{"id":96732,"date":"2020-10-24T12:00:12","date_gmt":"2020-10-24T09:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/how-to-extract-a-high-quality-icon-from-a-mac-app\/"},"modified":"2020-10-24T12:00:12","modified_gmt":"2020-10-24T09:00:12","slug":"how-to-extract-a-high-quality-icon-from-a-mac-app","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-to-extract-a-high-quality-icon-from-a-mac-app\/","title":{"rendered":"#How to Extract a High Quality Icon From a Mac App"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#How to Extract a High Quality Icon From a Mac App<\/a>”<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\"Extracting<\/p>\n

Sometimes you\u2019re working on a project that requires a high-quality Mac application icon with a transparent background. Taking a screenshot doesn\u2019t capture transparency, and maybe you can\u2019t find one on the web. There\u2019s an easy way to extract a high quality icon directly from a .app file.<\/p>\n

First, using \u201cFinder,\u201d locate the app you\u2019d like to extract the icon from. You will need direct access to the application\u2019s \u201c.app\u201d file. If the app is located in your Applications folder, you can navigate there quickly by selecting Go > Applications from the menu bar at the top of the screen.<\/p>\n

\"In<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the secret to this technique. Each Mac .app file is actually a \u201cpackage,\u201d which is basically a folder with a special format, and it includes files that make an application work. Inside each app package you can find resources, such as icons, that you can extract. So we\u2019re going to peek inside an app package next.<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve located the app in Finder, right-click (or Ctrl-click) it and select \u201cShow Package Contents.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Right-click<\/p>\n

After that, the app package will open and you\u2019ll see a \u201cContents\u201d folder. Open it. Within \u201cContents,\u201d you\u2019ll see several folders and files. Double-click the \u201cResources\u201d folder to open it.<\/p>\n

By the way, while you\u2019re poking around inside an application package, be sure not to move or delete any files within. It could prevent the app from running properly in the future.<\/p>\n

\"Within<\/p>\n

Inside the \u201cResources\u201d folder, you will find a file labeled \u201cApplicationIcon.icns.\u201d This is a special icon file that contains several different-sized icons for the app. Double-click the \u201cApplicationIcon.icns\u201d file, and it will open in Preview.<\/p>\n

\"In<\/p>\n

In the \u201cPreview\u201d app, you will notice that the ICNS file stores icons in multiple sizes. The largest one will be the first in the list (seen in the pane on the left), and it should be at least 256\u00d7256 pixels in size. Click to select it.<\/p>\n

\"In<\/p>\n

Once the icon you\u2019d like to extract is selected (usually the first, largest one), click File > Export in the menu bar.<\/p>\n

\"In<\/p>\n

When the Export dialog pops up, enter a name for the file and decide where you\u2019d like to save it. Then choose a file format. If you want a high quality image with a transparent background, select \u201cPNG\u201d from the list. (Also, make sure the \u201cAlpha\u201d option is checked. This ensures that the PNG you save will have a transparent background.)<\/p>\n

Then click \u201cSave.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"In<\/p>\n

Preview will export the icon you chose as a transparent PNG file. After that, close Preview app, and your new icon image will be waiting where you saved it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n