow tips: +----------------------- + +* The 256x256 icon needs to be nice when scaled down to 64x64 (25% zoom), so, in inkscape, it's necessary to use a 1x1 pixels grid with major lines every 4. Lining up the main objects to the major lines of the grid will help making the icon less blurry when scaled down. + +* Text: the best trick we found (atm) for text in high resolution icons is to use the text tool to write something (lorem ipsum, funny things, nonsenses and so on:-)) using the Bitstream Vera Sans typeface with a 6pt size, trying to have the main bodies of the letters between two horizontal major grid lines, then we convert the text object to path and simplify (ctrl+l) 3 times. In case the text is not visible enough when scaling down overlaying the line with a very subtle rectangle 4px tall will help (see text-x-generic). + +* Outlines: to make the things stand out we darken the edges using various tecniques. Lapo's favourite is to group the all objects costituting the shape; copy, paste in place, ungroup and make the boolean union to obtain the silouhette [ctrl+c, crtl+alt+v, ctrl+u, ctrl++]; copy again; set this path fill to none, set the stroke from 0.5 to 2 pixels in a dark color (usaully black) and set blur from 1 to 2 points; group it with the previous group; paste in place and select the new group and the pasted path apply a clipping mask (the pasted path will be used as a clipping mask) [Object -> Clip -> Set]. Now you can do group editing with the clipping mask in place [ctrl+enter to "enter" the group]. You can play with various stroke width and color or gradients and with different blur settings. + +* Shadows: there's usually two shadow objects, one darker, less blurred, less offset. The other very fuzzy, very transparent. So you get a nice soft, non-linear falloff. |