Theme icons offer users a means to customize their Android devices to their own liking in term of look and feel. This however doesn't mean they offer everything you’d need, that’s why making your own custom icon is the next best thing. And it’s easier than you think. To make this possible, all you need is some creativity and a photo editor to make the most of it. You choose any type of photo editor, whether a Photoshop or even a cloud-based editor such as Pixlr.As for the image to use as an icon, you can select any image available online and have it set as an icon on your device, using a launchers that comes with support for custom icons, for instance Nova Launcher. However, you’ll notice that once you set an icon using this method, the icons will either appear much larger, completely filling up the icon square or the icon will have a border around it, since it lacks transparency. Luckily there are editing options for the intended icons that can greatly improve their look on the home screen. There are a few ways you can enhance your base image while it is in the photo editor, to make the entire process easier when setting it up in the launcher.
Transparency
Select the image around your intended icon using the magic wand tool. If the image has a solid color around it, simply select the outside area and tap delete. If the color or the area is replaced by black or white, then it means that either the layer of the image is locked or the editor you are using does not support transparency. Confirm by checking in the layers window (usually shown on the right side of the editor), that there is no lock beside the layer displaying your icon. If there is, double-click the lock icon found at the bottom of the layers window to remove it.Borders and Outlines
Though Bordered icons may not look as clean, they are easier to create, set and keep uniformed. There are a number of ways you can make your icons bordered.- Photoshop brushes can be applied in the creation of borders outside your icon
- The shape tool features an array of borders that can be employed for custom icons.
- Copy/ Cut: You can use a magic wand along with Crtl+Shift+I within PhotoShop to select the inverse of the brush or shape outline around an icon and then copy it to transform it into an icon stencil. Next move from the border you had based your layer on, on to the layer containing your image icon and right-click within the selected area then choose Layer via Copy. Have all the layers next to the newly created icon hidden and you’ll be left with a model icon cutter that can be reused for as many icons as you wish.