How can I make a game icon? [Noob]

Hey guys!

I am all done with my game except for developing the actual icon for it. However, I have no idea how to go about this. Currently my budget is 0$ , so my only option is Paint.net [ unless there is a better engine out there]. My game is just a game where you control a barrel and try to catch falling coins from above. How can I go about making a relevant icon? Keep in mind , that I have no previous experience with creating app icons.

 

Gimp is a free "photoshop like" program that will likely be better than Paint.net.

There's also lots of tutorials you could follow to create what you need. Google search for: gimp icon tutorial

There's also inkscape if you want to use vector images.

 

Hmmm , ok. Do you know where I can get pictures I can use in the icon? My current idea is to have a shining coin falling into the bucket below with some type of cool background. However, I'm not sure where I would get the images of the coin etc to use. Do I draw them myself or does Gimp allow me to make these?

 

You'll find lots of free images (of varying quality) by doing searches for different image types:

free svg
free png
free jpg
free icons
etc

This search may be very useful: inkscape tutorial coin

 

Thanks. I'm not sure if you have experience in making app icons but , do you think I should go with the easier approach of a cool looking logo for my icon , or go full out with the barrel and coin? As I'm quite confused on how to make an icon.

 

I'm most certainly not an artist. I know some tools and can fumble along with a tutorial etc but I'm not one to give such advice.

I'd have a play and see how it goes.

Another option is to pay someone on upwork to do one for you - it'll likely cost $30 or so, but you'll get a good quality icon (needed for app store appearance etc). But you did say your budget is $0 so I get that it's not an option for you!

 

Surely you had to create other graphics to make your game???

The icon is just a graphic of a specific size. The dimensions are platform-specific. Some platforms (like Windows) support multiple icons at different resolutions. Common dimensions are 32x32, 48x48, 64x64, 96x96, 128x128 and 256x256. I've even seen people discussing using 512x512. You really need to check the requirements of your target platform.

FWIW, I'd cast a vote in the other direction -- Paint.Net over Gimp. While it's popular to suggest they're both "similar" to Photo Shop, the reality is they're pale imitations at best. Since you aren't familiar with either, you're probably going to get something done a lot faster starting in Paint.Net. (Gimp is the typical Open Source story, and I know this will get me flamed but: lofty goals often crippled by less-than-professional execution. Yes, it works, but it's no Photo Shop.)

 

Believe it or not , considering how simple my game is , I just used everything available in Unity [ except a few fonts].

 

Alright, Thanks man! I'm gonna try to give it a go with the help of some tutorials , etc.

 

Keep in mind some platforms require icons of multiple sizes. Draw something simple and large, then scale it down. Vector-drawing packages (like Inkscape mentioned by larku earlier) are harder to use but vector graphics scale very smoothly.

Various app stores may require other supporting imagery (screen shots, at a minimum). I'm partial to IrfanView for screen shots on Windows (it's free).

 

Inkscape is what you need. It's the free Windows equivalent to Adobe's Illustrator, and it's perfect for making icons. There are 1000s of tutorials on youtube - search, "Inkscape Icon" and you can also add the word, 'tutorial'. Here's some icons I made with a combination of Inkscape and Paint.net.



<-- Not an artist.

Gigi

 

Or, you can do like I did: marry an artist and ask her to do it for you.

 

Those look awesome! Thanks for the advice , I'm a bit familiar with Inkscape [ I took a short digital art course} so I think that'll do,

 

I would highly reccomend this option. Being married to a creative graphic designer is awesome.

 

So... I'm in need of an artist. Is your wife single?

 

lol... Hmm... @BoredMormon, do Mormons really do the polygamy thing or is that rumor?

Either way I'll restate my recommendation -- Photo Shop is much cheaper.

 

I have just one wife.

Polygamy (or more strictly polygyny, it was always a multiple wive thing, never a multiple husband thing) was practiced early on church history, but the practice was officially stopped in the late 1800s.

Like all religions we have break away fundamentalist groups, some of these still practice polygamy.

This. Wives and kids are expensive

 

Literally! Photoshop is much cheaper and easier to maintain.