Optimizing .ico Imagery
To optimize the .ico imagery on your web site, you should be aware of a number of techniques that you can use in effort to reduce the size of those files:
- Appropriately size your images to the dimensions you wish to display on your web site.
Most .ico files do not need to be larger than 16x16 or 32x32 pixels in size. 48x48 pixels is sometimes appropriate, those using smaller .ico file dimension can often result in substantially smaller file sizes. - Remove any excess colors.
When creating .ico files for display on the web, many software programs will default to using many more colors than are actually necessary. Minimizing the number of colors used in your graphics will significantly reduce the size of your files. Sticking to no more than 4-bit (16 colors) or 5-bit (32 colors) would be an excellent rule of thumb.
Tools that will allow you to complete these techniques:
Digitope Pixelshop (Windows): Cost: $$ | Quality: A- | Ease of Use: A+ | Use With: 1, 2
FavIcon from Pics (Web-Based): Cost: Free | Quality: A- | Ease of Use: A+ | Use With: 1
Favicon Generator (Web-Based): Cost: Free | Quality: A- | Ease of Use: A+ | Use With: 1
Iconographer (Mac/Windows): Cost: $ | Quality: B+ | Ease of Use: B+ | Use With: 1, 2
ImageMagick (Mac/Windows/Unix): Cost: Free | Quality: A- | Ease of Use: B | Use With: 1, 2
Other: