If you’ve ever wondered whether there is an easy way to create your own system icons — at least personalize the default ones within OS X — there is such a way to do so. The following is a quick guide to do just that, using Gluestick and LiteIcon.
Get to know Gluestick. Gluestick is a relatively new app for the Mac. What makes it special is that it allows you to design quick icons by importing designs already inside the Mac, such as the default folder icon, which has great potential for customization. Gluestick is a layer-based image editor that “glues” images together, so overlaying additional images and resizing them is a breeze. You can even add new text layers, and have access to some neat options from the Inspector window.
Export from Gluestick. Whether you have designed a new icon from scratch, or personalized an existent one, it’s time to export it as an icon file. To do so, just go to the File menu, select Export, and save it as a .icns file. You should be good to go with the new icon.
Get to know LiteIcon. What LiteIcon does is change the default system icons within OS X. Take a second to navigate to the desired system icon you wish to change, and then simply drag the icon just created to the desired slot. Please note that overwriting over the icons is permanent, and that the old ones are not to be recovered easily. If you wish to continue, confirm the changes, and there’s just one tiny detail left.
Apply changes. In order for the icon change to take effect, the Finder needs to be relaunched. LiteIcon has an option to relaunch the Finder from within, but you may also opt for the Command-Alt-Esc route to relaunch it. In case that the new icon fails to appear after the Finder’s relaunch, prompting the Mac to restart should be enough to apply the changes.
Enjoy. Now take a look at how the new icon looks. Is it what you wanted? How can you improve it? Your creativity will define all. Also, let it be noted that this is just one of the many ways a custom system icon is to be implemented. The previous apps were chosen for the following reasons: Gluestick, which is not freeware, is capable of creating fantastic-looking icons in little time; LiteIcon, on the other hand, was an obvious choice because all the necessary functionality to change the icons was found within its freeware status.
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