pixadex
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CandyBar 3 available now
This is going to sound sad, but the one application that I have missed the most in upgrading to Leopard is CandyBar 2. I've always been something of a customization addict, and being able to take advantage of some of the beautiful icons that artists have made over the years to make OS X look its best is something I can easily spend hours doing, productivity be damned Fortunately for me, Panic (the guys behind Transmit and Coda) have just released the Leopard-only CandyBar 3, meaning I can now resume wasting time making my desktop look its prettiest. CandyBar 3 adds more than just Leopard compatibility - it is a pretty substantial program overhaul. Not only can system icons be changed, the dock can be now be customized too (free Icon and Dock sets available from the geniuses at Iconfactory). Additionally, Panic and Iconfactory have merged the CandyBar and the Pixadex (kind of like iTunes for your icon sets) applications together, providing icon management and customization in one package, instead of two.From the CandyBar 3 release notes: Integrated CandyBar together with Pixadex with an entirely new interface Added large (512 x 512) icon support Leopard dock customization Additional system icons Quick Look integration More reliable system icon restoration, and much more The program can be downloaded for a 15-day/250-icon limit trial here. The program is $29 for new users. Owners of either CandyBar 2 or Pixadex 2 can upgrade for $24. Owners of both Pixadex and CandyBar 2 can upgrade for $19. Any user who bought CandyBar 2 or Pixadex 2 after October 1, 2007 qualifies for a free upgrade.Now, if we can only get a Leopard-version of Shapeshifter out - I can totally optimize my interface!Thanks, Sebastian
iPhone contact icon tutorial
Here's a fun little tutorial by Ged from Iconfactory, showing how to easily use icons (exported to a certain size) as contact images for the iPhone. His example is with the Dino-o-Matic icons from IF, which are (cheer!) free this week, but the fact is that this is a great idea for almost any contacts that you don't have a readily available picture for. You could use any icon you like, use Pixadex to get it in the right form, and then plug it right into your Address Book.As Ged notes in an update, while this is perfect for iPhone, it could be used for anything, including just Address Book itself. Because why say with a crappy, out-of-focus picture what you could say with a beautiful icon?
TUAW Tip: Pixadex can set icons as iChat user pictures
Pixadex from Panic and The Iconfactory is truly the iPhoto for icon junkies; it allows you to organize icons into sets, preview them in virtually any size and even turn regular images into icons with a simple drag and drop. One of its coolest features, however, especially for the iChat junkies in the crowd, is the ability to turn any icon into one's iChat user picture from a right click contextual menu. After a short delay, the icon should appear atop your buddy list in the image well, but be warned: iChat won't remember the pic in the popup menu that is accessible from clicking that image well, but you can simply drag and drop the icon up there to give it a home amongst your other selections.If this trick ends up causing some of you to develop Compulsive iChat Picture Disorder, we apologize in advance and urge you to send your therapy bills to spam@tuaw.com. We'll, uh, get right back to you on those.If you're still merely interested in what Pixadex can offer your icon downloading habits, a 15 day/25 uses of the Apply button demo is available from The Iconfactory, and a full license costs $18.95.
Pixadex goes universal
One of my all-time favorite pieces of shareware, The Iconfactory's Pixadex, has gone universal with the release of version 2.0.2. Pixadex lets your store, sort and search your desktop icon collection with ease. Create smart collections, export to a variety of file formats and more. Check out our review of Pixadex 2.0 from last October for more info.A single license costs $18.95US ($9.95US for registered users of Pixadex 1.0). Pixadex requires Mac OS 10.2 or greater (10.4 or greater for Spotlight integration). Version 2.0.2 is free for registered users.
